TIL I poured my 10,000th casting and it felt wrong

I keep a tally sheet on my toolbox and hit 10,000 pours this morning on a simple gray iron bracket. Everyone talks about big round numbers like it's a win, but honestly, it just made me think about all the metal I've wasted over 15 years on bad gating. I probably messed up the first 2,000 pieces before I really got the riser sizes right. Does anyone else get more focused on the mistakes than the count?

4 comments

4 Comments

sean_green442mo ago

Two thousand pieces just to get it right...

the_brian16d ago

Honestly, that two thousand pieces comment hits hard. Read a book where a sculptor said something similar, about ruining a ton of marble before one statue actually worked. @thomas_sanchez is right about the process changing how you see the whole thing, because failing that many times forces you to stop caring about the outcome and just focus on the next cut. It's like your brain finally gives up on being perfect and just lets you do the work. That shift is what separates people who quit from people who end up with something real. The mistakes become the teacher, not the enemy.

shane_hayes2mo ago

Used to think that was crazy, now I get it.

thomas_sanchez2mo agoMost Upvoted

That "now I get it" feeling shane_hayes is so real. It's not about the final thing, it's about the process changing how you see the whole task. You start chasing the satisfaction of the work itself, the focus it takes, and the finished product almost becomes a bonus. That shift in why you do something is what most people never talk about.