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New lining for the iron furnace

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vtsteam:
One of the facts I like about casting is that there are a huge number of variables...and so, a seemingly infinite number of  problems and approaches. And so, it tends toward creating a personal style for the person casting. What I like about it is, it's still an art. And an art based on personal experience.

vtsteam:
The sand has finally dried to a good molding feel. It's been 2 weeks in a low indoor humidity of 30%!

What's even more surprising to me is that I dried 100 grams of it in the oven, and it looks like it's now at a moisture of 2%.
That's amazing. Unless I'm doing something wrong, but yes 2% and it has very good feel, compacts in the hand nicely without sticking, and a squeezed clump of it breaks clean. That's just how I like it. But 2% seems numerically, at least, very low. I was expecting 4% to be about right, but it was too wet at that level.

Well, not complaining -- that's actually really good in terms of casting without steam gassing problems.

Getting closer every day to trying an iron melt. I've got cores, steel flasks, furnace relined, burner tested, crucibles, tools rounded up, found my ferrosilicon and plumbago, sand at proper temper, I need to make a pattern, and I need the weather to get better.

Major 13F 20mph winds blizzard predicted for tomorrow. Wednesday the opposite, 47F, but it will rain, which will be a mess with the snow, for sure. Well, pattern making for now........

Cylinders for a Rider Stirling of 2-1/2" bore.

PekkaNF:
Sounds good.

Any chance of some educational pictures on paternmaking?

I sympathize with the weather. Here it is has been few days nice. Some snow, but not more than I can shovel of the driveway. This morning temp is -8C. Fine, but weekend is pretty much only time I have a chance of changing some old AC ducting in the crawl space between ceiling and roof. For evening and tomorrow weather forecast  predicts blizzard and 30-40 cm of snow. Almost tempted to postpone. Maybe I just carry some firewood inside for oven and sauna to weather the storm. But it is hard not to what I have set to my mind.

vtsteam:
Sure, Pekka, here:

https://www.madmodder.net/index.php/topic,13467

PekkaNF:
Sweet!

You describe reasoning and thought process, that is something I enjoy following and I learn there way more than from traditional "how to" instructions.

Thank you very much,
Pekka

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