Bill Keen

Nice!

The profile pic is me, pouring 1,000 lbs silicon bronze at UNC-G in the 70's.

:)

Now I remember. Manganese Bronze, basically 60/40 with Mang is beautiful to forge, form and cast. Can tie knots with it. Stay lower than color. Heat pencils or just go slow. Very forgiving metal.

Forged and formed all kinds of basic "Yellow Brass". If you see color you're too hot. I'll look back through my foundry ingot info and add if I can.

Very nice tutorial. I've been doing casting for 40 years, everything from door hardware to 300 lb cast iron for restoration, plus sand and various investment processes for sculpture. Nothing you said would I change............other than, If I knew then what I know now, I'd be in computers. :) My in house furnace will melt 250 lbs bronze but I seldom have to. # 30 is what i used mostly. Out of the business end but retaining capability. Overhead cranes expedite handling. If by hand, always a aluminized apron. Nothing like having your pants zipper hit 200 degrees in the middle of a pour. Happy to share what I can still remember.

Thanks for the welcome. I live in my woods near Chapel Hill, NC. Been in NC all my life except three years, Navy, late sixties. Tried pretty much everything I could do with metal and ceramics and wood. Eclectic, (ADHD?) Accumulated my tools at the local scrapyard, finding things under the tree out behind shops, just being nice and waiting. Ran a sculpture art foundry, machine shop, welding and fab, 35 years. Still have my equipment, slowing down, too much, at 65. Glad I found you. Reminds me of what I used to do. Will input info and pics as best I can.

'Tom Oldsmith'
Water ? :) This is a commercial sand, my boss bought it online.

If water it's greensand. Petrobond requires adding the oil based binder now and then but not water.

Correction, Look at the anvil from the point of the horn. Lower left front foot may have a serial number stamped. Mine is 2537, that gave me the date. Used Postman's book, Mousehole Forge to research.

Looked at mine this morning: BROOKS& COOPER

MOUSE
HOLE
FORGE
SHEFFIELD
WARRENTED
(Mouse stamped here) HOLE
PATENT
O 3 6

Thinking I got the date of 1870's from Anvils In America, bottom number. Rub the side with talcum powder, wipe the surface leaving the powder in low places. Easier to read than a rubbing. Good luck.

All the bronze I have ever poured was in the 1900-2200 f range. Yellow brass, which forges nicely will tell you when by gassing off zinc. Watch out for Galvo. Makes for a miserable night. Silicon bronze, higher end of scale. Aluminum bronze several hundred hotter than the upper range, but it makes pretty miserable castings if you're not handling it correctly. Sorry but, 3250 was burning alloy out of your metal. You're talking steel and iron temps up there. Glad it worked for you, lot of extra fuel.

Ideally, a non-silica sand. I used olivine for 40 years. 3-6% Bentonite clay, enough water to hold it together, 1-3 %.

Sorry guys, trying to figure my way around here.

My bad. I have a Foster, 1830's, Mousehole later 1800's. I don't mind a dull sounding anvil as long as it stays together.

My bad. I have a Foster, 1830's, Mousehole later 1800's. I don't mind a dull sounding anvil as long as it stays together.

My bad. I have a Foster, 1830's, Mousehole later 1800's. I don't mind a dull sounding anvil as long as it stays together.

My bad. I have a Foster, 1830's, Mousehole later 1800's. I don't mind a dull sounding anvil as long as it stays together.

I have a Mousehole, early 1800's. Rub some talcum powder on the sides and see if anything is clearer.

Been running a forge, foundry, machine shop for 40 years. Ran across you concerning power hammers. Have a Nazel 2-B and Chambersburg 500 lb single arch Utility. Also 12,000 lb press brake and 250 ton press brake. Plus, I don't know how many tons of material and support tools. I'll work through your topics, mostly looking for energy and inspiration to get myself back in the mix. Glad I found you.