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EXPERIMENT NO.- 5
AIM - To study the tools and equipments used in foundry shop.
TOOLS REQUIRED - Hand riddle, Shovel, Sprue pin, Strike off bar, Mallet, Draw spike,
Vent Wire, Lifters, Trowels, Slicks, Swab, Bellows.

EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED - Furnace, sand mixture, sand dryer.

THEORY - The tools and equipments plays vital role to perform a task in easier, faster and
in a better way. There are large number of tools and equipments used in foundry shop to
perform different operations such as sand preparation, molding, melting, pouring and casting.
General tools and equipments used in foundry show are discussed below.
Wire mesh
Hand Tools In Foundry Shop
HAND RIDDLE
• It consists of a wooden frame fitted with a screen of standard
wire mesh at the bottom.
• It is used for ridding of sand to remove foreign material from it. Wooden frame
Fig 5.1 Hand Riddle
SHOVEL

• A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such
as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore.
• Shovel blades are usually made of sheet steel or hard plastics
and are very strong.
• Shovel handles are usually made of wood (especially specific
varieties such as ash or maple) or glass-reinforced plastic
(fiberglass).

RAMMERS Fig 5.2 Shovel

Rammers are used for striking the sand mass in the moulding box to pack it closely and
uniformly around pattern. Common types of rammers of rammers are hand rammer, peen
rammer, floor rammer and pneumatic rammer.
Butt

Handle

Pin Pan

3(a)
3(b)
Fig 5.3 Rammers
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STRIKE OFF BAR

• It is a flat bar having straight edge and is made of wood or iron.
• It is used to strike off or remove the excess sand from the top of a molding box after
completion of ramming thereby making its surface plane and smooth. It’s one edge is
made beveled and the other end is kept perfectly smooth and plane.

Handle
Perfect Smooth
Fig 5.4 Strike Off Bar
MALLET
• It is similar to a wooden hammer and is generally as used in
carpentry or sheet metal shop. Flat
• In molding shop, it is used for driving the draw spike into the surface
pattern and then rapping it for separation from the mould surfaces so
that pattern can be easily withdrawn leaving the mold cavity without
damaging the mold surfaces.
Handle

Fig 5.5 Mallet

DRAW SPIKE
• It is a tapered steel rod having a loop or ring at its one end and a sharp point at the
other. It may have screw threads on the end to engage metal pattern for it withdrawal
from the mold.
• It is used for driven into pattern which is embedded in the molding sand and raps the
pattern to get separated from the pattern and finally draws out it from the mold cavity.

Thread (holding grip)

Fig 5.6 Draw Spike

VENT WIRE
• Vent wire is a thin spiked steel rod or wire carrying a pointed edge at one end and a
wooden handle or a bent loop at the other.
• After ramming and striking off the excess sand it is utilized to create vents.
• The vents holes which allow to exit or escape of steam and gases during pouring mold
and solidifying of the molten metal for getting a round casting.

Sharp point

Thin rod
Fig 5.7 Vent Wire
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LIFTERS
• They are used for cleaning, repairing and finishing the bottom and sides of deep and
narrow openings in mold cavity after withdrawal of pattern.
• They are also used for removing loose sand from mold cavity.
• They are also known as cleaners or finishing tool which are made of thin sections of
steel of various length and width with one end bent at right angle.

8(a) 8(b) 8(c)

Fig 5.8 Lifters

TROWELS
• Trowels are utilized for finishing flat surfaces, joints, and partings Wooden
lines of the mold. handle
• They consist of metal blade made of iron and are
equipped with a wooden handle.
• The common metal blade shapes of trowels may be
pointed or contoured or rectangular oriented. Thin blade
• They may also be used to cut in-gates and repair the mold surfaces.
Fig 5.9 Trowels

SLICKS
• Slicks are also recognized as small double ended mold finishing tool which are
generally used for repairing and finishing the mold surfaces and their edges after
withdrawal of the pattern.
• The commonly used slicks are of the types of heart and leaf, square and heart, spoon
and bead and heart and spoon.
• The nomenclatures of the slicks are largely due to their shapes.

Fig 5.10 Slicks

SWAB
• Swab is a small hemp fibre brush used for moistening the edges of sand mould, which
are in contact with the pattern surface before withdrawing the pattern.
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• It is used for sweeping away the molding sand from the mold surface and pattern.
• It is also used for coating the liquid blacking on the mold faces in dry sand molds.

Water

Brush
Fig 5.11 Swab

BELLOWS
• Bellows or Bellows gun is hand operated leather made device equipped
with compressed air jet to blow or pump air when operated.
• It is used to blow away the loose or unwanted sand from the surfaces
of mold cavities.

Fig 5.12 Bellows

Equipments in foundry shop
FURNACE
• Used to Heating the metal in hearth or furnace.
• It is shallow dish or tray of Mild steel with lining
of fire clay or refractory material to withstand
heat during combustion of fuel.
• It has hood or chimney to escape gas or Smoke
Formed.

Fig 5.13 Furnace

SIEVE SHAKER
• The given size of sand grains is designated by a number called grain fineness
number that indicates the average size of grains in the mixture.
• The size is determined by passing the sand through sieves having specified
apparatus which are measured in microns.
• The sieve number designates the pore size through which the sand grains, may
passthrough it or retained in it.
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Fig 5.14 Sieve Shaker

SAND MIXTURE
• process through which we add those materials to the sand which are rich in such
characteristics in which the sand Lacks.
• It consist of set of shovel, called plows, followed by a pair of stone Wheels called
runners.
• Vertical spindle is revolved by an electric motor.
• The plows provide a shovelling action and turn the sand upside down Followed by the
grinding action of the runners.
Runner Water Funnel
Runner
Mixing paddle
Coupling Container
Electric motor Lock Plate
Switch

Fig 5.15 Sand Mixture

Thermometer
SAND DRYING OVEN
• It is used for drying the sand specimen and even the loosing sand
if required.
• It has heating power of 600 W and voltage 220 V and is
capable of providing a temperature range of 40 degree Celsius
to 220 degree celsius.
Main
Switch
Temperature
Pilot Lamp Regulator
RESULT - Study of tools and equipments in foundry shop has Fig 5.16 Sand Drying Oven
been done.