There are many foundry tools and other equipment used in foundry work, especially in sand casting, for performing different types of casting operations. They are all classified as follows

Hand Tools

The hand tools commonly used in foundry work are as follows

1. Shovel-

This is an iron pan equipped with a wooden or metal handle, which is used to manually mix and condition the sand and transfer it to the flask.

2. Hand Puzzle

It consists of a wooden frame with a standard wire mesh at the bottom to sift the sand from foreign particles such as stones.

3. Impact Device

The tamping hammer is used to knock the sand block in the molding box so that it is evenly piled around the model. The common forms of tamping hammers used in hand hammering are as follows:

A. Impact Hammer-The bottom of the metal rod is formed into a wedge-shaped structure. It is a common hand tool that is very useful in packing sand into bags and corners.

B. Hand Hammer-Smaller than the former, usually made of wood or metal, with a wedge-shaped one side, called the hammer head, and a solid cylindrical end at the other end.

C. Floor Tamping Hammer-It consists of a long steel rod with a hammer head at one end and a flat part at the other end. It is larger and heavier than all the above tools.

Strike Used Casting Tools

4. Strike

This is a flat steel made of wood or iron that is struck from the axis and top of the box after impact. One of its edges is made beveled, while the surface of the other side is made very smooth and flat.

5. Vent Line

It is a thin steel rod or wire with a pointed tip at one end and a wooden handle or curved look at the other end, which is used to make small holes called vents on the sand mold after tamping and striking the excess sand to allow gas and steam to escape during casting.

6. Spatula-

The spatula is used to trim the flat surfaces and joints of the mold. The common shape of the spatula is a flat iron disk equipped with a wooden handle.

7. Smooth Tire

They are used to repair and trim the mold surface and edges after the model is taken out. Commonly used smooth faces are heart-shaped, leaf-shaped, square, spoon-shaped and bead-shaped.

Smooth Face

8. Lifter/Cleaner-

This is a finishing tool used to repair and trim the sand mold after the model is taken out. They are also used to remove loose sand particles from the mold cavity.

Lifter Casting Tools

9. Puller Nail

It is a tapered steel rod with a ring or a loop at one end and a shape at the other end. It is used to knock and draw the pattern from the mold.

10. Draw and Strike Plate-

Drawer Screw is a straight mild steel rod with a ring at one end and a thread at the other end. They are used with a strike plate to knock and pull the pattern out of the mold.

Puller Nail with Strike Plate

11. Mallet

It is similar to a pure wooden hammer used in a woodworking shop. In casting work, it is used to drive the puller nail into the pattern and then knock it.

Hand Hammer Used in Foundries

12. Swab

It is a hemp fiber brush used to wet the edge of the sand mold that is in contact with the surface of the pattern. It is also used to apply liquid blanking agent to the surface of the pattern of the dry sand mold before removing the pattern.

13. Clamping Split Pin and Wedge

It is made of steel and is used to clamp the mold box together firmly during the pouring process.

C-CLAMP CASTING TOOLS

14. GAGGERS-

It is a section of wire and rod bent and used to reinforce the downward projecting box sand bodies in the floor, these box sand bodies are called gaggers.

15. BOOTERS

Loose or unwanted sand is blown away from the mold surface and cavity using hand-operated bellows.

16. NAILS AND WIRE

They are used to reinforce the thin sand projections in the mold or two halves of the core.

CONTAINERS-

The common containers used in casting work are as follows:

A. Mould Box or Flask

B. Ladle

C. Crucible

17. MOLDING BOX OR MOLDING BOTTLE

There are two types of mould boxes used in foundries-

A. Closed Moulding Box

B. Open Moulding Box or Snap-on

Molding Box

It is made of wood, cast iron or steel. It usually has two parts - 1. Upper - COPE & 2. Lower - DRAG.

Sometimes it also has a middle part called cheek plate. After taking out the pattern, all the parts are carefully aligned and then clamped together for the pouring operation. Remember that wooden flasks are usually used for green sand and metal flasks are used for dry sand due to its high heat generating capacity.

18. Ladle-

It is used to transfer the molten metal from the furnace to the casting box. Its outer structure is made of steel and it has a refractory lining inside. Depending on the size of the casting, different sizes of ladles are used, i.e., from 50 kg to 30 tons. If the slag is less, the metal is poured from the upper opening, otherwise the bottom ladle is used.