Spent a whole shift trying to get a clean pour on a new bronze alloy

We got a new bronze mix, 85-5-5-5, for a big art piece last month. The metal kept sticking in the ladle spout, making the pour slow and cold... I tried heating the ladle more, changing the tilt speed, everything. It took me from 7 AM until my lunch break at noon to figure out the spout needed a different lining. Has anyone else had a new alloy just fight you like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_rodriguez309d ago

New alloys can have weird surface tension that nobody talks about. The metal might be clinging to the spout lining because of a tiny change in the tin or zinc. My uncle does plumbing and says even a different solder flux can make the metal act sticky. You might need to ask the supplier if they changed anything in the flux or deoxidizer mix.

daniel_cooper348d ago

Ever check if the spout lining is worn down? I've seen that cause more cling than the alloy itself. Might be worth a quick look before you call the supplier.

ryan7939d ago

Yeah, that's how it goes with new materials. Reminds me of when my dad switched to a different brand of engine oil. His old truck ran rough for a week until he figured out the exact warm-up time it needed. Sometimes the fix is simple, but it's never obvious until you waste half a day.