|
|
Article: Patterns define metalcasters' skills.
- Article from:
- Modern Casting
- Article date:
- June 1, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 American Foundry Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Several millennia ago, one of our brilliant ancestors figured out how to melt metal. He also learned that he could contain the molten metal in a mold to form a shape like a knife, an ax head or a spear point. It obviously was much better than chipping flint stones or looking for fire-fused silica or sharp volcanic rock. No doubt that first foundryman/pattern maker did very well; at least it's nice to think that he made a fortune turning out swords, bowls and religious totems.
Melting, his successors soon discovered, was only part of the process. With enough heat, they could melt any ore or combination of the metals they knew. How to shape the molten metal proved ...