Iron Casting
The Bell and The Tea Pot
Designing product for casting takes more than just a good drawing. These projects went through the entire process of design, to production, to the finished product.
This bell was cast out of ductile iron for its resonant quality. Its construction in three pieces allow for dissemble and reassembled. After casting, the pieces went through further machining and polishing by hand.
Work in progress: Cast Iron Tea Pot
Inspired by a pentagon
Tea pots are culturally relevant to iron casting because of iron's ability to retain heat. This teapot was inspired by a pentagon and built out in bristol paper models. To cast this piece, a final sized model was made out of ash wood for the pattern board.
Production Process
A pattern board is what creates a two-part sand mold, which needs strength to endure a hydro-press. To make the cavity, a core box was made by vacuum forming over the wooden model and lining plastic with 1/4" ply wood, making an even wall thickness. After casting, the tea pot was cleaned, polished, and hammered to texture the surface.
