Home » Mather + Platt » Apprentices » Foundry
Iron Foundry
I spent two weeks in the Iron Foundry Shop from 11th July to 22nd July 1977. In my training record I scored "usefulness and interest to me" 9/10 and "usefulness and productivity to the company" 8/10.
The foundry is responsible for casting of the majority of cast iron components used by Mather and Platt and includes pump casings, impellers, diffusers, motor components, baseplates, etc. The moulds were produced using a mixture of sand and a resin binder. Once set, the surfaces that would come into contact with the molten metal were painted with a mixture of chemicals in an alcohol base. This was then set alight to drive off the alcohol and bake the coating on to the sand. Core boxes, used to form the internal cavities in a casting were also made in this way and then assembled into the main cope and drag. After casting the sand was reclaimed and re-used. The castings were then fettled in an adjacent building and then shot-blasted.
The foundry had two 8-ton furnaces but due to installation problems, only one could be used at a time.
Next department: Radcliffe Works