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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Sheffield, England
    Age
    65
    Posts
    14

    Smile Ooops!! Forgot to say hi :)

    Hi all

    I'm in Sheffield in the north of England, I've worked at the same company for the last 38 years and been married to the same lass for 39 years!!

    I've been told that if i'd murdered her instead of marrying her, I'd have been a free man 20 years ago!!

    I work in a heavy steel and iron foundry and love anything to do with metal, I've a small collection of machinery which includes six or seven lathes, A couple of bench drills, Linishers, Buffing machine and other various stuff!!

    I buy much of my stuff cheap from the Carboot sales local to me, Had five or six bandsaws at one time!! Think I only have three now!!

    I had two sheds and a garage, One shed collapsed (Went rotten) so I bought another which has resided in my garage for the last six years!! I finally got around to putting a base down last week but was hindered by a wasps nest (Hate the things!!) I think i'll have to burn it out as I tried nest destroyer but can't actually see it to score a hit! Trouble is that the tree it's under will probably burn down too!!

    Some of the castings we make at work, We make black castings up to 600 tonnes, They can end up less than half that weight finished..

    I used to be on the burning but came off the job at the beginning of this year as it's done my knees in!!

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    vulcansfmcaststeelspar.jpg

    w05.jpg

    wk2.jpg

    Some pics of me, Feel free to print them off and put them on the bins, Should keep the rats away!!

    work 1.jpg

    wk1.jpg

    ME-1.jpg

    IMG_1986.JPG

    Well, I've probably bored everyone to sleep now so i'll button it!!



    Cheers, John

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Far West Wimmera
    Age
    63
    Posts
    4,049

    Default

    Hi John. Welcome to the forum.

    Fascinating pictures. I am sure lots of members will be interested.

    Wearing that gear, how can a wasps nest be a problem? What sort of wasp? The only ones I see are individuals (Mud dauber), although the introduced European Wasp is considered to be dangerous to homeowners.

    Dean

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Rockhampton, QLD
    Age
    68
    Posts
    454

    Default

    Welcome to the forum John.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Welcome to the forum, John. WOW those castings are monsterous, can't imagine that half of one would be gone in swarf.
    Nice array of equipment you've got.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Sheffield, England
    Age
    65
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Oldneweng View Post
    Hi John. Welcome to the forum.

    Fascinating pictures. I am sure lots of members will be interested.

    Wearing that gear, how can a wasps nest be a problem? What sort of wasp? The only ones I see are individuals (Mud dauber), although the introduced European Wasp is considered to be dangerous to homeowners.

    Dean
    Hi Dean, Thanks for the welcome

    They're just Yellowjackets but the sting hurts like crazy and one sting releases a pheromone which can cause swarming! Hate the things

    wasps.jpg

    These things buzz in your face and then sting you just because it wednesday


    Cheers, John

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Sheffield, England
    Age
    65
    Posts
    14

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    Welcome to the forum, John. WOW those castings are monsterous, can't imagine that half of one would be gone in swarf.
    Nice array of equipment you've got.
    Kryn
    Hi Kryn

    The biggest part of the waste is the heads otr Risers, They have to be present to ensure a solid casting , How much is needed is down to a computer programme these days!!

    Most of the waste is removed with a 3' HiLo oxy propane cutter and Oxygen lance, We can cut up to around ten feet thick steel with the method, We also use the same combination for stainless steel too, Cast iron jobs have break off heads, A weight is swung at them and they snap at the neck as it's made thinner than the rest!!

    When we have large cuts that take three hours u8ppards then four burners come on, We take it iin turns, a pair at a time for thirty minutes each as the castings need to be between 150°c and 450°c to prevent cracking..

    Below is a hammer block (The bottom rectangular bit) the burners are removing the head on this (Head is the bit stuck up above the casting) We take it in turns so that we don't pass out with heat fatigue and dehydration!
    IMG_0224.jpg

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    We also enlarge hole/bores etc as it's much quicker for us to do it than the machine shop..

    Below is a press head that weighs almost 300tonnes, The bores need to be opened up quite a bit so we did it with the cutter and lance, Trouble is that the smoke comes straight back up so we end up filthy!! The masks really do their job though we may have to replace the filters a couple of times!!

    It would take a long time boring the lot out, We removed most of the surplus in one shift

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    In the next pic there needs to be a hole through the solid part after we'd removed the head, This takes almost a shift for us to do, Gawd only knows how long it would take in the machine shop!!

    Bore 1.jpg

    Bore 3.jpg

    Bore 4.jpg

    That's a couple of workmates pointing at the job and looking gormy!!

    We had to open the hole up twice more until there was only a few inches left, This was then machined down..

    Just found a pic showing the next cut partially done and the line around six/eight inches from the outer edge that we ended up taking it back to..
    IMG_1550.jpg

    Luckily I don't do burning anymore as the last 38 years have knocked hell out of my knees and ankles so i've a cushy job driving a bucket truck now reclaiming sand to be reused




    John

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Ballarat
    Age
    65
    Posts
    3,103

    Default

    WOW!!
    Welcome to the forum John

    Phil

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Sheffield, England
    Age
    65
    Posts
    14

    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by Steamwhisperer View Post
    WOW!!
    Welcome to the forum John

    Phil
    Thanks Phil


    John

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Hi John, this may sound a stupid question, but why aren't the holes cast into the metal? Or is it easier cheaper to do it this way???
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Sheffield, England
    Age
    65
    Posts
    14

    Thumbs up

    Quote Originally Posted by KBs PensNmore View Post
    Hi John, this may sound a stupid question, but why aren't the holes cast into the metal? Or is it easier cheaper to do it this way???
    Kryn
    Hi Kry

    The hole we pierced was originally where the head was (At the top of the casting), It's then turned on to it's side for the bore to be cut, If a core was put in, It would kake away from the amount needed for feed so it would have to be massive!!

    We do make ring heads on some castings but the core that forms to the hole has to be bolted down to railway lines that are put in to the bed ready to receive a large j bolt which holds the core down otherwise the sand core will float up having less density than the steel/Iron..

    This is a small stainless steel job that has a ring head, The plume of smoke (Which is really thick with stainless) is coming out of the hole in the centre, Ordinarily the smoke comes out at the back of the cut!
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    This is a stack of ringheads from larger jobs, They usually get put to one side to be reduced in size when we don't have a lot of production to go at!

    They're turned upside down as the claen part from the cut is at the top- Much easier to burn starting from a clean point! No blowbacks either to burn us!!!

    IMG_1968.jpg

    Here's a link to a professional photographer that occasionally visits our works, He's a really nice lad called David Chang, His pics are a gazillion times better than the ones my rubbish phone is capable of taking!!!



    Cheers, John

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Murray Bridge S Aust.
    Age
    71
    Posts
    5,942

    Default

    Thanks for the Pics and the link to Davids site, John. Some awesome pics in total, showing the size of some castings WOW.
    Regards
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

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