hello,
re: seasoning a new ingot mold
remember to “season” a new ingot mold.
i seasoned mine in the oven, at 500 farenheit
i first coated with cooking oil, and then put it in the oven, and waited until the oil started to “smoke”
you can search “smoke point” of cooking oils to see what temp each oil smokes at.
i have both a closed combination rod and sheet mold, and an open ingot mold from durston
i use the smith rosebud tip
re: closed combination mold
ability to do both wider sheet and round rod ingots
ingots come out evenly formed all around
mold is small, has small footprint, preheat faster
(slightly bigger than a pack of cards)
the top openings are kinda small, so takes deliberation to pour into small holes/slits
re:open mold
ability to do various bar ingots, not as wide as sheet ingot
ingots come out rounded on top
(like loaf of bread)
mold is very long, has bigger footprint
(something to consider when using in a 3 sided heating “cave” to retain heat, slow down cooling)
the top openings are bigger/ longer/ open, so a bit easier to pour
i saw someone use a wad of wet tissue to make a “stop” in the open ingot mold. to control the bar length…havent tried it yet myself…
when i think of pouring ingots, what has helped me most is creating an advantageous set up (which is also my soldering setup).
my setup is on top of a 39” jewelers bench (i am only 5’ tall…)
first, i put down a half sheet bakers baking sheet (has a rim to stop metal from rolling off)
then i ordered stuff from www.clayking.com
to build my heat cave
2 large flat fiber boards (for subfloor and roof of heating “cave”)(i can remove top for better soldering viewing)
fire bricks (for floor and stacking to create sides of heating cave)(i can adjust height of walls by adding/ removing fire bricks)
5 bricks across floor, 2 across back floor- 7 total
8 bricks stacked for 3 side walls (2 bricks high)
2 bricks across front sideways
17 bricks total used
side wall height can be adjusted by stacking bricks flat or on sides.
size/ volume of heat cave can be adjusted by moving side walls in or out
i have a row of bricks across the front, sideways, to rest my wrists on, while heating and pouring, and even soldering…i find this stability is key to confidence building…this has weirdly “grounded” me…
i find that the height of my station being perfect for me. makes it comfortable to “see” whats going on , without bending over too much, while allowing me to get close in…if that makes sense…
because the heat is retained in the cave , i got some comfortable, flexible leather gloves at a welding supply place to keep my hands cozy
i also had a metal fabricator make me a 3 sides metal hinged thing made to bolt around bench…
your mileage may vary
this is just my setup
julie