14-10-2023, 08:59 PM
Aged 16, I was building my Ulster and needing a pair of rear mudguard brackets. Fyrth Cross had one casting left, from a batch that he’d made for his own car, he gave me this with the idea I could get it cast in aluminium.
The school had a foundry, but it had not been used for years due to H&S.
I approached Mr Hannaford, my Tech master, about how I might go about getting some cast. I was told to return, after school, and he would help me.
We pressed the bracket into the sand mould and I was told to stand back. Mr H had a huge leather apron on, with leather gauntlets and a full face mask. He smelted some scrap aluminium and then poured - the first one was bubbly, so we tried again. The next two were perfect and are still on my car today.
I met with Mr H a few years back, he told me that it was the last time the foundry was ever used and he was elated to be able to fire it up.
The foundry building is long demolished and the Tech department is now largely computer based. I found the bubbly reject casting at our parents’ home last week…
The school had a foundry, but it had not been used for years due to H&S.
I approached Mr Hannaford, my Tech master, about how I might go about getting some cast. I was told to return, after school, and he would help me.
We pressed the bracket into the sand mould and I was told to stand back. Mr H had a huge leather apron on, with leather gauntlets and a full face mask. He smelted some scrap aluminium and then poured - the first one was bubbly, so we tried again. The next two were perfect and are still on my car today.
I met with Mr H a few years back, he told me that it was the last time the foundry was ever used and he was elated to be able to fire it up.
The foundry building is long demolished and the Tech department is now largely computer based. I found the bubbly reject casting at our parents’ home last week…