New Winter Project

[G.Sherman]

With nothing to do in the home office except wait for the phone to ring, I decided to fabricate some patterns for 3 blocks with beckets. Just shipped them this week to Mystic Foundry to have them cast. They tell me the castings will be about $40.00 apiece.



I've already turned down the sheaves from some black locust I had laying around. The pins are 1/4 inch bronze rod stock. The wooden cheeks are cherry.



Where else could I get these for under $130 a pop?

[G.Sherman]

Hot off the Foundry: These JUST showed up on my doorstep five minutes ago.... a little filing and some grinding and polishing and I'll be ready for phase 2- Drilling the holes for the pins.



More posts as progress is made.....

[johngsandusky]

Pretty cool.

[Vinny&Shawn]

What vessel will you use them on and can't wait to see the rest of the story.

[PeterSibley]

Very nice indeed .I'm scratching my head as to how they caste them from your patterns without cores for the middle openings .

[BETTY-B]

Very cool!

[ian scott]

Peter. Turn them 90 degrees.

[Concordia...41]

OK, so call me the skeptic

You post the initial project details and price at 2:01 pm.

Then the cast pieces arrive at 2:21 (and your post says they arrived 5 minutes ago ).

I know it's Christmas, but isn't sixteen minutes a little too much of a miracle?

Come on, give up the rest of the story

[G.Sherman]

Very nice indeed .I'm scratching my head as to how they caste them from your patterns without cores for the middle openings .

Sand Casting. They've cast several parts for me in the past, including a matching pair of gudgeons and pintles for my catboat.

[kazeai1969]

Aren't home offices the best?!?!
PS very cool!

[G.Sherman]

OK, so call me the skeptic

You post the initial project details and price at 2:01 pm.

Then the cast pieces arrive at 2:21 (and your post says they arrived 5 minutes ago ).

I know it's Christmas, but isn't sixteen minutes a little too much of a miracle?

Come on, give up the rest of the story

The rest of the story?

I'm in "Black Ops" working for the Postal Service in a home office, I have sensitive information on Dick Cheney and Dick Cavette. My power is immense.

Plus, I mailed the patterns last Friday, got a call just before they poured on Tuesday inquiring about the number of castings to be made.... Went outside to check the mail today and found the invoice($105.50) then tripped over the box as I went inside the house. It's a miracle, anymore information and I'll have to hunt you down and kill you....

[Jim Ledger]

Very nice indeed .I'm scratching my head as to how they caste them from your patterns without cores for the middle openings .

I'm wondering the same thing. No draft on the patterns, either. How'd they do it? A parting line might give some indication, but I don't even see one. For forty dollars each, they couldn't have messed around too much.

Nice project.

[G.Sherman]

Maybe this is this month's project...

Here is one of the single blocks ground and filed down with the holes for the pins drilled out.


This is a partial assembly to check that things move well and are ready for buffing. The cheeks will be bonded on to the bronze with Mahogany colored 3M 5200. Then varnished.


The sheave pin will be cut to length and then peened over to allow the wooden cheeks to be installed.

More as I progress.....

[G.Sherman]

Update: Buffed Casting with sheave installed, ready for the cheeks.

[G.Sherman]

I bonded the wooden cheeks to each block and am waiting for the 5200 to cure. Will attach a photo of the set as soon as they stop being sticky.

[G.Sherman]

Finished and ready for use....
The cherry really pops! Looks like I need another project to get me though the winter...

[Driver Mark]

Finished and ready for use....
The cherry really pops! Looks like I need another project to get me though the winter...

Those are absolutely beeeeeeeeeautiful

[switters]

like jewelry, very cool.

[G.Sherman]

I finally got delivery on the D shackles I had cast at Mystic River Foundry. Spent the morning finishing them by drilling and tapping the holes for the clevis pins.
Here's the finished shackles-


and the final product with the finished shackles.

[Jim Ledger]

Sweet!

[Woxbox]

Nicest jewelry I've ever seen.

[G.Sherman]

Nicest jewelry I've ever seen.

So it's just too shiny or just too pretty? Cause it's gonna get green eventually!

[davebrown]

looks like you hvae saved a pocket full of bills. can this be done with some standup- length oarlocks?

[G.Sherman]

Don't see why not.... the yolk shaped oar locks? kind of a big "Y"?

[Svensk]

With nothing to do in the home office except wait for the phone to ring, I decided to fabricate some patterns for 3 blocks with beckets. Just shipped them this week to Mystic Foundry to have them cast. They tell me the castings will be about $40.00 apiece.



I've already turned down the sheaves from some black locust I had laying around. The pins are 1/4 inch bronze rod stock. The wooden cheeks are cherry.



Where else could I get these for under $130 a pop?

Beautiful craftsmanship. Would you ever consider making the sheaves out of Lignum Vitae?

[G.Sherman]

Would if I had any..... locust is pretty hard and I soaked the sheaves for 36 hrs in a 50/50 mix of Linseed Oil and Mineral Spirits.

[McMike]

These are really cool, I don't know how I missed this thread. Way to go!