Risa Puno :: process photos

💔💔💔 Well, that’s it. The 3rd (and last) pan didn’t survive welding. 😭😭😭 Every time he heated up one part of it, it just cracked somewhere else. (There are two big cracks visible in this photo and one on the back of the weld.) 😞 This was the last production week of my residency and I was completely crushed. This happened on a Tuesday afternoon, and I only had 3 more days left to cast. However, it took me a week to make the mold for each big pan, so I was pretty much screwed. The only hope I had was this welder they call Stud who works on 3rd shift. He’s been at @kohler for 40 years (he’s retiring in a few weeks) and is known for being able to fix anything that’s fixable. 🤞🤞🤞👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmDp7Xbhn01/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xuyevb26ym25

Ummmm... so Pan 2 basically exploded when it was shot blasted. 😫😭 In fact, the associate who delivered the bad news actually said: “the 2nd pan is fucked.” It warped and cupped so badly that it split in several places and one part cracked off completely. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but it is beyond all hope of repair. 💔😞 However, Pan 3 made it through shot blasting ok. Now it just has to last through welding touch ups, seasoning at 800°F, and hopefully eventually cooking flames... 😥🤞👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work) https://www.instagram.com/p/BmBFLF4hSsQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qruwk5bo18ph

Well, here she is... Attempt 3!! Not perfect, but definitely the best yet, and most importantly, completely whole. 😅 No big cold shuts, but there is still some pitting on the inside faces. The photos show where I tried sanding it down, but I was afraid to go too far bc it’s already pretty thin. The factory associates think they can fix that with a little welding tho. It would be nice to take one more shot at casting it, but I only scheduled time for 3 attempts. 😕🤷🏻‍♀️ Next up is shot blasting (like sandblasting but with steel beads), then off to welding for touch ups, then grinding, and then into the enamel oven for seasoning. So I’m not home free yet, but so far I could end up with one (maybe even two) useable pans! Let’s hope they make it through the rest of the process... 🤞🙏 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl_H7-dBOlE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cg52jqrlg6ys

It takes about 2hrs to break open each of my big molds. For something sturdier (like a bathtub) you can use faster methods, but my pan is really thin and rather brittle so I have to open it carefully. The first time, @sophyetrendy and I used just sledge hammers and wedges... and I broke my finger after 1.5 hours in 100°F heat. ⚒😖🤕 But for the second attempt, we switched to an air chisel. 💪 For this 3rd attempt, I was on my own, but I got better at understanding how to create fault lines in the sand and was able to open it in the same amount of time. 😅👍👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl-scRPhidz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rfyey81jyzld

My studio craziness. You can see one half of a big ass sand mold that needs to get thrown out, one cast iron big ass pan that needs its sprue and gating cut off, and two big ass mold halves for my 3rd attempt. Not to mention more fingerprint molds and a bunch of brass bread in the back. 😳😅 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work) https://www.instagram.com/p/BlXvu1NhOEi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=vvf3enggymyx

This is half of the resin-bonded sand mold from attempt 3. I made deeper registration keys, widened the gating in the cope, kept the 24 vents I used in attempt 2, added scratch vents along all the edges, and added more gating in the drag. This means I’ll have to grind off a lot more iron after it’s cast, but I’m trying anything and everything to get the iron in fast and hot. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl5ieaiB-ue/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1n9no8asy7lr9

Attempt 2 fresh out of the mold... The good news: NO HOLES!!! 😅 The bad news: it still has some cold shuts (places where the molten iron cooled before fusing properly), at least one of which could potentially pop out when I heat the pan, creating a hole and/or crack. 😥 But I still have time left in my residency for one more try....... 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Video of closing the mold for attempt 2. We take the wooden flask off the drag, apply glue to the edges, position the cope over it, then carefully lower it so that it locks in place with the registration keys. Then we cover the open holes and take the flask of the cope. This one is smaller than the first mold; it only weighs about 1 ton total. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Here’s the cope ready to go with a couple of coats of graphite to keep it from picking up too much of the sand texture. I doubled the diameter and increased the height of the down sprue, and I quadrupled the number of vents. Hopefully that will do it... 🤞👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

I built a new cope for the 2nd attempt that is thicker to provide more head pressure to help push the molten iron through the thin mold cavity. This shows it just before taking it out to the factory floor to fill with resin-bonded sand. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Flipping the drag (bottom half) so that we can ram the sand for the cope (top half) on top of it. This flask is actually the cope from the first attempt, but since I had to cut off the previous drag, I figured I’d switch things up to better fit my casting. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Wax pattern sitting in the wooden flask just before pep setting the drag (bottom half). I decided to switch to talc for the mold release (instead of the stuff in the spray can that the factory uses) because it doesn’t make the surface of the wax as sticky, and I need this pattern to survive through all 3 rounds of sand molding. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Plating samples are back!! Which color/finish should I choose for the big braided challah? I want it to look like a precious object that acts as a mini monument to family, unity, and love, but I also still want it to read as bread. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

I had to repair the wax pattern for the second attempt at the 6 skillet pan, bc it ripped apart when we took it out of the 1st sand mold. It’s been crazy hot in the foundry making the brown wax super soft and sticky, so our intern @sophyetrendy suggested that I use the stiffer red wax in the seams. It was a brilliant idea! 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Dirty girl. 😳🤷🏻‍♀️👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

The repair attempt failed. 😢 The expert factory associates tried welding the holes shut, but the pan didn’t heat up correctly and ended up cracking. It was a Hail Mary attempt at salvaging what was otherwise scrap, so it’s not that big of a deal. Just tough since I’m only going to have time for 2 more attempts... and I was hoping to walk away with 2 good pans. 🤞🤞👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)

Ughhhhhh... so close, yet so far. The overall shape and handles cast well, but I guess the iron got cold before it could fuse properly. 💔 Gonna have to try it again, with a much bigger down sprue and more vents. 👷🏻‍♀️ (at Kohler Foundry Work)