Types of foundry or casting tools and equipment used in foundry shops are used for carrying

out different operations. such as sand preparation, pouring, molding, and casting. These
tools are classified as hand tools and conditioning tools. They are; flasks, power-operated
equipment, metal melting equipment, and fettling and finishing equipment.

Sand casting tools are mostly used in molding operations, sand conditioning tools are
basically used for preparing different types of casting sands. and core sand. Flasks are
commonly used for preparing sand molds and keeping molten metal. The followings listed
below are types of sand casting tools:

Hand riddle:

hand riddles are types of foundry tools generally used for cleaning sand. They are used for
separating sand and another object that serve as obstacles when molding. Materials such as
nails, splinters of wood, short metals, etc. hand riddle consist of a circular wide wire mesh
equipped with a circular frame.

Shovel

shovels are other types of casting tools that consist of a customize sheet metal or steel pan
with a wooden handle. They are used for moving or transferring the molding sand into the
container, molding box, or flask. Shovels are basically used for mixing, tempering, and
conditioning the foundry sand by hand. The shovel should be maintained by keeping it clean.

Read more: Working principle of the die casting process and its applications

Rammer

Rammers are available in different types. They are used for repairing or arranging the
molding sand that looses from the mold. These types of sand casting tools are used to pack
or compact the uniformly around the pattern.

Types of rammer:

Hand rammer: is generally made of wood or metal. It is portable and one end that carries a
wedge-type construction. It is used for ramming the sand in bench molding work.

Peen rammer: is generally used in packing the molding sand in pockets and corners. Peen
rammer has a wedge-shaped construction with a metallic rod at the bottom.

Floor rammer: floor rammer is heavy and layers when compared with hand rammer. It
consists of a long steel bar with a peen at one end and a flat portion on the other. Floor
rammer is used in floor molding for ramming sand for larger molds.

Pneumatic rammer: this type of rammer is used for making large molds just as floor rammer.
It eases work, saves time, and reduces hard labor.

Sprue pin
sprue pin is used to produce a vertical hole in a sand casting. It is made of wood, metal, or
tapered rod. It is pushed in cope to join the mold cavity and produces a cylindrical or conical
shape in the molding sand.

Strike of bar

strike bars are sand casting tools that are made of iron and wood. they are used to remove
or strike off excess sand from the top of a molding box. It is made of a flat bar having a
straight edge.

Mallet

Mallets are sand casting tools used in driving the draw spike into the pattern. It’s also used
for rapping to easily separate the mold from the pattern from leaving the mold cavity.
Causing it not to damage the mold surface. Generally, a mallet is used in carpentry or sheet
work.

Read more: Different Types of Casting Defects and Remedies

Draw spike

Draw spike is a tapered steel rod having a screw head on the end and a loop or ring at the
end. It is used for driving into a pattern that is embedded in the molding sand and reps the
pattern. To get separate from the pattern and finally draws it out from the mold cavity.

Vent rod

Vent rods are types of casting tools made of a round-headed wooden handle and a pointed
edge. At the end made of wire of a thin spiked steel rod. It is used after utilizing ramming
and striking of excess sand to produce a series of small holes in the molding sand in the cope
portion. The holes pierce allows the steam and gases produced during the pouring process
and solidifying stage to escape.

Also check: Foundry work and Processes and Difference between casting and forging

Lifter

A lifter is also known as a cleaner or finishing tool. It’s used for cleaning, repairing, and
finishing the bottom and sides of the deep and narrow opening in the mold. The lifter is
made of thin sections of steel of various lengths and widths one end bent.

Travels

These types of foundry tools are used for finishing flat surfaces and joints and partings lines
of the mold. It’s made of a metal blade made of iron and with a wooden handle. It’s also
used in guts and repairs mold surfaces.

Slicslick
Slicslicks are types of foundry tools that are generally used for repairing and finishing mold
surfaces and their edges. It’s done after the withdrawal of the pattern. The common types of
slicks are heart and leaf, square and heart, spoon and bead, and heart spoon. Their
nomenclature is largely due to their shapes.

Smoother

Smoother is given a different name according to their names. It is generally known as

finishing tools used for repairing and finishing flat and round surfaces, round or square
corners, and edges of

Swabs

Swabs are small hemp fiber brush used for moistening the edges of sand mold surface and
pattern. It is also used for coating the liquid blacking on the mold faces in dry sand molds.

Spirit level

the spirit level is used by the molder to check whether the sand bed or molding box is
horizontal or not.

Read more: How sand casting is done

Gate cutter

A gate cutter is made of a small shaped sheet metal commonly used for cutting runners and
feeding gates for connecting spruce holes with the mold cavity.

Daggers

Daggers are made of pieces of wire or rods bent at one or both ends which are used for
reinforcing the downward projecting sand mass in the cope.

Bellows

Bellows are used to blowing away the loose or unwanted sand from the surfaces of the mold
cavity.

Clamp, cutters, and wedges

are made of steel used for clamping the molding boxes firmly together during pouring.

Read more: 4 Different Types of Metal Casting Process

Advancement in technology has Improved foundry equipment, modern foundries are heavily
mechanized in the sense that one machine contains all equipment and can perform multi
operations including, pattern and core making, casting, and molding. These components
include a large melting furnace, cranes, forklifts, ladies, conveyors, and transfer vessels.