Finally got that stubborn riser to break clean on a big gear pattern

Anthony Wells · 2026-04-09T17:30:05.636419+00:00

We had this one 200-pound gear casting that kept tearing metal every single pour, leaving a huge fin on the riser neck. I tried adjusting the sand mix, the pouring temp, even the choke on the gating. Nothing worked for two full weeks. Turns out the riser sleeve was just a quarter inch too close to the chill we put in the mold core. Moved it back, next pour came out perfect. Anyone else run into a chill messing with your riser like that?

lee_ward545mo ago

Man, a quarter inch? That's wild lol. I would've been pulling my hair out after two weeks of bad pours. You check everything but the one tiny spacing issue. Makes you wonder how many other jobs have a simple fix like that just hiding in plain sight.

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leog684mo ago

Gotta agree with @lee_ward54, it's always the tiny stuff that sneaks up on you. Bet you double check every chill placement from now on though.

6

xenaw255mo ago

A quarter inch seems like a tiny thing to cause that much trouble. Are you sure it wasn't a combo of that and something else?

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