Casting sand | Canadian Hobby Metal Workers & Machinists

Unless you're interested in reusing the sand for many; MANY castings; I'd recommend ordering some Petrobond and getting your project done. (Though given the shipping costs, unless you have a store nearby that you can pick it up, the cost is pretty high per pound!)

ShawnR said:

I have seen some mixes involving sand and clay. I don't have access to fireclay where I live unless I order it in

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Greensand is.. fickle. The exact blend makes a significant difference to the end casting quality, and unless you have a LOT of patience or want to buy/build a sand muller: it's also a lot of work to prep each time you want to use it.

If you do want to go down the road; I'd recommend Casting for the Home Workshop by Henry Tindell and Dave Cooper (

Regardless; like

ShawnR said:

I did save the clay (dust, kerf poop..) from cutting firebricks this summer.

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MOST Firebrick is primarily composed of aluminum silicates. These tend (in my understanding!) to break down and round under mulling and thus get finer and finer (and unfortunately smoother!) with each reuse. It's also going to be inconsistently sized (at first) and thus will lead to random surface defects.

For a single use, it'll probably work ok. The more it get's reused; the more venting the sand is going to need to off-gas: the finer the sand gets the more clay is going to be needed and thus the less inter-grain-spacing will be available for the cooling metal to off-gas into.

I wouldn't use it (for long term use) but I don't personally know of any reason it wouldn't work (hypothetically) for one-off usage.

ShawnR said:

What do you use in your mold (or I guess the term is "flask"?)

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Generally I use simple big-box-store SPF wood 1x6's or 2x6's with box-jointed corners: depending on the required volume (and thus the total weight).

Wooden flasks are easy to build but ARE consumable; spills and thin-sand areas will eventually lead to the flask catching fire. As the wood shifts over time; it will need to be planed flat at the interface and the alignment will need to be tweaked.

Everything I've cast before is under 6 inches in at least one dimension, so there's more than sufficient space in such a flask.

If I were looking for something a little more "long term" reusable and lower maintenance; various suppliers sell cast-iron flasks. These don't absorb moisture from the sand, stay flat over time, and allow you to cast using much less sand without destroying the flask. (I haven't found a need for such personally!)

Super curious what you're planning to cast!. (Though given the shipping costs, unless you have a store nearby that you can pick it up, the cost is pretty high per pound!)Greensand is.. fickle. The exact blend makes a significant difference to the end casting quality, and unless you have a LOT of patience or want to buy/build a sand muller: it's also a lot of work to prep each time you want to use it.If you do want to go down the road; I'd recommend Amazon link ) it does a good job breaking down what properties and components of each sand type make it useful for various needs.Regardless; like @Tom O and @DaveK mentioned: find a pottery supply store nearby and pick up some bentonite, then any landscaping supply to find mortar sand (You'll also need an air-tight container to store it in when unused). There's lots of guides online to mixing and making greensand; keep in mind that they ALL gloss over the time required. (for 50-100lbs: expect to be mixing for a few hours!)MOST Firebrick is primarily composed of aluminum silicates. These tend (in my understanding!) to break down and round under mulling and thus get finer and finer (and unfortunately smoother!) with each reuse. It's also going to be inconsistently sized (at first) and thus will lead to random surface defects.For a single use, it'll probably work ok. The more it get's reused; the more venting the sand is going to need to off-gas: the finer the sand gets the more clay is going to be needed and thus the less inter-grain-spacing will be available for the cooling metal to off-gas into.I wouldn't use it (for long term use) but I don't personally know of any reason it wouldn't work (hypothetically) for one-off usage.Generally I use simple big-box-store SPF wood 1x6's or 2x6's with box-jointed corners: depending on the required volume (and thus the total weight).Wooden flasks are easy to build but ARE consumable; spills and thin-sand areas will eventually lead to the flask catching fire. As the wood shifts over time; it will need to be planed flat at the interface and the alignment will need to be tweaked.Everything I've cast before is under 6 inches in at least one dimension, so there's more than sufficient space in such a flask.If I were looking for something a little more "long term" reusable and lower maintenance; various suppliers sell cast-iron flasks. These don't absorb moisture from the sand, stay flat over time, and allow you to cast using much less sand without destroying the flask. (I haven't found a need for such personally!)

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