Found Dreaming

Half inch is twice the mass of 3/8" so it should make a marked difference. Nice job on it though, these are really simple devices and should work pretty well for releasing patterns.

I want to mount one to a riddle, and have it hanging over the area where I ram patterns. Set the pattern in the drag, load a scoop of sand into the riddle, blip the air a time or 3...BAM, instantly faced pattern lol.

I don't think my sand is going to go thru a riddle unless its got like a 1" mesh in it.

I use some of that aluminum gutter screen stapled to an old flask half as a riddle. Its probably about a 1/4" mesh, and my oil sand will go thru with persuasion (currently a paint scraper pushing it thru). I think the vibrator will be very effective at getting the sand thru and if I just install a trigger type valve in the air line to the apparatus I described above, and mount the valve to the wall, its a simple burp burp on that trigger and the mold would be faced with good, riddled sand.

the seive that I was using with my greensand had a number 12 screen in it, in the reading that I have done people are saying a 4, thats like a 1/4" wire cloth. I'm thinking that right now my sand needs some use on it I need to put it through its paces as they say around the horse tracks, then I should be able to use something with a larger mesh then what I have now. The object of the riddle is to get out any big pieces of tramp metal and organic plant matter empty cigarette packs so nothing will interfer with the sand packing around the pattern. I do belive.

A regular air blow gun will work for what your wanting on your vibrator. take the OSHA tip out and screw in a 1/8 inch pipe nipple.

A regular air blow gun will work

That is what I used, I do the same thing for my air vaccumn cleaner (pics for that is for another time, once I have some pics)

dallen wrote:The object of the riddle is to get out any big pieces of tramp metal and organic plant matter empty cigarette packs so nothing will interfer with the sand packing around the pattern. I do belive.

I riddle to remove the lumps of sand, so I get an even layer of clean sand faced against the pattern. This will reproduce a better finish than just dumping in a scoop and ramming away. Basically it faces the pattern with good sand, and you can use un screened sand behind it. But yes, it will also catch any gunk that got in with the sand as well.

I use a 1/4" wire cloth to riddle sand and like 4cf noted it makes for an even clump size so ramming is more consistent. If I ram a mold without facing with riddled sand I will get little cracks between the larger clumps especially against high verticals.

I dont know if vibration would get my sand through a riddle though. I currently use a small trowel to push the sand across the screen which in turn causes it to get chopped off and fall though in small bits. I would love to have an automated riddle with possibly an even finer gradient for facing, I am thinking a propeller type setup in a round riddle hanging over the bench with a foot lever for activating it. Could be on a double joint swing arm for precise positioning and being able to stow it out of the way. This way a few large scoops (20 to 30 lbs of sand) could be loaded into it and not have to be reloaded for quite a few molds. It takes less than a minute to riddle sand into a mold the way I do it now so there isnt going to be a large time savings but even seconds count once you get to the point where you can make a mold in just a few minutes and if I can get the sand riddled finer mo betta.

you need to make a small concrete helicopter to sit in the riddle, turn it on dump the sand in and it will pour out real quick
the idea would be add some trowels to a motor then hinge the entire thing off a wall so it can moved out of the way when not in use.

That is real close to what I was thinking nudge, only not gas powered and a whole lot smaller Those finishing machines are amazing, ever watch them work? I saw a couple of ride on ones doing the slab for a large warehouse once and it was