Found Dreaming

here is a link for anyone within driving distance of Gainesville Texas that needs sand to blend either greensand of oil bonded sand with.

http://tsmaterials.com/

they are in operation and sell in bags from 50 to 3000 lbs and have several different grain sizes of Silica Sand

Hope this helps someone, if their quest for the perfect casting sand

Hey Dave! What mesh is best for green sand i email this company just a bit ago but i want a good finish but im not sure if your can get so fine that it don't want to hold together right? Ive heard 140-160 mesh it good but can you go to 200 mesh and still hold together??

Thanks Dave

Dennis

Use a 50/50 mix of 80 grit and 120 grit. That will produce good quality casts either utilitarian or art finishes. You can even reproduce a finger print from a wax pattern with that mix. Most foundries use 80 grit exclusively and they do pretty decent work at producing good details. It's important for you to understand that a packed sand mold has to have some porosity to allow for off gassing of oil based sand flaring or water based green sand steam generated during the casts, it has to go somewhere, preferably not back into the melt being chilled. The finer grits of sand you use the less porosity the mold will have... in effect, the finer you go the more degenerative effect it has on the cast. If a finer grain of sand is necessary to capture more detail, mix a small coffee can full of the finer grains and binder and use that as a thin facing layer inside your regular sand mix mold. A thin layer will still allow for the gas to escape and absorb into the bulk of the sand mold.

I recently noticed a sand pit about 15 miles north of me, I've been going to stop by there and see what they have.
It's just outside Monteagle, TN. for anyone in the area. But, you better stop by and say Hi!

Thanks much i will do the 50/50 mix and im going with green sand for now.. Also my understanding is that oil based sand isn't good for casting something like cast iron?

Ok guys after calling the one place i thought i would be able to get silica sand it turns out they don't sell any they only use it for their use so any ideas where i could get the two different grits of sand??

thanks much guys your a big help and im starting to pick up on the forum layout.. I like it

volcom7114 wrote:Ok guys after calling the one place i thought i would be able to get silica sand it turns out they don't sell any they only use it for their use so any ideas where i could get the two different grits of sand??

thanks much guys your a big help and im starting to pick up on the forum layout.. I like it

Somewhere around you there's a business that does sand blasting, either descaling metal for pep work to paint, powdercoat, etc., or a glass maker/sculptor/glass etching, etc. They all use the same sharp shard silica sand we use in our foundries. Or, look for masons who do grout work for brick, stone, and/or ceramic tile. They also use this type of sand.

Thanks much F.C their are alot of those places around me so ill have to make some phone calls tomorrow! Do they all go by grit for the sand size or do some use mesh for size? if so what mesh would 80 and 120 grit be? sorry i understand how the sizing works but not everyone you call knows what they have other than its just sand lol

thanks Dennis

Tell 'em it's all the same... grit size and mesh size. Don't make this complicated, Dennis...

And if no one knows what they have (other than just sand) then ask to speak to a supervisor or whomever it is that orders their supplies. Receptionists rarely have a clue what a shop does. They're paid to answer the phone and do whatever typing and filing is necessary.

This the sand that I use, its a bit far away from you tho lol http://www.riversideindustrialsands.com ... ndry-sand/