Found Dreaming

Welcome, everyone, to "Mad Yank's" Foundry. Browse around and check out the layout. Consider this a build in progress whereas I am in the process of resurecting my old foundry operations from when I had to close its doors five years ago due to life changing situations. Pictured below is my first actual backyard foundry set up. Wasn't much to look at but I sure had fun experimenting. Fortunately I kept all my fingers and toes after the multiple failures and attempts to cast something worthwhile whilst I muddled through the variety of processes involved and figured out how better to improve my operation.

Pictured below is my actual, very first, operable foundry set up. The facility was provided to me by the Washington National Guard whereas I designed, built and fabicated all the foundry equipment to facilitate creating multiple public art commissions for Washington States Centennial event in 1989 during my last two years of College. I was a member of the Guard, back then, in order to pay "resident" tuition rather than five times as much as a non-resident would have to pay. While attending drill, one day, I had a vision of an idea to represent the guard in the upcoming centennial event and ultimately sold my commander, battalion commander and the brigade general on the idea. Nice thing about this commission was that when the project was completed I got to keep all the foundry equipment associated to the project as my own. Now, also bear in mind, I had little to no experience in foundry work at this point but I did have a personal friend (who owned and operated his own commercial production foundry nearby) who mentored me and coached me on how to design and build tooling I'd need to pull off the commission I committed myself to with the Guard... very much like the intent of this forum to aide and assist others interested in casting metal either as a hobby or for profit.

After graduation from College, I returned to Alaska with my equipment and bought a house with a fairly nice attached shop/garage I converted into my studio/foundry. Here is where I explored foundry work in every way imaginable stretching the envelope in casting medium to achieve the best possible quality in casts I could manage. Ultimately, word got out of my foundry and customers began trickling in. This studio/shop supported my family, thereafter, for the next 15 years, most of which was doing nothing but foundry, public arts, etc.