Cupola Dropping Bottom

A 60" bore Cupola dropping bottom at an iron foundry.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Cupola
• Iron
• Foundry
• Casting

[magusisgee]

And what exactly, does "dropping bottom" mean?

[LtJerryRigg]

A cupola is basically a cylinder with layers of coke and iron in it that burn / melt over time. When the heat is finished you drop the remaining unburnt contents out of the bottom of the furnace, otherwise leftover iron, slag, and coke will freeze in the bottom

[AluminiumProphet]

A foundry that I once worked in had its cupola outside

When the bottom was dropped after snow or heavy rain you got a nice big bang

[LtJerryRigg]

That must be quite the spectacle. I've watched a few drops where there was extra iron left in the well when they dropped and that was a show

[returdable]

@Cubatraveler Drive a truck for a living ? who does that anymore its dumb unsafe and bad for the environment, (sorry couldnt resist :)

[Cubatraveler]

Who still runs a cupola? This technology is as old as Ben Franklin, and is considered obsolete now. No wonder foundries across North America have been closing for 30 years. Dropping the bottom for dramatic effects is also dumb, unsafe, bad for the environment and a major cause of burns in foundries. Foundries? I'd rather drive a truck for a living.

[nadobug]

Worked for 16 year in cupola shops, for the past 8 I've been stuck in electric melt. Miss the cupolas. They're living things compared to a coreless furnace.

Nothing quite dropping bottom on a cupola! It was always the finale to any tour when we had guests in our plant.

Will never forget seeing a pair of boots sticking out from under the drop, scrambling to account for everybody, and finding out an iron pourer had discarded his old boots under the cupola.

[SteffanLlwyd]

I was visiting Ley's (Derby, UK). Twenty minutes after leaving the melting plant, 15 tons of SG went through the bottom of an electric furnace. It melted all the hydraulic gear and flashed the hydraulic fluid. Luckily noone was near enough to be killed. It was rumoured that they had been saving on coke by running the electric furnaces too hard (electricity being relatively cheaper). The firm went bust shortly afterwards. I will never forget the hard work I saw in the grinding shops!

[suburbanboa]

I remember the bottom drop at the Brunnerville Iron foundry in PA. It was est. in 1850, but now torn down. All the molding was loose pattern cast by HAND. An antique foundry attraction. The bottom drop was always dramatic, although the cupola was small be today's standards. Check ebay for pics...

[northstar1950]

I was once involved with a foundry that had three large cupolas, the drop doors were held up by hydraulic rams. One one occasion the bottom was dropped as usual. unfortunately some sacks of damp calcium carbide were stored a bit to close the result was a big "BOOM" a few days later one of the wet arrestors became partly detached. Often wondered if the two were connected.

[ray3rd]

I run a small cupola, sometimes the bottom sand would get stuck and after a few minutes we'd go up to it and start poking at it with a steel bar. As soon as you saw light you hightailed it. Once there was a little metal left in there that gave me quite the surprise as I was fleeing. Never had the guts to do that again! Now I just sit and wait for it to drop.

[magusisgee]

Sweet, thanks man!

[doom2300]

Which foundry is this ?