F.I.R.E. (Foundry Invitational & River Exhibit) - 2024

[GreenTwin]

The annual FIRE exhibit is coming up May 29 - June 2, locally in Memphis TN, at the Mississippi River bluffs, Metal Museum site.

I am trying to decide if I want to go "full leathers", or just attend as a spectator.

The heat and humidity during the day in these parts can be brutal, which is actually why I do my castings generally at night.

Good way to get heat stroke, but boy would it be a lot of fun to be in on the action.

Nothing quite like playing with fire and molten iron, and they cast some incredible art objects.

 

[GreenTwin]

This is me demonstrating my oil-burner furnace operation at the 2019 FIRE exhibit.

This was the first time I had poured in front of a large group, and I was terrified something would go wrong, such as a crucible failure, dropping the crucible, tripping and falling down, getting burned, burner malfunction, etc.

I have an excellent re-designed crucible retainer on my shank, which I created after a full crucible of iron fell out of the shank in mid-pour with my original retainer design.
My crucibles do not fall out of the shank now, even if turned completely upsidedown and shaken violently, and the retainer accommodates variations in crucible sizes, and how far any crucible sits in the shank.

By the time I did this demonstration, I had de-bugged the furnace, burner, fuel system, and iron melting technique, and I had developed a consistent and reliable iron melting system/process.
And I had multiple successful iron melts/pours/castings under my belt in the year prior to this pour.

I was still nervous though.

 

[100model]

Nothing quite like playing with fire and molten iron, and they cast some incredible art objects.

I would love to go but it is a long and expensive jet plane trip to get there.

 

[GreenTwin]

A boat would probably take too long.

I prefer boats, since they don't really fall out of the sky.

Hit a bridge pier maybe, but no falling.

.