Shoutout to the old timer who told me to stop rushing my sprues

I was setting up a small bronze pour in the back of the shop, trying to get it done before lunch, and this retired guy named Frank who still comes around said, 'Kid, you're cutting those sprues like you're being timed, and your gates are too thin.' He showed me a piece he cast 20 years ago with a perfect fill, no cold shuts, because he took an extra ten minutes on the pattern. How many of you actually slow down on the prep work when you're in a hurry?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.val1mo ago

Hear that loud and clear. I've had so many projects where I thought I was saving time by rushing through the setup, only to have the whole thing fail or need a do-over. That extra ten minutes on the pattern is exactly the kind of thing you don't appreciate until you've messed up a piece you really cared about. It's rough when you look back and realize the hurry cost you way more than the time you saved. Your door story hurts to hear, but honestly it's so relatable.

piper_green2mo ago

Frank's right, that hurry-up mindset gets you everywhere. It's why my coffee table has a wobbly leg I was too rushed to fix right. @rose_hart31's door story is the same flavor of mistake, just a different room. The world runs on people skipping the boring ten minutes now to waste an hour later.

rose_hart312mo ago

That "extra ten minutes on the pattern" thing reminds me of the time I sanded a joint too fast and ruined a whole door.