Loam molding was formerly used for making

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

cannon and is still used for casting large bells. Loam (pronounced 'loom') is a mixture of sand and clay with water, sometimes with horse dung (valuable for its straw content), animal hair or coke. The object of including dung or hair was to make the mould permeable and allow gas (such as steam) to escape during casting. The mold for a cylindrically symmetrical object, such as a

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, is built up in stages around a spindle, to which is fixed a strickle board with the shape of the eventual casting. The mold also has provision for the casting of a gunhead, beyond the muzzle of the cannon, into which slag can float during casting. If the object is to be hollow, a straw rope is wound around the spindle and covered in a friable material to the dimensions of the exterior of the cannon, the strickle board being turned on the spindle to ensure it is cylindrical. Decorative elements and models of the

trunnion A trunnion (from Old French "''trognon''", trunk) is a cylindrical protrusion used as a mounting or pivoting point. First associated with cannons, they are an important military development. Alternatively, a trunnion is a shaft that positions a ...

s are then attached. This is then covered in a thick layer of loam. The mold is then fired. After this the straw rope is then pulled out with the rest of the material used to form the shape of the cannon. The mould is then mounted vertically in a casting put in front of the furnace. If the cannon is to be cast hollow, a core is mounted in the mould. The furnace was then tapped and metal run into the mold. The mold is then broken off the casting. The gunhead is cut off, and the bore of the cannon reamed out using a boring mill. The process for the cylinder for a steam engine would be similar. The process for casting a bell is of the same nature, but the procedure is necessarily different.Taylors of Loughborough, bellfounders

References

{{Reflist Metalworking History of metallurgy Metallurgy