Appreciation post: the old timer who swore by a specific riser sleeve for gray iron

I always thought the brand didn't matter, but after a bad run of porosity last month, I switched to the exact one he said, the 'Kold-Kote' from our local supplier. Has anyone else seen a real difference with certain sleeves, or was I just unlucky before?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver52315d ago

Yeah, the brand can totally matter. Those Kold-Kote sleeves have a specific exothermic mix and carbon level that just works better for gray iron, helps with feeding and keeps the gas off. We had a similar thing with shrinkage on some heavier sections, swapped to the brand the old head in the corner swore by and it cleared right up. Sometimes the cheap ones just don't get hot enough or they outgas weird. That old guy probably saw a hundred bad runs before he landed on that one.

christopherwilliams15d ago

Honestly @oliver523, you're spot on. Tbh we wasted so much time with off-brand sleeves before just listening to the guy who'd been there forever. The good ones just run cleaner, no contest.