Ranges are made in various types and fitted with one or more ovens which may be placed level with or to one side above the fireplace. As a general rule ranges are fitted with a hot water boiler at the back of the fire. This boiler is supplied from the cold water cistern and feeds an intermediate tank which is connected directly to the bath, basin, and sink taps. A modern labour-saving device is to substitute for the range a combination article consisting of an ordinary sitting-room fireplace with an oven attached. The oven may be either at the side or on top, and in such cases the hot water boiler is placed at the back of and heated from the interior.
An interior grate is simply a framework with a bottom grate fitted into tiles which are cemented to bricks built in between the fireplace and the wall of the house. It may be entirely open or fitted with a fixed or movable canopy of plain or ornamental design. The cheaper types are finished in ordinary black, but interior grates are sup plied in oxidized copper or silver, in armour bright which gives the interior a steel appearance, and in steel itself.
The mantel register is a combined casting designed to supply both fireplace and mantelpiece. This may be supplied plain or with ornamental tiles set into the sides.
In addition to the foregoing, which may be classified as struc tural requirements, light castings foundries produce what may be termed furnishings in the shape of kerbs or fenders for fire places, kettles, pots and pans for cooking purposes, and smooth ing or sad irons (ordinary, gas, and electric). The kerbs or fend ers may, as in other cases, be finished in plain black or in some better quality finish.
There is also that branch of the industry which supplies the service requirements of municipalities and local authorities in connection with their gas, water, and sewage systems. The re quirements in such cases are pipes which are made in 6 and gft. lengths, with bores of varying diameters. In the trade the water pipe is known as the underground pipe. The drain pipe is of high inside finish and tested under high pressure. Hot water pipes, which are usually made in gft. lengths and varying diameters, are mainly used for the heating of greenhouses, outbuildings, and public buildings such as churches, halls, etc.
The first step in the process, which is common to all classes of castings, takes place in the drawing office where a drawing of the pattern is made. This is passed to the
pattern shop where the pattern is made in wood, stucco, or an amalgam of tin and lead. It is then passed to the moulding shop, where an iron or aluminium working pattern is cast.
This category consists mainly of pipes and gutters and their connections. They are made in boxes of two parts, top and bottom, or in trade language, top part or "cope" and drag. The pattern is placed on a board on the floor and the bottom or drag part of the box is placed over it. The drag is rammed with damp sand, technically called "greensand," until it is absolutely firm. It is then turned over and the top part of the box is placed on it. The top part is rammed firm, and holes or gates leading down to the pattern are made in the sand. These holes or gates are for the running of the molten metal. The top part is then lifted off, the pattern drawn out, and the mould dusted and sleeked to make it absolutely smooth. A core which consists of a cylinder of the requisite length of hard sand made in a core box round a metal bar which projects at both ends is inserted in the hollow left by the pattern. The ends of the core when in place rest on two prints or bearings in the mould left by the pattern. The top part is put on and the box closed by hooking the two parts together. The mould is then ready to receive the metal. In the case of the lighter pipes, e.g., rain water and soil, the gates are made on the top and the cast ing is run horizontally, while in the case of the heavier pipes, e.g., drain and underground, the pipes are made and cast on a slope technically known as "the bank." The gates are placed at the top end of the mould and the casting is run on the slant. Still larger and heavier pipes are cast in a vertical position.
The metal is brought from the cupola in large bogies and is poured into the mould by means of hand ladles through the gates. Before the box is opened, and before even the metal has cooled, the gates are knocked off. When the iron has cooled the top part is lifted off and the pipe lifted out. The pipes are then col lected and taken to the dressing shop, where any fins or raw edges are taken off them and they are brushed with steel brushes. All pipes then go before a man known as the passer for accep tance or rejection, and, if passed, are taken to be painted or coated with a tar preparation before despatch.