Green sand vs no-bake for small runs which saves more time in the end

I swear by green sand for quick one-offs after a job where no-bake took me 2 hours just to strip the mold and clean the flask, but my buddy says no-bake gives cleaner castings with less scrap so what do you all think about which is worth the trade off for a 50 pound pour?

2 comments

2 Comments

james5331mo agoMost Upvoted

Read a guy on another forum say green sand is faster for small batches every time.

barbarahill1mo ago

I read a study from a small shop out in Ohio that timed green sand at 45 minutes for a 50 pound pour versus 2.5 hours for no-bake including cleanup. @james533 is right on the money about the speed for small runs. That 2 hour strip and flask cleaning time adds up fast when you're doing multiple one-offs. But if your buddy is getting cleaner castings with way less scrap, that time savings might not matter if you're remelting three out of ten pours. For a 50 pound job, I'd lean green sand for speed unless the casting has tight tolerances, then no-bake wins every time.