Many thanks to Andy Taylor, of the Elrod Press, for sending in this video of his Elrod strip caster producing 36pt mounting material for 8-guage magnesium plates.
Need some strip material? Click here to open a PDF (in a new window) which shows the varied materials Andy can cast, along with his contact details.
Says Andy: “THIS is a Model F Elrod capable of casting leads and rules from 1pt to 36pt.
In this clip I’m casting the largest size, 36pt leads.
The job is for a customer who needs mount for 8 gauge magnesium plates this size was designed for this size leading.
On large sizes from 24pt to 36pt the machine needs enough time to dwell and cool the strip so an ingenious lever on the puller working on a ratchet stops the puller from pulling the strip then releases it every third stroke, enabling the material enough time to cool in the mould.
This stroke is about 6 ems, the advantage of the Elrod is the strip is of a continual cast whereby it is cooled slowly over the length of the mould and therefore doesn’t shrink because the lead is continuously under pressure from the pump.
The strip is of a far better quality than Monotype Super Caster strip which has a welded joint.”