Had a guy show me a simple trick after my ladle broke mid-pour

I was running a pour on Tuesday at the shop in Dayton and my #2 ladle snapped right at the handle. Molten iron splashed all over the floor and I froze up for a second. An old timer walked over and handed me a backup ladle wrapped in fiberglass tape and said 'keep a spare taped up under your workbench'. I had to stop the pour, let the iron cool, and re-pour the next day. Has anyone else found a good way to rig a quick backup for common tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliahall1mo ago

A buddy of mine had his favorite stirring rod crack mid-pour and a fellow worker just handed him a spare they'd wrapped in shop cloths and kept in a coffee can nearby. Simple fix that saved his whole shift.

tara7451mo ago

Wait, so it was just wrapped in rags in a coffee can? That's so simple it's almost dumb. I used to think you needed some fancy organizer or special case for spare parts, but honestly that's genius for a workspace. Totally changed how I see storing backups.