A strickle acts as a scraping template to form symmetrical or continuous shapes in a foundry mold without needing a full solid pattern. The molder drags the beveled edge of the board across packed sand or wet loam, cutting away excess material to leave the exact profile of the casting. It is heavily used in bell founding, pipe casting, and large circular floor molds.
Heard on the job
Mount the strickle to the center spindle and sweep the loam until you get a perfectly smooth bell profile.
Do not mix it up with
- Sweep: A sweep is the entire rotating assembly or action, while the strickle is the specific profiled board doing the cutting.