Salvaged Nautical Foundry Pattern, Industrial Shipbuilding Mold, Power Housing

This industrial, wooden foundry pattern was designed and manufactured by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company in Pennsylvania. We later salvaged it from a nautical collector's warehouse in New Jersey. The handmade wooden pattern is 29" wide with a vivid paint scheme and interesting, finned, hydrodynamic shape. Perhaps it was the pattern for an engine "power bulge" or the housing around a moving engine part. The manufacturer's name, part name and number are hand painted on the corner of the base plate reading, "S.S.B.Co", with "G23-783-100".

History: Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Company was a major shipbuilding company in operation from 1917–1989 in Chester, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River. Its primary product was tankers, but the company built many types of ships over its 70-year history. During World War II, it participated in the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program.

In 2017, this foundry pattern was salvaged from a nautical warehouse in New Jersey. The pick was featured in Season 9, Episode 8 of the DIY Network show, "Salvage Dawgs".

Condition: Very good condition. Solid body with surface scuffs, paint loss, fading and patina as expected with age and use.

Weight: 46 lbs.
Item Measurements: 29(L) x 12(W) x 21(H)

About the use of Nautical Foundry Molds:
This wooden pattern was used in the process of sand casting. Molding material, such as sand, would be packed around this pattern inside of a casting flask. The sand is then compressed in a process known as ramming. When the molding material reaches the proper density, the pattern is removed. Molten metal is then poured into the cavity created by the positive mold. Once the metal has cooled and hardened, the sand is then broken away and the metal casting is removed. This pattern was used to cast a part of a ship or nautical component.

Foundry patterns are hand-fabricated by skilled tradesmen known as patternmakers. It takes many years of experience through apprenticeships and trade schooling in the fields of carpentry, moldmaking, and tool and die making to achieve this title. Many view patternmaking as an art-form due to the precision and skill required to build a pattern by hand.