Dave Patterson, a professional pattern maker in a previous life, is excavating down (coping down) to the parting line on a pattern that has been embedded (rammed) in sand in a flask. The casting would become a sand rammer, had the sand been conditioned better. As it was, Dave went back up to Washington and made a much nicer pattern, then remelted the result of this cast into a beauty of a rammer. I think he'll bring the pattern to next year's GEARS, and some of you can make your own rammer.

The lady making sure Dave is doing it right is his lovely wife, who finally found out what Dave does in the shop!