Melting point
By GAYLE WEBER
The end product is what most were looking forward to Saturday at the Fort Hays State University iron pour.
Students from FHSU and five schools from the region poured ceramic and sand molds of everything from leaves to cow patties.
"We all do individual work, but we have to work together because there's so much labor involved," said Toby Flores, assistant professor of art.
The day began early for many of the students involved. Iron from old bathtubs, pipes and sinks was broken down and divided into 25-pound piles, which were then melted down that night.
Once the iron was melted, a team of students worked together to pour individual molds, including junior Stacey Rathert's cow patties.
"I'm making a barbecue grill in the shape of a cow," Rathert said. "And so I thought how appropriate would it be to scatter around (cow patties) just as decorative pieces.
"(We) take things that are so organic and light and fluffy and make them cast iron."
Rathert estimated the cow patties would weigh about 10 pounds each after they were poured.
The actual pour is Rathert's favorite part of the day, when everybody is moving and working.
"It's just this big roar of energy," Rathert said. "When it's all over and the molds have all been poured, it gets really quiet. ... You can hear the molds cooling."
Because of the weight of the melted iron as well as the "flaming, hot shrapnel," according to Rathert, it took two students to pour the molds with one on shovel duty.
"I've done shovel duty -- put people out when they catch fire," said Terri Horner, Great Bend senior.
Horner and senior Katie Wharton both have participated in a few iron pours before and always look forward to opening the molds afterwards.
"There's so many different shapes and sizes. When you see what the final thing is, it's like Christmas," Horner said.
However, not everything about the iron pour is like Christmas morning for Horner.
"There's a lot of work with this, breaking all the metal up, getting it all prepped," she said. "There's a lot of chemistry involved, which flies right over my head."
Saturday's iron pour was the largest Flores could remember in terms of the number of pieces that were poured. FHSU tries to do at least one iron pour per semester.
"I just enjoy doing it. It's really hands-on," Wharton said. "It's dirty, and it's fun."
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