Hoosier Pattern Lights the Night—And Community— With Annual ‘Iron Pour’ | Modern Casting

AFS Corporate Member Hoosier Pattern hosted its Second Annual Hoosier Iron Pour on June 7 in Decatur, Indiana. The Friday night community event––attended by about 250––was held in conjunction with the Decatur Sculpture Tour that took place the next day.
“Our grounds at Hoosier Pattern became the epicenter of a massive artistic party for community members, including students, and artists,” said Keith Gerber, the company’s president. “For over four hours, we poured an astounding 2,000 pounds of iron!

“I want to thank the many volunteers who made this event a spectacular success,” Gerber added. “There were 22 volunteers from Hoosier Pattern, and Alton Combustion of Fort Wayne brought six more. In addition, 18 volunteers from Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin traveled to attend this amazing event.”

Gerber thanked artists Alisa Toninato of Felion Studios, Kelly Ludeking of KRL Metals Art Studio and Jay Elisa of Evolution Art Studio, who were both instrumental in the success of the event and who educated Hoosier Pattern employees and other volunteers.  

Gerber gave additional recognition to: Alton Combustion, which fabricated the cupola; Allied Mineral Products for providing patch material, AFS Corporate Member Waupaca Foundry, which provided the coke; Precision Fabrication, which did laser cutting for the cupola build, AFS Corporate Member Metal Technologies, which supplied the metal disc; and Upstate Metal Recycling, which provided scrap brake parts.

Hoosier Pattern and Alton Combustion fabricated a specially-constructed, 15-ft.-tall, 16-in.-diameter cupola and large charging deck––the largest charging deck and cupola combination east of the Mississippi. It was brought to the Iron Pour grounds and heated to 2500F. Once metal was flowing, additional metal charge was added every seven minutes.
“With every other metal charge, they threw in a brake rotor––we also had scrap disc brakes from the salvage yard,” said Hoosier Marketing Manager Noah Zimmerman. “That cupola melted it all like no one’s business. I heard volunteers say, ‘It is a hungry beast.’ We tapped this cupola 36 times over four hours.”

At the first Hoosier Iron Pour in 2023, Gerber invited local schoolteachers to witness what goes into the creation of castings. This year, two second grade teachers invited Hoosier Pattern into their school to educate students in scratching a butterfly artwork into sand-printed blank scratch tile molds provided by Gerber. At the Iron Pour, several elementary and high school students witnessed their scratch molds being poured that evening––and all castings poured were cleaned up and displayed Saturday at the sidewalk art fair in front of the Decatur courthouse at the Decatur Sculpture Tour held annually for the past 13 years.

“As we finally lit the furnace that evening, there was a strong sense of unity and achievement,” said Gerber. “The impact will be long-lasting, especially as schools in the area start incorporating iron casting into their curricula. Hoosier Pattern is honored to be a part of the next generation of artists and engineers. The metalcasting industry is not only about metal but also about shaping our community––one pour at a time. 

“You just couldn’t even believe the excitement,” he added. “Rest assured, we already have big plans for expanding this event next year.”

Scott Drummond, photographer and collaborator for the event, said, “Keith loves the community and loves the people. He’s always coming up with ways to show what Hoosier Pattern does and engage the community. He wanted to offer something that was interactive, that people of any age could do, and would allow them to share the excitement of his industry through fire and creativity. At the end, it was really about serving his community.”