Molasses
A brown, viscid, uncrystallized syrup produced in the manufacture of sugar. Owing principally to the gluey nature of this product, it can be made of great use in the foundry. Core-sands void of the quality of adhesiveness may, by being mixed with molasses, be made sufficiently tenacious to admit of their being employed where, if sands containing aluminous substances were used, there would be great difficulty in extracting the core when cast. The molasses, owing to its sticky nature, holds the loose grains of silica together until the molten metal has solidified, during which time all its cohesive qualities have been burned away by the intense heat, leaving the sand free to run out of the cavity at the slightest provocation. Common beach and river sands may be made serviceable by the use of molasses when the cores are for light castings; but when it is desired to accomplish similar results in heavy castings, the more refractory silica sands must be used. Molasses is now extensively used for mixing with the silica sands, etc., used in steel casting, in order to bring these incoherent materials up to the right consistency for forming the moulds.
Mixed with water until the latter may be pronounced very sweet, it is an excellent restorative for a badly burned mould surface, especially when a little black lead has been stirred in. If the mixture be too thick with molasses, instead of penetrating the burned mould surface, it will lie there and form a hard skin, which, as it dries, separates and curls up, bringing the sand with it, and making matters worse. See CORE-SAND; FLOUR; GLUE; STEEL CASTINGS.