MAKING A CAST-IRON SINK

Sleek, heavy, and highly durable, cast-iron sinks and tubs appeared in the 1880s. (Cast-iron tubs were first marketed as hog scalders and horse troughs, but American homeowners had other ideas.) The vitreous enamel finish made them easy to clean and sanitary, and cast iron’s heat retention was a real benefit when water had to be heated on the stove.

Creating a cast-iron sink today is an intensely industrial process that takes place in a mechanized factory setting. It begins with the making a two-part casting

mold from the steel sink pattern. The first half of the mold is filled with moist sand and some clay, packed in under pressure. The clay helps bond the sand, to hold the correct shape. The sand mold is lifted and transferred to the other half of the mold. The two molds are brought together, leaving a small gap between them.

Next, hot liquid metal (from mostly recycled scrap iron) is poured into openings at the top of the mold, filling the gap at center. The mold is allowed to cool for about 20 minutes, long enough for the iron to solidify. A shaking device breaks the mold, revealing the newly formed sink. Immediately, the sink is sprayed

with a specially formulated glass powder, an undercoat for the porcelain-enamel finish. It’s set on a mechanical pedestal, which rotates rapidly as two more layers of glass powder are applied while the sink is still hot. The powder bonds instantly to the undercoat, forming a

permanent bond with the iron casting. Between coats, the sink cools, then goes to a furnace for reheating.

ABOVE Trimmed with a tile countertop laid in a classic, early-20th century pattern, this wall-mounted porcelain sink has the integral drainboard and backsplash again prized by so many.