About LaPan's Foundry

LaPan's Foundry has a great history of replicating ornamental cannons from the French & Indian and Revolutionary War Era.

LaPan's Foundry is a family owned and operated business and has been in the metal casting business since 1953.

Lester LaPan, Sr., a lifelong foundry man, turned the family barn into a bronze and aluminum shop while building a separate building to house a cupola furnace for iron production. The business was born. Casting continued on this site until 1998, when a decision was made to build a new facility 200 feet behind the original foundry. The current facility houses both ferrous and non-ferrous melting. We still utilize a lift out furnace for bronze and aluminum, thus allowing us greater alloy flexibility. Iron melting has changed to an induction furnace, giving us much greater metallurgical and temperature control.

The Metal Casting Process:

• The first step is a pattern. We can use existing patterns of wood, metal or plastic. They can be mounted or loose. As mentioned previously, original castings can sometimes also be used.
• We will hand make all molds using whatever sand system is best, be it green sand, resin sand or a combination of the two.
• The required metal is melted and poured into the mold. Options are gray iron, ductile iron, or numerous alloys of bronze and aluminum.
• In sand casting, the mold is used only one time but the pattern is used many times..
• The casting is left in the mold to cool for the appropriate time based on alloy poured and section thickness.
• Upon removal from the sand the raw casting will be sand blasted and finish ground, ready for final machining.