October 30, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Person: Ed McCormick
EnvironMolds Donates Reproduced Parts to Restore Grand Old Sternwheeler
Summit, NJ: Mold and casting materials company EnvironMolds has taken on a specialized reproduction project for the Ohio History Connection.
The company announced that it will be reproducing pieces of specialized parts designed to help restore the only intact, steam-driven sternwheel towboat in America.
The Project – Restoring the W.P. Snyder Jr. Sternwheeler
The W.P. Snyder Jr. is the last extant sternwheel, steam driven towboat on our nation’s waterways. Originally built in 1918 by Rees & Sons Company in Pittsburg, PA, the ship is now permanently berthed in the Muskingum River in Marietta, Ohio, where it is undergoing a complex, specialized restoration process.
The Ohio History Connection has been searching for replacement parts from around the country and around the world, in order to restore the W.P. Snyder Jr. to its former glory and preserve the history of our country’s waterways.
Work proceeded normally, until the Ohio History Connection was unable to locate an important porcelain insulator, required to mount the interior lighting. Then, Chris Buchanan the Restoration Project Coordinator for the Ohio History Connection reached out to Ed McCormick, the CEO of EnvironMolds, and asked if the company could create an authentic replica.
EnvironMolds Lives Up to Its Reputation – “Reproduce Almost Anything”
One of the original 1918 insulators was removed from the W.P. Snyder Jr., and sent to EnvironMolds, where a silicone rubber mold was taken. This mold captured all of the original detail, including lettering and mounting holes.
Using polyurethane resin, a prototype part was crafted. Finally, after testing several casting formulas, a mixture of resin and porcelain powder was used that created a part with a nearly identical weight, style, and feel of the original component.
EnvironMolds announced that they will gift the Ohio History Connection with 101 of these insulators as a way to help with this important, historical research and restoration project.
By taking on the challenge of reproducing a rare, difficult-to-manufacture part, EnvironMolds certainly lives up to its reputation of being able to “Reproduce Almost Anything”.
About EnvironMolds: Founded in 1998 and Based in Summit, NJ, EnvironMolds is a leading casting and mold materials company, specializing in alginate, resin, latex, silicone, and many other mold making materials. For more information about EnvironMolds, you are invited to visit www.artmolds.com or contact: info@artmolds.com.
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2 Photographs – W.P. Synder Jr., Sternwheeler
Images of the original and replica insulator parts