Hensley & Gibbs Autocast Blocks
02.26.07//06/03/2023
I’ve been meaning to write an article on Hensley & Gibbs Autocast blocks vs. hand-casting blocks for some time. The problem was I don’t own any Autocast blocks, as I have no need for them. I had read numerous times in the catalogs that concurrent with the rise in popularity of Autocast machines, the demise of 6, 8, & 10 cavity moulds occurred. Which is why Hensley & Gibbs stopped offering 8&10 cavity blocks in 1994. Most of the volume (read commercial) casters had moved to automatic casting machines by the early 1990’s and demand for 8&10 cavity mould blocks dropped dramatically.
I knew from reading and conversing with other casters, that autocast blocks will not fit standard Hensley & Gibbs handles, as the slot in the autocast blocks is aligned in the same vertical plane as the cavities as opposed to the hand cast blocks where the handle slot is horizontal, in the opposite plane as the cavities.
Here is a photo of a set of Autocast blocks:
The area circled in red is the giveaway that you are looking at a set of autocast blocks. Autocast blocks will not fit two cavity Hensley & Gibbs handles. Your only option is to get an autocast machine that uses this type of block, or create a custom set of handles to make them work. Good luck.