{"product_id":"scratch-block-for-iron-pour-2025-steel-stacks-version","title":"Scratch Block for Iron Pour!! 2025 Steel Stacks version","description":"\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003eCreate your own design to be cast into iron! Simply purchase one of our specially made hardened sand blocks (known as scratch blocks), take home, carve a design into it, and return to us. The completed blocks must be returned to the front desk at NMIH no later than 5 PM on Friday, October 9th, 2026, so Museum personnel can ready them for our Iron Pour the following evening during \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nmih.org\/event\/steelweekend2026\/\"\u003eSteel Weekend 2026.\u003c\/a\u003e  Weather and furnace conditions permitting, the blocks will be filled with iron around 7 PM on Saturday, October 10th.  We hope you come back to watch the pour!  After cooling off, the iron castings can be picked up from the NMIH Gift Shop as soon as the following day.  Cost $15 per block. CAN NOT BE SHIPPED. These scratch blocks with \"Steel Stacks 2025\" stamped into the top, which can be scratched off. Please message info@nmih.org for details.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003eTips:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Wear gloves, a dust mask, and safety glasses\/goggles while carving.  Wash your hands afterwards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Carve in a well-ventilated area.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Carve on a firm surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Scratch the material away.  You do not want to crack the block.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-The final iron product will be a mirror image of what you carve, so carve your design, especially letters and numbers, backwards in the sand.  Drawing your design on a thin paper, then flipping the paper over, and carving what you see can make the process much easier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Make sure to carve no closer than 1 inch from the edge and ½ inch deeper than the existing impression\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Try carving with kitchen utensils (wash before eating with!), screwdrivers, large nails, chisels, or rotary tools you don't mind damaging.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-The sand block will be destroyed to remove the iron.  The product you pick up after the pour will be iron only.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"x_MsoNormal\"\u003e-Dispose of any sand removed from the block.  It is bonded with resin and not safe to reuse as a toy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"National Museum of Industrial History","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47815805468849,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9540\/6769\/files\/Scratch_blocks_lineup_before_pour.jpg?v=1722886396","url":"https:\/\/national-museum-of-industrial-history.myshopify.com\/products\/scratch-block-for-iron-pour-2025-steel-stacks-version","provider":"National Museum of Industrial History","version":"1.0","type":"link"}