Special sand called 'green sand' was obtained from a firm called ' Nash and Ross Ltd ' in Dunedin.

The sand was dug out of a bank on the premises, using a small mobile digger machine with a toothed bucket at the end of its boom.

The sand appeared quite solid, almost like sand stone, till it was dug and deposited in heaps on the ground nearby; without further ado, it was shovelled into hessian sacks and weighed off.

It was ordered in 10 ton lots, so as to ensure a full railway wagon, covered with a tarpaulin to ensure that nothing would be loaded on top of the sand. Not to be soiled or damaged in any way, the sand was picked up at the Railhead in Inglewood and shifted to the Fun Ho! Foundry, were it was carefully stacked ready for use.

Moulding sand was used over and over again till it began to 'ball', when it would be eventually thrown out and dumped.

In normal use the sand was first 'turned' by shovel into an even pile the length of the Foundry floor.

It was then sprinkled with rose-headed water cans, and 'turned' again by shovel on the floor till it was evenly dampened through out with no lumps. This was known as 'conditioning', and varied according to circumstances.

If it was not going to be used for an hour or so, it may have been covered over with sacks, or black plastic sheeting , to prevent the moisture from evaporating. Sand would keep 'condition' for several days if treated like this.