Why are the Cope and Drag, in metal casting process by sand casting, called so?
In sand mold casting there are typically two halves to the mold. The top is called the cope and the bottom is called the drag. Some molds like the ones used to make engine blocks can consist of dozens of pieces. As far as why they are called that, I don’t have a good answer. The only logical explanation that I could offer is that back in the old days before modernization took over, the bottom (the drag) of the sand mold was dragged along the pouring line. And the top (the cope) was coped to fit the bottom.
