Foundry-Boss Halvorsen

Halvorsen’s white beard makes him look like a man who has had ample time to accept the approved way of doing things. The Combine’s metallurgists discovered otherwise when he submitted samples from a foundry operating in conditions their manuals considered impossible.

His first cold pours failed. The second series failed differently, which told him enough to change the molds. When the resulting plate passed inspection, the central office disputed the test. Halvorsen fitted the material to his own ship and took it into service, where its survival became harder to file away as an error.

Cold Pour is proof of a method he still refuses to sell cheaply. He welcomes serious questions from engineers and keeps a record of every weakness they find. The people who simply tell him it cannot work receive a patient smile, followed by a close look at the hull they are trying to dismiss.