This paper presents an experimental study of transient heat transfer in the early stages of solidification of some pure metals on water cooled substrate, quantified in terms of two parameters: thermal contact resistance at the interface and heat flux. Experiments were performed to measure the thermal contact resistance during solidification of tin, lead and zinc drop on nickel substrate. The study is focused on the heat transfer aspects of this process and the identification of parameters affecting the heat transfer mechanism. To this end, the influence of casting process variables such as substrate surface roughness, casting material, metal superheat and lubricant on heat transfer has been analyzed.