Fluxing your melt

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AJC1

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I havent been casting long, but growing up with an avid reloader and his friends who were equally involved the flux of choice was always candle wax. This material was easy to find and my unscientific observation was that it seemed to work well. Do you use what you watched growing up or learned first??? It appears that the magic fairy dust is "saw dust". Thoughts...
http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_4_Fluxing.htm
 
I don't want to get technical, but the wax is actually a reductant; it is better at getting components (tin) to go back into the melt than it is at getting trash out.
Not that it can't get trash out, it's just better as a reductant.

I use oiled pine sawdust, oiled with used motor oil. Just enough UMO to change the color of the sawdust.

I flux with the oiled sawdust at least twice, then use the wax.

You're going to get as many methods as there are folks using them. They all work. You just want to get carbon into the melt to flux.
 
I use paraffin. As Hooda Thunkit writes, I expect just about any of the common methods is just fine.
 
I've never really thought about why we flux, I just did it. I've been using candle wax because my wife had a candle craft phase and we have left over. Will have to try whatever other methods guys suggest to see what works.
 
One question about sawdust - as well as anything designed to sit on top of the melt and protect it from oxidization: is this only for bottom pour? I can't imagine how one would manage a dipper through a layer of sawdust...
 
I just use twigs that have fallen from the tree. Don't use any wax. Back in the day when my father was a plumber he used to use oakum and pure lead to connect sewer lines made from cast iron pipes. He never fluxed that I can recall. He would just melt the lead at very high temperatures and than skim the top from the burnt residues that would float. He did that several times until it would take longer and longer for the lead to change color or stuff stopped floating to the top.
 
For dipper (my choice) casting pots:

1st Choice: Pea-sized chunk of 50/50 bullet lube
2nd Chice: Beeswax chunk
3rd Choice: Candle/paraffin chunk

They all both reduce/mix the components, and make easily/clean discardable dross.
 
I have two five gallon buckets filled with lead wheel weights. Did have three. I have 68 pounds of processed wheel weights. I had never done this before. I used candle wax because the YouTube said to. They didn’t say why. Got the lead pretty clean. Want to cast double oh and slugs. Now I am starting to understand the why. Thanks.
 
I have two five gallon buckets filled with lead wheel weights. Did have three. I have 68 pounds of processed wheel weights. I had never done this before. I used candle wax because the YouTube said to. They didn’t say why. Got the lead pretty clean. Want to cast double oh and slugs. Now I am starting to understand the why. Thanks.
So happy to help others. Check my link in the initial post for the full explanation
 
I have some stuff that's more expensive, supposed to be the best, and I will end up throwing most of it away.
I use candle wax and sawdust. It's easy, it's almost instant, it's just to easy. And gets better results than Marvalux.
 
So happy to help others. Check my link in the initial post for the full explanation

If you follow Glen Fryxell’s writings you won’t go wrong. Haven’t been casting but about 5-6 years. Started out fluxing with beeswax with out a whole lot of luck. Asked questions on castbollits.com and was pointed to his writings and things began to improve to the point that I now consider myself a pretty good caster.

I have found green pine sawdust to be a very good fluxing agent. Just make sure it’s DRY! I grabbed a handful from around a stump I had just cut a day or two before....... before the rain. When using sawdust wet with rain water the tinsel fairy is just around the corner watching you.
 
So I was warming my pot up for a session when I wondered if temperature had any impact on the effect of fluxing. I was curious if liquid was good enough or if casting temperature made any effect.
 
I have two five gallon buckets filled with lead wheel weights. Did have three. I have 68 pounds of processed wheel weights. I had never done this before. I used candle wax because the YouTube said to. They didn’t say why. Got the lead pretty clean. Want to cast double oh and slugs. Now I am starting to understand the why. Thanks.

I'd flux that first with what ever is cheapest to get the worst trash out. Saw dust, chain saw chips. I save the candle wax and crayons for the casting pot making bullets.
 
My occasional use of a power saw results in enough sawdust to flux much lead. I'm also a beekeeper, so the beeswax comes natural. FYI, beeswax doesn't smoke.
 
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