First WW melt: dross question

[BEN BODEY]

I just did my first WW melt. Went well but I now have a question about fluxing. I used the paint stick method, and it seemed to work. The only problem was the stuff on top. First skim turned to blue, by the time I made the next pass it was purple, next pass gold. The first two bucket worked ok. The last bucket, I could barely keep up with the skimming.

Any helpful commets?

[44woody]

I have been getting the same thing lately I don't know what it is from me and the kid down the street made some fish sinkers the other day I put in a rather big piece of beeswax and stirred it with a chop stick that was laying there the heavy dross most went back into the mix but I could not get the different colors to go away this has happened to me before and I have no idea what causes it :castmine: 44Woody

[STP]

I noticed the same color transformation the first time I worked with pure bismuth. (This was my first attempt to cast pure Bismuth cores for proprietary bullet cores) Turns out I had the pot temp. waaaay beyond it`s actual melting temperature. I still have the resultant stalagmite, or is that stalagtite (?) pile of drippings...

[BEN BODEY]

I have been getting the same thing lately I don't know what it is from me and the kid down the street made some fish sinkers the other day I put in a rather big piece of beeswax and stirred it with a chop stick that was laying there the heavy dross most went back into the mix but I could not get the different colors to go away this has happened to me before and I have no idea what causes it :castmine: 44Woody
What STP said makes sence to me. What do you think?

STP, thank you for that input. What was I skimming off, other than the pretty color?

[boogerred]

i think its heat-related. when i first got my lee bottom-pour and was still learning i had the purple and gold. i kept playing with the temp and it went away. i dont think i changed anything else. i have noticed that when my pot gets low and i dont lower the temp, i will get weird colors.

[KYCaster]

I wouldn't worry too much about the blue/purple/gold layer on top of the pot. It's oxides and the color depends on the alloy/temp. of the melt. If your alloy is really clean and shiney it will oxydize very quickly....you can't stop it.

If you don't like to see the pretty colors, cover the surface with a layer of cheap clay kitty litter. That will reduce the oxide layer to almost nothing. If you ladle cast, drag the oxide layer to the side with the bottom of the ladle before you dip.....when the oxide gets to be more than you can stand, then flux and stir till it goes back into the melt.

After you flux, what's left on the surface should be dark gray/black clumps of burnt flux with impurities trapped in it. It should be very light compared to the alloy. If the stuff you're skimming off looks metallic, then you're throwing away....ummm.....metal:roll: , good boolit alloy.

Don't be too anal about what's on the surface of the melt. Be more concerned with what comes out the spout. If you fluxed right, all the crud will be on top.

Jerry

[arkypete]

Morning gents
A suggestion, go to the Salvation Army store, Goodwill, yard sale, junk shop, any place that sells old house hold good, forgot the flea market.
Get two soup spoons, stainless works, my spoon because I'm a trend setter is silver plate. Drill several holes, 3/16 th works, in the bowl of one. Clip the handle end with vise grips. This becomes your stirring, fluxing spoon.
The left over spoon becomes your dip the crud out spoon.
Jim
PS
A word of caution don't do this to 'She who must be obeyed' spoon.

[VTDW]

I noticed the same color transformation the first time I worked with pure bismuth. (This was my first attempt to cast pure Bismuth cores for proprietary bullet cores) Turns out I had the pot temp. waaaay beyond it`s actual melting temperature. I still have the resultant stalagmite, or is that stalagtite (?) pile of drippings...

It is stalagmite if it is in a pile in the bottom of a bucket.:mrgreen:

[knothead]

I think its heat related also, no big deal though, but I'm no expert.

My bags are unpacked, I lost my briefcase and I'm home...

[Hunter]

I will get that too and I have noticed it was when my w-w were very oily or dirty. I flux using wax seal (like you set a toilet with) and use a spoon with slots in it (like for dipping out green beans) to stir the flux and dip out the clips. I use a solid spoon for skimming and dipping into the ingot molds. I keep my smelting pot about the same temp. but have only seen the colors with the very oily w-w. I wonder could it be the petrolium giving off the color like you will see it standing a a pool of water in a parking lot?

[garandsrus]

Ben,

My experience is that anything close to pure lead will show the rainbow of colors when the melt is very hot.

I don't see the rainbow colors when using WW.

John