Neighbor just gave me about half a coffee can full of fresh wood chips. Question!

[Ole]

What's the fastest way to dry these puppies for use as a flux?

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh280/Ole1830/IMG_5597.jpg

I'm leaning on laying them out in the sun in their current form, but worried as soon as they start getting close to "dry" the wind will steal my fluxing bounty.

Can you sun dry wood chips for flux in a closed container?

I live in AZ and the weather is dry here. No doubt they would be dry by mid June. I'm thinking the first decent wind is going to blow them away once they dry out.

[Ole]

How about setting them out in the sun inside a black plastic bag and making sure the condensation moisture gets drained every couple days?

[Chamfered]

How about putting them in a dry empty 2 liter pop bottle and leave it in the sun with the lid off. Shake them every once and a while to turn them over and the moisture should go out the open top.
Or, and this may sound a little weird, put them in an old pair of ladies nylons, and leave them out in the sun. Not that I have any laying around that I could let you use, but maybe you know someone out there.:lol:

[2Tite]

Baking sheet in the oven on 200deg for about an hour and you're done.

[Mooseman]

Baking tray in the oven on its lowest setting and the tray on the highest shelf...

[Flintlock Hokie]

A cake pan is better than a baking sheet. If the baking sheet suddenly decides to warp from the heat, you may find wood chips scattered all through your oven. The high sides on a pan will stiffen the pan.

[Wolfer]

An old pillow case hanging in the breeze should work.

[runfiverun]

i'd bet putting them on top of something in the 700-750 range will dry them out pretty quickly.
the resin will help not hurt.
we stir in the ashes.

[stubshaft]

i'd bet putting them on top of something in the 700-750 range will dry them out pretty quickly.
the resin will help not hurt.
we stir in the ashes.

Ditto - I wouldn't bother drying them out unless I was going to smoke meat with them.

[mpmarty]

Yup just put them on the top of your melt and they will do just fine.

[Sonnypie]

Paper bag and in the attic.
Best solar oven there is for that.

[bumpo628]

I just dried a batch of sawdust on the floor of the garage. Just stir it up every couple days or so.
Storing it in a paper bag sounds like a good idea.

[Longwood]

I live in the California desert and dry pellets that I have wetted so they will break up, in a large coffee can or any deep pan.
Having things stay damp here is much harder than getting something to dry.
If I am in a hurry, I dry them on top of the melt.

[Longwood]

Ditto - I wouldn't bother drying them out unless I was going to smoke meat with them.

I wet my meat smoking chips.
They seem to last much longer and not get too hot when I do.

[Longwood]

i'd bet putting them on top of something in the 700-750 range will dry them out pretty quickly.
the resin will help not hurt.
we stir in the ashes.

I try to get dry, unburned wood and paraffin, (mostly paraffin) down into the melt, not ashes.
Four or five times, before I begin casting, and the wood is burning off, I coat a hot, long handled spoon, with a candle, then slowly dip it into the melt and stir and scrape all of the sides and bottom of the pot, especially around the valves..
I get a good roiling boil, excellent alloying, and very clean melt, so I know it is working.
I recently tried a little ladle to do the dip and pour method of fluxing and it works well also.
Research here and trial and error has taught me to leave it alone once the ash forms so the ash layer acts like a seal to prevent oxidation.

It takes about 1/4 to 1/3 of a old style, one pound coffee can of pellet particles, to add enough ash for my 20 pound pot.

[ku4hx]

They have to be dried prior to use as flux material?