sawdust questions

[yottey]

How much sawdust and what type to use for fluxing?Thanks in advance for the help.

[geargnasher]

Any kind except plywood, MDF, or pressure-treated. One heaping handfull per 50lbs is about right. Stir it in really well while it's charring, I take a spoon and draw the alloy up through it and pour back through repeatedly, this exposes as much of the alloy to the sawdust as possible so the impurities like calcium, aluminum, iron, etc. can get absorbed in the sawdust and skimmed away.

Gear

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

as long as you haven't been doing a bunch of cutting of plastic go to the chop saw , table saw , jointer . planer what ever you have

heck if you cut big log with the chain saw and have a pile of dust and chips form the chain saw that would work

as does pine pet bedding

i just grab the bag off the miter saw as it is comes of easy and i can shake some on the melt

some may like a more coarse saw dust but , this works for me

[yottey]

good info I was worried that using pine sawdust would be to pitchy

[skeet1]

I use just enough to cover the lead, maybe 2 to 3 tablespoons per 20 lb. pot.

Ken

[Longwood]

I use wood pellets that I have wet so they break up into little hardwood crumbs then dried.
They dry quick on top of hot metal but be very careful if you decide to try it. When wet, it is like any other moisture, it will cause a violent explosion if it gets under any amount of molten metal.
I pile it about an inch deep on both my smelting pot and my casting pot.
I also use paraffin or old cooking oil (fat) to flux with.
I coat a spoon with it then carefully dip the spoon down into the molten metal.
Be careful doing this as the reaction is pretty strong. It does not pop and explode, but causes the melt to boil really well.
I do it several times to make sure my mix is as evenly alloyed, throughout the melt as I can get it.
A member here suggested that dipping out and pouring back into the pot, quantities of molten metal, helps the alloying and cleaning reaction.
I tried it, and I now do that also.
I always do both outside and sometimes I light the smoke but sometimes I do not.

[geargnasher]

good info I was worried that using pine sawdust would be to pitchy

"pitchy" is good. Pine rosin makes a most excellent sacrificial reducant, as does the wood itself. Think of the rosin as a "catalyst", and you can even light the mess once it gets hot to generate the yellow/orange flame that makes extra carbon monoxide to further propagate the "reducing" atmosphere on top of the melt.

Gear

[yottey]

I think the pine sawdust sounds like a good way to go and priced right too.Thanks again.

[gray wolf]

good info i was worried that using pine sawdust would be to pitchy

"pitchy" is good. Pine rosin makes a most excellent sacrificial reducant, as does the wood itself. Think of the rosin as a "catalyst", and you can even light the mess once it gets hot to generate the yellow/orange flame that makes extra carbon monoxide to further propagate the "reducing" atmosphere on top of the melt.

Gear

nuff said

[40Super]

I have a pile of twisted and cracked 2x4 and 2x6's that I saw into sawdust on the miter saw for fluxing.They are dried already and I don't have to wait very long for any moisture to steam out before mixing.

[hickfu]

I run 2x4's and 2x6's through the plainer with the vacuum hooked up, after a few boards I have enough to last for a very long time.


Doc

[Wal']

I poured my first ingots today, range lead, needed flux, grabbed the power saw, a log of the firewood stack and a baking tray to catch the sawdust & presto enough dust for the next half dozen pours. :smile: