What do you use for low odour flux in a garage?

[kryogen]

I will cast during winter in my garage and I would like to use a low odor and low smoke flux that works fine.

I usually use sawdust, but it smokes alot.

Any ideas?

[Frozone]

I don't think such a thing actually exists - if it works it smells ;-)

MarveLux (sic?) doesn't smell to much.
It's a boron based flux.
It turns into a bubbly mess and you skim it off.
It coats everything that touches it in a grey crust, kinda like carbonized grease in your BBQ.

Midway has it.

[HeavyMetal]

down side of Marvelux is it attracts moisture like a magnet, a magnet the size of the Moon!

Tinsel fairy visits then follow on a regular basis so beware.

I helped a buddy put a stove fan vented cover in his garage over his casting area to exit out the back side of the garage, worked great, no smoke and no smell in the garage, LOL!

[kryogen]

so I should just sawdust flux?

[ubetcha]

down side of Marvelux is it attracts moisture like a magnet, a magnet the size of the Moon!

Tinsel fairy visits then follow on a regular basis so beware.

I helped a buddy put a stove fan vented cover in his garage over his casting area to exit out the back side of the garage, worked great, no smoke and no smell in the garage, LOL!

Been there,done that. Will do no more. Yes! use pine saw dust if possible.Smells better

[paul h]

I use wax, no it's not low smoke or stink, but works nicely. I just crack the garage door when the smoke gets too heavy or my wife complains.

[DeanWinchester]

I use cedar shavings. I love the smell. Not exactly LOW odor, but certainly PLEASANT odor. Hickory is nice too.

[kryogen]

um, the treated lumber sawdust I use is not exactly healthy :P
will try cedar I guess.

[shredder]

If you have a bbq lighter handy when you use wax, light up the smoke and it burns away. Much less pollution in the garage. Be careful how much you use, fire may not be your friend!!

[wmitty]

charcoal brickettes (sp) seem to work well and don't produce a lot of smoke...

[454PB]

I'm in the minority here and have used Marvelux for the last 30 years. The moisture problem is easily avoided by preheating any stirring or dipping tool......which should be done regardless of the flux used.

I've even read reports of Marvelux causing the melting pot to rust out. Well, my oldest Lee bottom pour has been exposed to Marvelux for 30 years, and it's still working just fine.

I flux, then leave the dross in place as an oxygen barrier until I'm done. By then, there's nothing left but dry dust.

[Frozone]

.....I've even read reports of Marvelux causing the melting pot to rust out. ......

I can believe the rust out part if you leave the hard bubbled part in the pot.
It's a little like black powder residue, very hydrophylic.

I have a dedicated smelting pot that I'll use marvelux in if things are really dirty.
The stuff cleans the big stuff out better than sawdust, it gets all stuck in the bubbly.
If I don't clean it out after I'm done, it'll have a Lot of rust in it quickly.

Might not be so bad once it's cooked to a powder - I'll try that next time I use it.

Never really had a problem with moisture in the stuff. I sprinkle it on slowly, it hisses on top but no tinsel fairies.
I don't start tiring until it is well melted.

[220swiftfn]

um, the treated lumber sawdust I use is not exactly healthy :P
will try cedar I guess.

Surprised nobody's jumped on this yet.......

DON'T USE TREATED SHAVINGS AS FLUX!!!!! All sorts of bad stuff in there!!!

Pick up a bag of pet bedding pine shavings at Wally World, and lighting the smoke will help.


Dan

[olafhardt]

My dad taught me to use sugar it works ok. You should be aware that treated lumber generally contains heavy metals, arsenic, copper and hexavalent chromium. I can't imagine a fluxing fume without lead. Stink is good it keeps from breathing the stuff. If you use hair, feathers or animal droppings, it might keep you from breathing in your death.

[cbrick]

um, the treated lumber sawdust I use is not exactly healthy

Bad kryogen, bad. Go to your room without dinner.

It would be a very good idea to stop using treated lumber immediately if not sooner. "Not exactly healthy" could be quite the understatement.

As to your question . . . What do you use for low odor flux in a garage?

Good ventilation!

Rick

[Hurricane]

When the sawdust starts to smoke light the fire with a wooden match. It will burn down faster and with much less smoke.

[DeanWinchester]

I also use a small 6" cast iron skillet to cover the pot when im not casting from it. When I dump in the wood chips, I stir in gently and cover. Give it a few minutes to char, then uncover and stir and scrape well before skimming. By covering it, I don't get near as much smoke.

[eljefeoz]

I also use a small 6" cast iron skillet to cover the pot when im not casting from it. When I dump in the wood chips, I stir in gently and cover. Give it a few minutes to char, then uncover and stir and scrape well before skimming. By covering it, I don't get near as much smoke.
+ 1
I learnt this quickly, even though I smelt out in the open

[Mal Paso]

I use Randy Rat's Beeswax for the casting pot inside using clean alloy. Wood chips outside for smelting and blending.

I wouldn't worry about Wood Treated in the last few years. Pressure Treated Wood is now so Environmentally Correct it no longer resists bugs and actually attracts fungus. Have to provide Habitat you know. ;)

[leadman]

I use Marvelux or the Frankford Arsenal product from Midway. Even here in Arizona during the monsoon season it will attract moisture. Not a problem as I lay my stirring spoon on the top of the melt to heat up.
I was using various waxes and sawdust and had problems with inclusions in my melt so went back to Marvelux, no more problems. It helps make the alloy flow better also.
I have some zinc contaminated alloy that I use Root Killer (copper sulfate) on and found if I flux with Marvelux after the RK the dross has a purple cast to it. Must be removing the RK.
If it is very humid I will get a little smoke (probably steam) off the top of the pot with Marvelux but no odor at all.

[1bluehorse]

I will cast during winter in my garage and I would like to use a low odor and low smoke flux that works fine.

I usually use sawdust, but it smokes alot.

Any ideas?

Do the same for sawdust/wood particles that you would for wax....as soon as it starts to smoke, throw a match at it.....whereas sawdust may not be a "low odor" flux, it is a pleasant odor...:smile:

[leftiye]

so I should just sawdust flux?

Yup, smells nice even if it smokes. Use crushed charcoal for even less smoke, leave it on top of the pot to keep air off of the surface.

[Bloodman14]

I have been experimenting with airgun shot (BBs) in my bottom-pour. Not only a mechanical oxygen barrier, but no muss-no fuss, too. Lead ingots sit on top until they melt through.

[pdawg_shooter]

Wood pellets such as used in a smoker work great and a bag last a long time. Different flavors available so you can find one you like.

[S.B.]

so I should just sawdust flux?
Ditto this works great for me? I just stir it into the melt thoughly then scim it off. Carbon content is what you're for.
Steve

[stocker]

I've been using Marvelux in my basement for years. If it gets moisture in it, Marvelux will clump up. Break down the clumps into granules and put some in a small tin can on the hot plate for a few minutes to drive the moisture out. Also don't let it build up on your skimming spoon and float the spoon on the melt to drive out any moisture it may contain before doing any stirring. Sprinkle the heated granules on top let it sit for a bit before stirring. Takes longer to explain than it does to do it.

[PS Paul]

Bad kryogen, bad. Go to your room without dinner.

It would be a very good idea to stop using treated lumber immediately if not sooner. "Not exactly healthy" could be quite the understatement.

As to your question . . . What do you use for low odor flux in a garage?

Good ventilation!

Rick

Exactly where I was gonna go. I live in the very-rainy PNW. I am sometimes forced to smelt inside the garage, although I try to avoid it, but always cast inside the garage. Even when it is not raining (both weeks.... he he).

I cast next to the window and have installed a hi-speed box fan right next to the casting station. I suppose a vent hood might be better, but all the smoke just goes right through the box fan and out the window with ease.

Therefore, sawdust from Alder is what I use. I cut my own Alder poles for making shavings with which to smoke salmon (it's salmon season RIGHT NOW) and I sweep the dust to use for smelting. Easy as pie.
PSP

[10x]

I would put a kitchen range vent hood over the area where I was casting. Used ones can be had for cheap or less. Just go to your local kitchen cabinet shop and tell them you would like a salvage range hood from their next kitchen renovation.
The other way is a high volume bathroom vent fan installed in the wall over where you cast.

[mdi]

In my short casting career, mebbe 25 years, I've tried as many fluxes as I thought might work, but settled on sawdust. I cast indoors and yep, sawdust does smoke and smell, but I just open the door and turn on my fans. Sometimes I'll step outside to while the smoke clears but I cast indoors because it rains a lot here in Orygun...:wink:

[RoGrrr]

hang a shop vac hose over the pot and exhaust the smoke/smell out, under the garage door with pvc plastic pipe. Gets rid of all the smell that way

[ofreen]

I'm in the minority here and have used Marvelux for the last 30 years. The moisture problem is easily avoided by preheating any stirring or dipping tool......which should be done regardless of the flux used.

I've even read reports of Marvelux causing the melting pot to rust out. Well, my oldest Lee bottom pour has been exposed to Marvelux for 30 years, and it's still working just fine.

I flux, then leave the dross in place as an oxygen barrier until I'm done. By then, there's nothing left but dry dust.

My experience, as well, except I'll go ahead and skim off the residue before beginning to cast. I think most problems people have with Marvelux stems from using too much of it.

[geargnasher]

The problems with Marvakrap is that it removes all oxidized metals such as the tin you want to keep as well as the stuff you don't want, and if you don't live in the powder-dry mountainous parts of the country it will soak up moisture like crazy and can, if you don't pay attention and know what to do, cause steam explosions with annoying regularity.

The borates do flux, though, very well, they seal the surface from further oxidation, don't stink or burn, and make being around the casting pot much more pleasant and reduce ventilation needs considerably. If you use a hydrocarbon as a sacrificial reducant first to reduce the oxides of tin, lead, and antimony back to elemental metal, THEN you can absorb the more difficult-to-reduce oxides of the other junk in there (aluminum, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc.) with the borate flux and have a totally clean, oxide-free melt and not lose any tin oxide when skimming. Of course, if you use sawdust to begin with and leave the ash as a surface oxygen barrier you wouldn't need anything else.

The only stuff I know of that actually removes contaminants from the boolit casting trinity is carbon and liquid borate glass. Any hydrocarbon (grease, wax, oil, wood, cereal grains, etc) trade electrons with the oxidized metals in that scummy layer that floats on top and turn them back into usable metals.

Gear

[kryogen]

I use a 3m 7500 respirator with P100 multi gas cartridges also.... why not.
Not breathing any lead or smoke or any whatever fumes.