Brownells

[Oleman]

Has their Marvelux half pound at about half off. What do you guys think about this stuff?

[monadnock#5]

I had a container of it at one time, but made the mistake of not putting the cover back on when I was done with it. By the time I got back to it, the contents had literally sucked full of atmospheric moisture (humidity), and had turned into a soup. I will leave it to others to continue the research, as I am done with it.

[waksupi]

Terrible, leave it alone. It will rust everything within a hundred yards. Use saw dust, and a dry stick.

[BruceB]

Amen to the above. I detest the miserable stuff.

Fair warning!

[cbrick]

If anyone even tried to bring that cr*ppolla on my property much less into my shop there would be a h*ll of a fight.

Rick

[OuchHot!]

not only the above but it seems to form some kind of glassy slag that contaminates and sticks to everything

[gpidaho]

+1 As above cant believe its still for sale. GP

[Yodogsandman]

Within 3 weeks, mine was hard as a rock! It came in crystalized powder form. It turned into one solid lump! Probably due to sucking in moisture. I did keep my cover screwed on! I'll NEVER buy it again!

[Gtek]

Tried it years ago, sometimes helps to mix it up a little. NOT THIS TIME, made hard as glass ring on everything that went in pot and if whatever sat for a period of time and went in pot it would Poppy (Tinsel Fairy's little sister) from moisture absorbtion. Tried and true for many here, chop saw dust bag a sack of old sappy yellow pine dust and cut cedar shingles for stir. Smoke, sometimes poof, ash, stir- sometimes repeat. Cedar just cause I like the way it smells, will not let you down.

[Garyshome]

So you fellers don't care for it then?

[SteveS]

lol...

I bought some twenty-five years ago. It rusted everything it came close to. It's kind of surprising it's still for sale.

[cbrick]

lol... I bought some twenty-five years ago. It rusted everything it came close to. It's kind of surprising it's still for sale.

Many new casters that don't know any better buy it. Once!

Rick

[runfiverun]

I have used it to mix antimony into a lead/tin alloy before.... just sayin.
there is more to the story.
it will also pull tin/nickel and other metals from your alloy and trap it in that glassy coating.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Some time ago, I bought a Lee dipper pot and everything needed to cast and load 44-40 from an old timer at a gun show, a container of Marvelux was included. I never tried it, at that time I read some poor reviews as like in this thread...So I gave it away with some other junk in a PIF. Now I know why the Lee pot was so rusty :mrgreen:

[fatelk]

I used some a couple decades ago and my experience was the same as everyone else here- hated it and threw it away.

I've occasionally wondered if I used it wrong somehow though, due to all the wonderful rave reviews it gets on places like Midway and Brownells.

Review on Brownells:

im melting recovered range lead. lots of oxides and nitrides. marvelux in any size is the only thing that really cleans things up. and unlike other products marvelux has almost no smoke and it for some reason inhibits rusting of steel and cast iron melting pots. the only down side is that if you leave the lid open it will draw moisture .but it floats on molten lead so theres no explosion. it still works just fine.

Is there some alternate universe out there where this stuff actually works well? "Inhibits rusting"? What?!? I think my keyboard starts to rust a little just from typing "Marvelux"!

[cbrick]

Gee, I wonder who wrote that review, Brownells maybe? Just sayin!

Rick

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I think my keyboard starts to rust a little just from typing "Marvelux"!
My eye's are rusting over from reading this...Oh, it is past my bedtime...Good night all.

[Sekatoa]

I've used both it and the Frankford Arsenal stuff from Midway, before I knew there was anything else but beeswax. I didn't like the smoke of wax the garage I used at the time. I tried the Brownells because I thought it was different and would smoke less. Anyway both are the same stuff, basically boric acid.
I only used it in my small do-all melter for small smelting jobs, maybe in a small cast iron pot or two for slighter bigger jobs. Never used it in a "good" lee or lyman pot.

I'm familiar with the glassy black stuff, but didn't have the rusting issues mentioned. Maybe the different climates? I don't know. I think the key is to read the directions and use only very little bit...about a pinch, at a time. No where as much saw dust or wax as you would use.

Sometimes I'll still throw some in a medium or bigger smelting job if I'm trying to keep the smoke down, but only with the "disposable" smelting tools... Cheap spoons and strainers etc.

But, now that I know the wonders of saw dust, old experiential lubes recipeces, even crushed charcoal, I don't use it much. Can't beat the saw dust.

[muskeg13]

I used a bit two days ago from the 4 pound jug I bought more than 20 years ago. It still worked fine to flux 20 pounds of alloy that might have a trace of dreaded ZINC without smoking up the garage. The boolits turned out great.

I've been casting for 40 years, sometimes on kitchen stoves in apartments in foreign countries or in Government housing that may not appreciate my casting and reloading, so reduced smoke and vapors are a prime concern that Marvelux eliminates. Gentlemen, if you intend to cast boolits on your kitchen stove while the wife is away shopping, Marvelux is your flux, otherwise you will likely catch hell for smoking and stinking up the house. Yes, it leaves a residue that is easily brushed away with a stiff wire brush, or with a little water. Never had a rust problem.

I've tried sawdust, rosin, beeswax, paraffin, and other flux materials too, but Marvelux works just as well or better for me. If you don't like it, don't use it.

[bobthenailer]

I used it years ago , i used up almost two large containers , then about 20 years ago i tried sawdust and never looked back .

[dudel]

Got some before I knew better. Over the years, I don't think more than a teaspoons worth has been used. Need to toss it. Sawdust and wax work just fine for me.

[Pilgrim]

Tried it twice. Figured if Brownells sold it it had to be good stuff. I hate it. Shuz likes (or at least did ) it so I gave what was essentially 2 full cans of the stuff to him. It makes a helluva mess, or did for me. Save your $ and go find some sawdust. Pilgrim

[Hardcast416taylor]

Because there is a no cussin` rule here on the site I really can`t say what I truly feel about this "stuff".Robert

[williamwaco]

OK!




Somebody quit mincing words and tell us what you really think!


.

[Elkins45]

If I were forced to cast indoors I would use it because it doesn't smoke. It does make your stuff rust something terrible and it's really hard to spoon out all of the foamy black residue until it has cooked down into the stuff that then welds itself to your spoon and pot walls.

[gray wolf]

Well I guess everyone got the memo by now Eh.

What is so hard about getting ones head around simple wood shavings, the thinner the better. Is it just to simple ? Is free most of the time not good ?

[Dave C.]

Run fast, Run far!