dove for flux?

[OeldeWolf]

I tried some, and the shreds puffed up, and when stirred in, I got a gummy black goo on the spoon and ladle.

Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal?

[crabo]

I just use the breasts. The feathers flare up too much. I think you should be using ivory soap instead of dove. I haven't seen that problem with ivory. I also use the wooden paint paddles from Home Depot to stir and flux with.

[nighthunter]

Personally I can't stand the smell of the feathers when they start smokeing. Wife locks me out of the house when I use the whole dove so I don't do it as often as I used to.

Nighthunter

[AZ-Stew]

And from the Monty Python skit, "Whizzo Chocolates" regarding their "Crunchy Frog" confection...

Health inspector: "Don't you even take the bones out?"

Proprietor: "If we took the bones out, it wouldn't be crunchy, would it?"

Regards,

Stew

[montana_charlie]

When I learned that ivory makes good flux, I started grabbing any that I came across.
I try to use it sparingly, but I have run out of revolver grips, knife handles, and Eskimo carvings...and now down to using old elk teeth.
Wish I could find an elephant tusk someplace...
CM

[jonk]

It's all the scents and junk burning off and melting.

[copdills]

Oh Man Lol

[rhead]

Ivory is a soap(potassium or sodium salt of mixed organic acids) Dove is a detergent. totally different chemistry. Now you know how well it works as a fluxinagent.

[454PB]

Yeah, you used the wrong soap. But, Ivory soap does the same thing, you just have to stir it in and give it a few minutes.

[snuffy]

When I learned that ivory makes good flux, I started grabbing any that I came across.
I try to use it sparingly, but I have run out of revolver grips, knife handles, and Eskimo carvings...and now down to using old elk teeth.
Wish I could find an elephant tusk someplace...
CM

Charlie, you forgot piano keys, they're supposed to be ivory!:coffee:
A soap is a soap, is a soap, but not really. I've been eying that bar of ivory each time I'm paying my dues in the bathroom. One of these days, I'm gonna find out how it works! Now where did I put that salad shooter?!:???:

[OeldeWolf]

OK, been a few months since I did any melting of scrap lead. I checked in the garage, in the box of lead melting stuff, and it was Ivory Soap I was using. Although I have an unopened bar of Zote Soap as well.

Am I to understand that the black gunk I got is normal, and may get consumed if I let it heat longer in the pot? BTW, like many here, I use a large cast iron pot to melt scrap in.

[454PB]

I don't flux with anything except the grease on the wheel weights when I'm smelting. I use the Ivory while casting, and I leave the dross floating on the surface as an oxygen barrier. I use a bottom draw pot. Yes, it will turn to a gray colored "dirt" if left on the surface. I don't remove any of that until I'm either done casting or refilling the pot.

I put the bar of soap in a quart freezer bag and beat it into dust before use, that makes it mix in quicker.

[PatMarlin]

I tried some, and the shreds puffed up, and when stirred in, I got a gummy black goo on the spoon and ladle.

Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal?


Are you doing something wrong?...

YES- :mrgreen:

You're not using PMWFCFF that now has the nod from our one and only Ranch Dog!

Follow the link below.

I'm Patmarlin and I approve this shameless, blantanty posted message.. :mrgreen:

[Tom Herman]

I tried some, and the shreds puffed up, and when stirred in, I got a gummy black goo on the spoon and ladle.

Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal?

*ROFLMAO*! Good comments from folks...
Seriously, yes, you'll see all sorts of black goop from soap. It's the soap essentially charring, the organic molecules breaking down into shorter molecules and leaving a carbony mess afterwards.
A couple of weekends ago, I ran out of flux and was forced to try all sorts of stuff: I make my own Lye soap, and that worked pretty good. I threw in a chuck, and it slowly melted and gave off a black, gunky residue.
This material did great tying itself up with all of the powdery junk from smelting wheel weights.
I found that paraffin was better yet, and had the added fun of generating large clouds of white smoke that would eventually burst into flames.
It also left a tarry mess, but it wasn't as bad as the soap, and did a good job of fluxing.
I'll stick with the Frankford Arsenal Clean Cast. The only gripe I have with it is that it produces an hygroscopic residue, so I have to wash my tools and wipe down the outside of the Pro-Melt after it's cooled down to remove the water attracting alkaline film.

Happy Shootin! -Tom

[OeldeWolf]

Thank you all for your comments. :)

[Tom W.]

I use Ivory soap to clean my muzzle loader. I flux with candle wax or bullet lube...

[OeldeWolf]

actually, I use Dawn on my ml, and then I rinse them off, and then rerinse with boiling water from a tea kettle.

[Tom W.]

You have to do it fast, as Dawn cleans so well your barrel will start rusting as it dries!

[OeldeWolf]

The boiling water rinse pretty much flashdries the parts. And then I oil them all well before I reassemble the pistol.