Flux

[Oldtimer]

Hi guys,
Anyone ever tried Bulletman Casting Flux? Read about the stuff and was advertised not to smoke, no fumes, no burning. That would make it great for indoors, with maybe just a small fan. Bob

[wallenba]

Nope, aint used it. Try the Frankford Arsenal stuff, I'll vouch for that. A little goes a long way and just a hint of smoke. It does require some chasing around in the pot as it likes to clump and float a bit. Beats bees wax, unless you enjoy the smoke and fire show.

[Bret4207]

Oldtimer, first off welcome. I spent several months at the NAS in Meridian. Nice folks nearby, lousy hot weather.

Forget all the commercial fluxes. Stir your melt with a dry wooden stick. The carbon from the stick will function just like any flux you use and as you scrape the sides of the pot it keeps everything clean.

Simple and cheap and it works.

[waksupi]

Sticks are cheap, work good, and will flux better than any thing you put on top of a pot of melted alloy. The key phrase is "on top". That is where anything you add, stays. You aren't going to defeat the specific gravity of lead, no matter how hard you stir. With a stick, the carbon goes completely through the mix.

[cheese1566]

So as I read in the past, Paint stir sticks from the hdwe store? or are these to flimsy for a Lee 20# pot?

Or rip them from scrap wood on the table saw to make them thicker?

[rugerman1]

So as I read in the past, Paint stir sticks from the hdwe store? or are these to flimsy for a Lee 20# pot?

Or rip them from scrap wood on the table saw to make them thicker?

Jason,
I made mine about ½"x1.5"x12" .It'll last for a while before burning away.

[Oldtimer]

Well-------
Between 2 guys with over 13 thousand posts between them, sticks must be the thing nowdays. Started casting in about 70 or 71, and have always used candle or bees wax. Bout sick of the stinkin smoke and fumes. Guess I'll cut me a hickory stick and get to stirrin. Guess a dab of sawdust might work too. Your absoutely right. As I send this, it's about 95 degrees outside, with about the same amount of humidity, and it's not even summer yet. Thanks for all the good words. Bob

[dromia]

Well-------
Between 2 guys with over 13 thousand posts between them, sticks must be the thing nowdays. Started casting in about 70 or 71, and have always used candle or bees wax. Bout sick of the stinkin smoke and fumes. Guess I'll cut me a hickory stick and get to stirrin. Guess a dab of sawdust might work too. Your absoutely right. As I send this, it's about 95 degrees outside, with about the same amount of humidity, and it's not even summer yet. Thanks for all the good words. Bob


Been casting stuff since about then myself and I use dry sticks because thats what my father showed me to do (we were making lead heads for priests) and from then on because it worked.

Always thought those greasy wax users were a bit odd, reckoned they must have liked the smell. :-)

[Bret4207]

OT, is that an F4 in your avatar?

BTW- Post count means nothing. I have no other friends since retiring, so I talk here.

[Firebricker]

The franklin arsenal is good stuff as wallenba says. But I'm gonna try the stick method out.
Does any wood work ok or is there a type of wood that works the best ? FB

[WHITETAIL]

OldTimer, Welcome to the forum.[smilie=s:

[Bret4207]

Any dry wood object that's comfortable for you to handle works. Dry because when H2O get under the melt there will be steam issues (bad) and comfortable because your old hands need it. Dry is a relative term- a dead stick off the lawn left in the sun for a couple weeks or in your car for a few days in hot weather should do it. Paint stirring sticks are readily available for little or no cost ( they also make great garden markers and shims) so they get mentioned.

All you are doing is adding carbon to the mix to help gather the crud and agitating the mix to loosen the debris and get the nasties floating to the top. I'm not able to explain exactly how the carbon works, someone did in another post, but it acts something like a detergent as you use it.

[cajun shooter]

Old timer, Welcome to the forum and someone should have told you to light them fumes off that beeswax

[Sky King]

Bret4207: Yea it looks like a Phantom II. I also looks like it's missing its horizontal stabilizer

[Oldtimer]

Hey Brett,
You got it. Its an F-4. Had to cut part of the pic off cause it was too big to fit. Flew them with the Air Guard from 78 til 92 when we got the KC-135. The one in the pic is a static display bird. Wound up with about 3500 hrs in the old girl. Flew the tanker until 06 when I retired. Cajun, most of the time the stuff will light on its own, but it still stinks until it does. I really appreciate all the warm welcomes from you guys here. This is a hobby that I really enjoy. You know what they say about an old dog, and new tricks? Think I learn something every time I look at this site. Thanks again guys, Bob

[Bret4207]

Thought so. Pushed a t lot of them around the flight line along with A6's, a few A7's and lots and lots of A-4's. From the guys pushings vantage point, I liked the A-4 best. It rolled the easiest!

[Sky King]

Now I see the stabilizer.
I'm a O-2 man myself.

[Bret4207]

How about an OV-10?

[Three44s]

I just associate with puddle jumpers .......... Piper Super Cub puddle jumper ........

But I have a great admiration/fascination for high performance aircraft ........ probably my baseline would be the P51 series.

A huge welcome to the forum Oldtimer!!!

And a equally big thank you for your service to our nation!!!!!!

As to fluxations:

I absolutely don't like the "no smoke" material like Marvelux .......... I have no experience with the Frankfurt Arsenal material but personally would think that its a clone at best but only guessing.

What I currently use is bullet lube ....... now it does smoke.

But keep in mind that bullet casting is to be done with .......... good ventilation ............

............. so what's wrong with a little smoke and stink ????

(If it's "that" smokey and stinky ........ maybe one needs more ventilation in the first place???)

I don't have anything against using a stick of wood ...... it's beyond cheap and that sure suits me and you can certainly get to the bottom of things.

But I would heed Bret's warning about using ........ DRY WOOD .......

Maybe you can "kiln dry" your sticks in your oven when the boss ain't lookin'?

Three 44s

[Oldtimer]

Thanks a bunch 444. I guess my passion was jets for many years. I really enjoyed myself except for those times I scared the crap out of myself. I was ready to give it up after almost 30 years. Still have lots of great memories. Brett, you must be a pretty strong guy. The thing weighs just a tad over 30 thousand pounds, even with no fuel. (just kidding). As far as the wood stick goes, I have a good bit of oak and hickory fire wood thats been under a woodshed. Some pieces for as long as 3 years. Think I'll split a piece out this afternoon and try it. Again, thanks so much for all the kind words. Thanks Bob