Fluxing and Ladle Pouring

[brad925]

Just wondering how you flux when ladle pouring your boolits? I only have seen how-to's when dealing with a bottom pour pot.

[mooman76]

Should be the same. I've never seen it done, just done it.

[brad925]

I geuss what i am getting at is do you stir your flux in then skim any impurities off, which should be minimal seeing i did that when i smelted the ww.s down. If this is true then would the melt surface oxidize right away and i would have to flux again?

[FAsmus]

Brad;

Nope.

When casting with a ladle it is readily possible to get things going and cast away for 50 - 75 bullets easily, sometimes more depending on how hot you run your alloy.

The ladle allows you to dip clean alloy from the melt by simply moving it in such a way that the topmost layer of oxidation is pushed aside as the ladle fills. This permits you to dip clean stuff even well after the top of the pot appears to be quite messy.

Good evening,
Forrest

[mooman76]

That's how I do it between fluxing. I just take the ladle and scrap everything to one pile off to the side as it accumulates on top. That gives me a clean spot to dip from and when I get a big pile I scoop it out.

[mooman76]

That's how I do it. Between fluxes I scrape the top piling the crud up off to the side to give me a clean area to dip from. After I get a big pile I remove it.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

There is a huge amount of information on these two activities and many opinions as to techniques and tricks. I like to dip from the bottom of the pot when I ladle cast. I flux when I add metal and/or when the melt starts to pour "stringy", or when there is too much crud present on top of the melt. This is an area of the hobby where you A) have to do as much gathering of info as you can and B) try things out for yourself and see what works best for you, and C) stick with whatever is working best for you. A good source on the subject is titled, "The Art of Bullet Casting", a compendium of great articles written over the years and still in print by The Wolfe Publishing Company in Arizona. LLS

[brad925]

Thanks for the info it is very much appreciated.

[Bret4207]

Forrest tells it true. FWIW I flux by simply stirring and scraping with a stick. That not only gets the dross moving but the carbon released as the stick is immersed does your fluxing with little smoke and no flame.

[montana_charlie]

That's how I do it. Between fluxes I scrape the top piling the crud up off to the side to give me a clean area to dip from. After I get a big pile I remove it.
I see that in Post #6 you are agreeing with the method described in Post #5...which was also written by you.

So, if you remove the oxidation when it builds up...why do you bother to 'flux' at all?
The whole purpose of the sawdust, wooden stick, or 'whatever' is to 'reduce' those oxides back into a metal form...so they aren't skimmed off and discarded.

CM

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

It is something of a digression but fluxing technique is one of those things that must get lots of coverage here so I won't say much besides my own method and you can then throw rocks at me.

I fill an oil squirt can full of the old rancid cooking oil my wife leaves around until it turns bad. Canola oil seems to go bad most quickly but olive oil works very well too and smells better.

A couple shots of the stuff on the hot alloy, stir it up, skim off the dross with a stainless steel spoon and you're all set.

Good afternoon,
Forrest