Fluxing Wheel Weight Lead

[Hogger]

Whats the best thing to use when fluxing lead from wheel weights? Thanks

[docone31]

Nothing.
There is so much crud on the wheel weights, they flux them selves.
I have never fluxed wheel weights.

[theperfessor]

I use hardwood sawdust, seems like it helps the crud to clump together and makes it easier to skim off, but there are lots of other materials and ways to do it.

[snake river marksman]

Not like I'm any kind of expert, but I just scrape off the clips and other **** and then give it a good stirring with a dry stick taking care to scrape the bottom and sides of my dutch oven. After that I just start ladling it into the ingot mould.
It seems to be working because I end up with next to nothing in my pouring pot.

[snake river marksman]

That's interesting! The word that I typed wasn't one of the "usual" four letter words but the system censored it anyway. Even my priest uses that word. HMMMM....

[jmsj]

Hogger,
I skim off the clips and big stuff first. Then I flux w/ whatever kind of saw dust that's handy and stir and scrap the pot w/ a dry wooden stick. jmsj

[454PB]

I'm with docone31.

[AZPaul]

Bullet lube.

[myg30]

Sometimes my 450 sizer oozes some lube out, I save it to flux with. Read the pages in Cast bullet notes by Lasc.us on fluxing lead. Great info. I think the charring hard wood stick you stirr with also acts as a flux ! Make sure its real dry before you put it into the pot !

Mike

[cbrick]

Whats the best thing to use when fluxing lead from wheel weights? Thanks

Welcome to Castboolits Hogger,

Here's a short article that will answer many fluxing questions, even questions you haven't thought of yet. :grin:

http://www.lasc.us/FryxellFluxing.htm

Rick

[Rock]

candle wax or dry sawdust.

[Southern Son]

Bullet lube.

Me too. I always have some black powder lube laying around. I use that to flux WW or anything.

[DLCTEX]

I use lube or candle wax usually. I have used sawdust, hardwood stick,oil, and various other carbon based materials. All work. I have used no flux at all, but the gray "ash" is tin oxide and is lost when dross is removed, so I prefer to flux it back in (try it and see you non fluxers).

[jonk]

Usually marvelux. Not that I like it that well but I've been working on the same jar for years. I don't like it in my electric pot but it's ok for the smelt pot.

[Rex]

I skim the heavy stuff then throw in a bit of wax and stir the pot as it burns and skim again.
Rex

[timkelley]

Dry sawdust.

[Jon]

I use a little candle wax, but I find I don't need much fluxing.

[bootsnthejeep]

I've always tossed a chunk of paraffin in and let it burn off. Might do nothing, but its one of those things I've always done.

In my bullet furnace, I've taken to the dry stick method, and I'm liking that, may upgrade the smelting operation as well.

[sqlbullet]

Used motor oil and sawdust. And I flame it. Stir like crazy til the flames die off, then walk away until it stops smoking.

[mpmarty]

Sawdust and sometimes beeswax stirred with a stick (sing to the tune of "sealed with a kiss")

[jimmeyjack]

Nothing but the oil and other carbon **** that is already on the wheel weights. I use to but realized it was just wasting good flux to be used later while casting. If you are needing to flux after skimming your going to slow.

[Elkins45]

I had excellent results with vegetable shortening on some really dirty WW's. It doesn't burn off quickly and it doesn't smoke or ignite like paraffin. Plus, it seemed to lubricate the clips so they had almost no lead clinging to them when I was scooping them off.

[threewheels]

my kids broken crayons work for me

[evan price]

Used motor oil. It's free and works great.

[Blacksmith]

Hogger
If this is your first time smelting wheel weights make sure you don't melt in any zinc ones or you will spoil your alloy. Also be sure to take all the safety precautions because you never know when the tinsle fairy may visit. If you don't understand these comments be sure to read the Classics & Stickies section in the first section of the main index.

Blacksmith

[Crash_Corrigan]

I love sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese. It comes in a neat black wax coating which I save for fluxing.

I do not bother fluxing the smelting pot until I remove all the clips and zinc stuff. After all the obvious trash has been removed I proceed with fluxing. I stir with a painters wooden strirring stick. I make sure to scrape the sides bottom and flux at least twice to get the alloy clean.

Using a Rowel ladle I pour the alloy into molds and let 'em cool down enuf to dump onto a scrap piece of plywood.

I do not even bother to smelt any alloy until I have at least 5 or 6 five gallon buckets of ww's to bother with. It is just too big a job to do often and when I do it I want to make it worth while. When we took down an x ray room recently we got over a ton of lead. This stuff was a joy to smelt. Fast, easy and very little dross.

My buddy had made up some ingot molds with angle iron and it went quick and easy. Now we have a couple of years supply of lead for BPCR.

[sniper]

I use hardwood sawdust, seems like it helps the crud to clump together and makes it easier to skim off, but there are lots of other materials and ways to do it.

Yup! A good way to do it! Cheap, too.

[mtgrs737]

I use paraffin, and saw dust, in the smelting pot, but I bought a bunch of stearic acid to flux the casting pot from a candle supply company on the internet. The stearic acid is a white powder that feels waxy to the touch and is very clean, I understand it is made from animal fats. You can also use it in making bullet lube as it will help the lube stick to the boolit.

[fredj338]

I use hardwood sawdust, seems like it helps the crud to clump together and makes it easier to skim off, but there are lots of other materials and ways to do it.
Me too. The sawdust seems to work better than waxes. You lnow you have a good flux when the clips will come out completely clean. That doesn't happen w/o adding something, unless youe ww have a lot of grease on them, mine rarely do.

[geddylee10002000]

Sawdust and toilet bowl wax