Had the cleanest pot today

[lablover]

Dumped a bunch of culled lubed bullets in my bottom pour I was using to set up my star...I mean lots of them. Lots of smoke and lots of lube. Started to cast some more boolits and had the cleanest lead I have ever had..And the Lee 4-20 never leaked once. When I got almost half way thru the pot the boolits started to have little bits of crud in them?? I assume all the melted wax got to the bottom of the pot somehow.

Anywho, I'm going to stop putting sawdust in my bottom pot and start using culled lubed boolits. Or start using lube to flux.

I was curious as to why some of the crud showed up half way thru the pot. Should I stir more during my casting session? Right now I just cast until it's 1/4 left and never stir during.

Thanks Gents

[gwpercle]

I don't know why but it happens....I usually flux at the start and again in the middle of a pot.
Multiple fluxings have always been part of my routine and the amount crud that comes up in the middle fluxing is surprising. You would think after the initial flux everything would be clean....but it doesn't work that way. I flux whenever I think the metal needs it, at least twice, and sometimes three times with a 20 lb. pot. I also have found Beeswax and a small amount of wood pencil wood shavings combined do the best cleaning job. One or the other , by themselves, don't get it all done .
If you only have one...straight beeswax is the absolute best. The boolit lube in your pot, more than likely, contained some, but trust me pure straight beeswax is the best.
Gary

[Eddie17]

I have found beeswax as a great option! Always works well for me!

[tazman]

Using bullet lube as a flux has been done for as long as I can remember. That was one of the first things recommended to me when I started over 45 years ago. It may not be the best method, but it works.

[lablover]

Drained the pot after I was done and there is lots of stuff that glows red.I'm thinking some of the sawdust I used had plywood or particle board in it. Gonna sandblast the inside of my pot this weekend and start over. I hate when I see little bits of crud in my boolits. I know it really docent affect anything but its a distraction.

Gonna try straight beeswax in the morning after I blast the pot.

Taz, what I did notice about the bullet lube is after a bit of time sitting on the top of the PB it started to get crusty

[DerekP Houston]

Drained the pot after I was done and there is lots of stuff that glows red.I'm thinking some of the sawdust I used had plywood or particle board in it. Gonna sandblast the inside of my pot this weekend and start over. I hate when I see little bits of crud in my boolits. I know it really docent affect anything but its a distraction.

Gonna try straight beeswax in the morning after I blast the pot.

Taz, what I did notice about the bullet lube is after a bit of time sitting on the top of the PB it started to get crusty

I've switched to using a chunk of beeswax since I ordered a lb of bars. It works great for cleaning the lead bits stuck to my brass molds too, just need more time to really get them clean again.

[blikseme300]

I use wood shavings and sawdust when rendering WW's to ingots but bees wax or Ben's Red for my casting pots as I found this kept things cleaner for me.

A few years ago I somehow ended up with about 5# of Ben's Red, good lube BTW, so this is what I use as it is on hand. Works very well and don't get any carbon inclusions in my casts.

[gpidaho]

I need to get some bee's wax. I've used up the last of my Lyman 50/50 and I like it better as a flux than I do as lube. Mostly I shoot powder coated bullets but use BAC when I do lube. I hear you. I hate gunk getting through and into the bullets. Gp

[lablover]

I use wood shavings and sawdust when rendering WW's to ingots but bees wax or Ben's Red for my casting pots as I found this kept things cleaner for me.

A few years ago I somehow ended up with about 5# of Ben's Red, good lube BTW, so this is what I use as it is on hand. Works very well and don't get any carbon inclusions in my casts.

That's what I'm getting, Carbon Inclusions! I'll be damn. Can I ask how they get in there? Is it from the sawdust? When using beeswax or lube, do you drop a tiny bit in and then mix it in? Or, just let it melt on top and leave it be?

This is great info! I swear overtime I cast I learn something new

The pot has been sandblasted and is as clean as a whistle. I'll re-smelt my lead tomorrow as well. I swear I thought I had all the gunk out.

[runfiverun]

the sawdust.
carbon is easy to get into the alloy and it does wonderful things for it.
but it surely sucks to remove.
it's best to not stir it underneath, but to pour the alloy slowly through the layer on top.

[bstone5]

Had trouble with saw dust in the Lee bottom pour pot, went to bees wax to keep other stuff out of the bullets while casting. Use saw dust melting with the propane bunner on the big melting pot but not on the casting pot. With the Master Caster machine use the flux from Magnum Enginering when operating the Master Caster in the automated mode.

[lightman]

I've remelted many a reject bullet and it does make for some clean lead. I light the melted lube and stir it in. I use sawdust and wax in my smelting pot but only wax in my casting pot.

[PBaholic]

I actually skip the fluxing part.

I smelt all my alloy into 2.5 pound ingots at BHN 10. These are really clean to begin with, as I skim off all the dross, and just pour silver metal. I keep these stacked at my bench.



I dump 3 of these into my Lee 4-20 pot, and let them melt. I still end up with some dross on top, but I just leave it there.

I use a Lee 6 hole mold, and dump each sprue cutting right back into the Lee pot.

I get NO inclusions what-so-ever.

I have some chunks of beeswax, and parafin wax, but I have never really found any benefit by using them.

My lead is fairly clean to begin with. I don't like COWW's, and simply choose lead at the scrapyard that is already in ingot form. I mix with linotype to get my hardness correct. The only truely scrap lead I use is medical waste. The yard gets these little containers in every once in a while, that melt really clean and are already BHN 10. I shoot about 300 pounds a year, and have about 1,000 pounds in the shed, so it's not like this stuff is hard to come by.

[S.B.]

Using bullet lube as a flux has been done for as long as I can remember. That was one of the first things recommended to me when I started over 45 years ago. It may not be the best method, but it works.

I can remember reading use bullet lube in Lyman's manual when I forst bought my Lyman 45 sizer many moons back. Said to then light the lube to burn off fumes?
Steve