adding sawdust to pot before melting

[FLINTNFIRE]

I throw in whatever scrap pieces are laying around , as when working with wood I always have plenty of sawdust chips and trimmings let it burn before lead is melted will only help it melt and not out a dime , I also use waste oil , bacon fat or the like as it costs nothing and will lessen the surface tension of the melt . Have not looked for wheel weights around here as the state followed californias lead and banned lead wheel weights , do check for the zinc as it is not worth having in your mix , better to avoid it at the beginning .

[bruce381]

I put in sawdust before melting and cover thinking it would make a nice reducing atmosphere nothing to lose while it melt I think.
still use wax last tho.

[Dusty Bannister]

And I like to get a good puddle going before I put in the saw dust because I do not want the melt to creep over the charred sawdust and hold it against the bottom of the pot. Trapped dirt just keeps releasing as you stir and it remains suspended in the melt unless you really work the alloy cleaning it. Melting and cleaning lead is enough work, without adding to the problem. To each their own, if it works for you, keep doing it.

[JimB..]

I always use BOTH pine sawdust AND wax. Seem I get cleaner lead and less loss one the slag.

At first I figured it's cheap, what do I have to lose, saw the results and never looked back

That sure looks like an anodized aluminum pot in the second photo.

[Green Lizzard]

I've been using a strong magnet here lately,just pull it out and wipe them off with a gloved hand after bumping it on the side a couple of times to dislodge any lead that's clinging to them

Bill