fluxing question

[Bill8914]

Not sure where to put this question so redirect me to another area if needed. I have a LOT if anhydrous borax left from the days I made damascus knives. Is anyone using this to flux your lead? If so how does it work for you?

[Dusty Bannister]

If you are talking about the 20 mule team borax detergent, it works great, but use smaller amounts to avoid excess residue.

Site search for many threads about use and results.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/goog...2804j692026j14

[Bill8914]

Well anhydrous is still borax, but it contains no water and is crystalline. It will clean mill scale off steel when it is applied as steel is heated to a dull red and then heated further up to forge welding temperatures. I generally forge welded steel at 2100 - 2300 degrees when making damascus.

[kevin c]

I'm guessing that mill scale removal with borax is a forge or furnace technique where what comes off the cleaned steel doesn't represent a problem. For casters the impurities get trapped in the glass the borax turns into, a good thing, but the hard to remove glass sticks to ladles and the sides of the casting pot, a bad thing. Maybe I'd use it in my big, easier to clean (even though it's not critical to do so) processing pot if I didn't have plenty of pine sawdust and paraffin, but, since I do, and the ash layer from the sawdust will exclude enough air to stop oxidation if I want to, and is easier to remove than glass, I opted not to try it.

[bangerjim]

What's wrong with good old pine sawdust?

I have buckets of the stuff from my shop. And you can always go to the lumber yard, buy a cheap pine 2x4 and make you own! Don't use the dust from there because they cut all kinds of "stuff" you do not want to breathe.

Or buy PINE pet bedding at WalMart. A little goes a LONG way.

Skip the borax.

banger

[fredj338]

I agree with Bjim, simple is better. Sawdust just flat works & is free at any home depot.

[David2011]

I agree with Bjim, simple is better. Sawdust just flat works & is free at any home depot.

Sawdust from big box stores has lots of plywood chips in it, very likely some treated wood sawdust as well. The plywood sawdust is full of glue whether treated or not. None of that should be used for fluxing.

[farmbif]

use a piece of cardboard when cutting firewood works for me. or just get a handful of fine stuff from under table or arm saw. I like the cedar best along with a dab of beeswax.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Are you wanting to use it in casting pot or melting into ingots ? I use whatever scrap sawdust and waste oil as melting into ingots is outside and stay on the upwind side , I use a little wax and beeswax in casting pot along with a layer of kitty litter , melt is not exposed and I am bottom pouring fan in window behind pot to exhaust and window on other end of shop open for inlet .

[HVACscott]

just did 150lbs of WW into ingots this past weekend. I fluxed with pine bedding, then wax, then borax...lead looked shinny and poured great....but how much fluxing is enough? The first batch had bubble like pockets on the bottom of the cooled ingots...could it be from a coating on new muffin pans? batch 2 and 3 no bubbles, poured all batches at 700F. Is batch 1 messed up? and if yes how to fix? Just got my lee bottom pour pot do I need to do any fluxing once melted? or will anything bad just float?

[FLINTNFIRE]

Batch 1 is fine new muffin pan colder then lead and new , if it looks good use it , I flux with sawdust wood chips whatever was in bucket from mining berm old used oil , and I have not noticed any issues in the last 40 years worth of melting and casting , I find the oil and burn it off and skim again and the lead seems more fluid less tension your mileage may vary if it does life goes on anyway . Main thing is cleaning out the junk and keeping in the good stuff , and making more bullets to load and shoot .