Pencil shavings as flux?

[Jamesconn]

I don't have sawdust but I can get pencil shavings.

[btroj]

They would work. The graphite will make it a bit messier as far as residue goes. The paint will smell a bit more.
If they are available to you I say go for it. Wood shaving are wood shavings.

[dragonrider]

Is there a Home Depot or Lowes in the area?? if so they have saws where they cut wood for customers, I'll bet if you ask they would give you a bag of sawdust.

[fredj338]

I always have sawdust, always have some wood working project going. A local HD would probably give you all you want. Just don't use the stuff from plywood or treated wood. Pencil shavings are pasically sawdust, should work fine, but I do not know what the graphit will do if anything.

[Jamesconn]

Thank you for the tip on the dust from saws at home depot I'll see if I can get some and I guess I can use the pencil shavings for fire starters

[cbrick]

Just don't use the stuff from plywood or treated wood.

Saw dust from plywood will work just as well as any other saw dust, I have used a bunch of it when that's all I had. You just want to be extra cautious about not breathing the smoke becaue of the burning glue. Very good ventilation is a must.

Rick

[Jamesconn]

Thanks for your concern when I am smelting/casting all melting lead operations will be done outside where there is usually a breeze and I plan on wearing a mask of somesort maybe like the construction type and a face shield, and a mechanics jumpsuit with welders gloves, and steel toed boots.

[lwknight]

The newer treated lumber no longer has arsenic in it. They use some kind of salt water pressure setup. But still , any smoke has poisons of some sort in it. Even tobacco has like 100s of different poison gasses in it and people just keep smoking it.

[Longwood]

Thank you for the tip on the dust from saws at home depot I'll see if I can get some and I guess I can use the pencil shavings for fire starters

If you ask for sawdust at Home Depot or Lowe's, ask for the stuff from the cutoff saw instead of the panel saw.
The stuff from the panel saw has Melamine and way more glue in it. The buyers usually cut their own treated wood so very little of it gets into the vacuum at the cutoff saw.

Some of those workers at those places would be glad to open the vacuum to get you some. Others would rather not bother so keep trying till you find the right guy. Quite often the bag needs changing anyway.

I would also watch for a neighbor that has a big table saw in the middle of his garage or a house construction or modeling job and ask the home owner or workers for some. It would impress most grown men to have a kid offer to sweep up if he can have the sweepin's.
However, if you ask at a construction site, you may want to tell the workers that you need it for bedding or something instead of cluing them in that you have guns at your house.
A very small box or bag of it will last you a long time.

[Echo]

I stop by Lowe's with an empty 3-lb coffee can - fill for free.

[bumpo628]

Just tell them you need sawdust to clean up an oil spill. Sawdust actually works really well for that, so it's good to have on hand in case it actually does happen.

[mold maker]

They would work. The graphite will make it a bit messier as far as residue goes. The paint will smell a bit more.
If they are available to you I say go for it. Wood shaving are wood shavings.

The graphite is pure carbon. It won't cause any more problem than the burned shavings. Might be a little messier getting it into the pot, but not a problem.
In a pinch I used the cross cut paper from my shredder. I always wanted to just burn those pesky bills. This almost accomplished that.:bigsmyl2:

[edler7]

Thank you for the tip on the dust from saws at home depot I'll see if I can get some and I guess I can use the pencil shavings for fire starters


While you are there, grab 3-4 of those free wooden paint stirrers. They are great for stirring in flux.

Anybody used chain saw cuttings for flux ? Usually a little oily, I'm thinking it might work pretty good.

[fredj338]

While you are there, grab 3-4 of those free wooden paint stirrers. They are great for stirring in flux.

Anybody used chain saw cuttings for flux ? Usually a little oily, I'm thinking it might work pretty good.

Yep, I'll use any soft or hardwood dust or chips. Then stir w/ wooden paint stick. The really big sticks @ HD, used for 5gal buckets, work great for smelting. The smaller sticks for stirring the casting pot. You'll want to rest the stick on the edge of the pot for a bit, they tend to absorb moisture & that makes things interesting when you put it into a hot pot.

[Longwood]

While you are there, grab 3-4 of those free wooden paint stirrers. They are great for stirring in flux.



Every time I use a new one of their sticks, it spits and spews lead at me. It always reminds me to put on my glove and do it really slow the first few times til it dries out. I always ask for one of the long ones, if they don't give me at least two, I tell them, "On second thought, I should take three". ;)
Right now I am using some pellets left over from the pellet stove. I wet them down so they puff up then dry them in the sun. A 40 lb bag will make about enough sawdust to fill my pickup truck. They work beautifully especially if I add a little piece of paraffin from a burned down candle stub.
Keep an eye out next winter for spillage around the pellet bag pallets. A little goes a long way.

[a.squibload]

I've been using a stick from the yard, very dry.
Also pieces of candles, a used toilet wax ring, and stove pellets
(will try the soak/dry thing to make 'em sawdust again, they don't burn all the way
if you leave 'em as pellets), and old pulled boolits from someone else's reloads.
Can't tell what lube is on 'em but it smells OK.

[Longwood]

(will try the soak/dry thing to make 'em sawdust again, they don't burn all the way
if you leave 'em as pellets), OK.

Make sure to not over fill what you are wetting the pellets in. They will about triple in quantity and overflow the container if you are not careful.

One of these days I am going to buy some Castor oil to make my casting day smell like an old airplane Fly-in. :-)

[a.squibload]

Thanks, but I know about pellets coming in contact with liquids.
I've been considering using the pellets out of the cat litter box.
I mean, they're useless for anything else,
and that would REALLY make me the King of Recycling!
(Insert smiley holding nose.)

[mebe007]

While you are there, grab 3-4 of those free wooden paint stirrers. They are great for stirring in flux.

Anybody used chain saw cuttings for flux ? Usually a little oily, I'm thinking it might work pretty good.

i actually was in a pinch and didnt have any saw dust at the house so out came the stihl and a piece of scrap 2x4. worked fine for fluxing my smelt.

[Rockydog]

Sawdust from a chain saw and wetting pellets sound like an invitation from the tinsel fairy to me. I've had some lathe that I was stirring my alloy with that had been in a cardboard box on the garage floor. Not wet but evidently damp as when I put them in the pot it bubbles vigorously and even spits a few small specks of lead off of the surface. I know you said "dried in the sun" but anything wet near a pot isn't good. Chain saw dust is bound to be wet if very fresh. Maybe I'm just paranoid but better safe than sorry. RD

[mold maker]

I had 3 huge oaks cut last fall. I've been sawing and splitting ever since the Spring thaw, and bet there are 6-10 bushels of chain saw chips. I've dried several gal to use as flux. So far they work great. The size of the chips, takes longer to burn to carbon, but at temps in the 90s now, I'm in no hurry.
I sure miss the shade.

[rockrat]

I would re-think the idea of using Castor Oil. A story I read, long ago, was that during WWI, the engines (2 cycle) on the aircraft used Castor Oil as a lubricant, and needless to say, pilots never had constipation problems, because of breathing in the exhaust fumes.

Might have been that, just a story, but you never know!!

[Intel6]

I always wondered about using some of the cedar shavings/chips that are sold for pet bedding? Seems like it would be good clean material for fluxing?

[cbrick]

I've been considering using the pellets out of the cat litter box.

You are a much braver man than me. Yeeeee gads. :roll:

On the other hand I'll bet it would make a great insect repellant, dog repellant, people repellant etc.

Don't want the mother in law visiting? Now you know how to keep her away. :mrgreen:

Rick

[Doby45]

You put the "flux" on top of the melt and leave it there. After a few minutes it is drier than an old bone in the desert and THEN you can stir it in..

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Cheaper than the trip to the illegal staging depot, less poisonous than unknown sawdust with chemicals and glue ground in, or pencil shavings intermixed with shredded paint and unknown taint, mostly from gwangzhou nowadays,( you know of the ability of gwangzhou entreprenours to befoul common things), is the AMAZING BEESWAX !

You can get a bit right here from respected vendors, cheap and efficiently, with just a few mouse clicks. Cheap too ! The USPS will deliver promptly to your door.

Use good Beeswax Flux ! Just the tiniest bit will bring your efforts to a positive conclusion. You will be happy doing a great job! It will smell good ! Your Boolitos will sparkle ! and fly straight to the place you aim at !

BvT

[lwknight]

You put the "flux" on top of the melt and leave it there. After a few minutes it is drier than an old bone in the desert and THEN you can stir it in..

You cannot stir flux into the melt.
You must stir violently while the flux exists in liquid form to actually do any good.
Then keep air off the surface to prevent farther oxidation.

[Doby45]

You cannot stir flux into the melt.
You must stir violently while the flux exists in liquid form to actually do any good.
Then keep air off the surface to prevent farther oxidation.

Huh? Never knew that sawdust turned into liquid. Let me clarify exactly what I was saying because you evidently got confused.

1. Apply sawdust to top of pot.
2. Let sawdust sit until it starts to smolder (should be DRY by now)
3. Stir sawdust and lead with wooden stick.
4. Leave ash on top of pot.

[cbrick]

WOW, liquid sawdust, what will they think of next? Gotta get me some of that. If you keep your sawdust in a cardboard box will it leak?

Rick

[shotman]

Fist post asked about pencil shavings About half are some type of plastic now . Did find a good use for the real ones.
I got 10 bags of shot one time they had been stored many years in a shed.
all were oxidized . I had a idea that pencils had graphite so had a electric sharpener. well in 5 min and 1 doz pencils were tumbling media . Worked great

[Longwood]

Sawdust from a chain saw and wetting pellets sound like an invitation from the tinsel fairy to me. I've had some lathe that I was stirring my alloy with that had been in a cardboard box on the garage floor. Not wet but evidently damp as when I put them in the pot it bubbles vigorously and even spits a few small specks of lead off of the surface. I know you said "dried in the sun" but anything wet near a pot isn't good. Chain saw dust is bound to be wet if very fresh. Maybe I'm just paranoid but better safe than sorry. RD

I live in the desert.
Dried in the sun means you could use it for flint and stone tender.
I know what you mean though, i used to live in Oregon and I have been to Florida where dried in the sun means, not quite dripping.[smilie=l:

[Longwood]

You cannot stir flux into the melt.
You must stir violently while the flux exists in liquid form to actually do any good.
Then keep air off the surface to prevent farther oxidation.

I use both sawdust and paraffin (will switch to beeswax thanks to a member) and get the wax down into the mix by repeatedly coating the back of my stirring spoon as I scrape the bottoms and sides until I can no longer feel any crud stuck there. I ground a flat on the bottom and one side of my stirring spoon which let me scrape clean about 98% of the inside of the pot.
I never find **** in my bullets. And I no longer toss out any of my tin.