ammohead
07-26-2011, 11:07 PM
I have been casting for about 17 years now. I had a great mentor in the beginning who has since moved from my area but is still available on phone. I have had good luck in my endeavors with many moulds in many diameters and weights. I even started the Nevada Cast Boolit Shoot that still goes on today thanks in no small part to Bruce B for hosting the event in Winnemucca each year.
I have experimented with lots of different alloys and fluxes with decent results. But large runs of near perfect boolits have always alluded me. It seems that there have been some with rounded corners some frosty spots.. always some cause of culls.
This past year at NCBS I picked up a box of Pat Marlin's California Flake Flux at a discount "event" price. Pat is a great guy and I have admired his rockdock equipment but haven't purchased. I kind of snickered at the flux and his claim of a specialized blend of California woods chosen specifically for fluxing quality. Sure....sweep up the shop put it in a box and sell it.
Well last week I used some of Pat's flux. I was casting a NOE group buy heavy 25 at 120 gr. I was having the same reject rate that I was used to and figured I would give Pat's flux a try. I filled the saeco electric furnace with sprues and one ingot, piled a good half inch of California Flake Flux on top and went in to watch a little outdoor channel while it melted and heated up. I came back, stirred the alloy and started pouring perfect boolit after perfect boolit. I don't care if this sounds like a plug for Pat, it is. This stuff worked for me. Day and night difference! No raisins, no rounded corners, no frosty voids, no sh&t!
Is this a miracle blend of exotic woods....probably not. It is most likely just the wood shavings swept up in Pat's shop. I DON'T CARE...IT WORKS! Is it the only blend of wood shavings to provide excellent fluxing...maybe not. This stuff works.
Thanks Pat
ammohead
I have experimented with lots of different alloys and fluxes with decent results. But large runs of near perfect boolits have always alluded me. It seems that there have been some with rounded corners some frosty spots.. always some cause of culls.
This past year at NCBS I picked up a box of Pat Marlin's California Flake Flux at a discount "event" price. Pat is a great guy and I have admired his rockdock equipment but haven't purchased. I kind of snickered at the flux and his claim of a specialized blend of California woods chosen specifically for fluxing quality. Sure....sweep up the shop put it in a box and sell it.
Well last week I used some of Pat's flux. I was casting a NOE group buy heavy 25 at 120 gr. I was having the same reject rate that I was used to and figured I would give Pat's flux a try. I filled the saeco electric furnace with sprues and one ingot, piled a good half inch of California Flake Flux on top and went in to watch a little outdoor channel while it melted and heated up. I came back, stirred the alloy and started pouring perfect boolit after perfect boolit. I don't care if this sounds like a plug for Pat, it is. This stuff worked for me. Day and night difference! No raisins, no rounded corners, no frosty voids, no sh&t!
Is this a miracle blend of exotic woods....probably not. It is most likely just the wood shavings swept up in Pat's shop. I DON'T CARE...IT WORKS! Is it the only blend of wood shavings to provide excellent fluxing...maybe not. This stuff works.
Thanks Pat
ammohead