Got a stupid question.... so I'll ask...

[GRid.1569]

When talking of Lubes & Fluxing... and Paraffin is mentioned,

it's paraffin wax and not the liquid paraffin (think state-side it's called kerosene) that's being referred to? Yes?

Just want to be clear.....

[ShooterAZ]

Yes, the wax. You would not want to put kerosene! Even paraffin is marginally effective as flux.

[Johnch]

YES

John

[GRid.1569]

Thanks for clearing that up for me....

We might use the same language but it means different things

“It’s the same - only different...”

[geargnasher]

Speaking of "same but different", understand the difference between fluxing and reducing.

Candle wax, grease, or oil will serve as a sacrificial reducant as it is burned on the surface of the lead, reverting the metal oxides back to elements. This does NOT flux the metal. Fluxing is a different process entirely that involves extracting and isolating certain things that boolit casters consider impurities in a boolit alloy because they affect casting quality of the metal. Examples of such impurities are things like calcium, iron, aluminum, and zinc, among others. To flux or remove these, you will need something like a borate flux or common sawdust of any sort and lots of stirring to expose the metal to the fluxing material.

Sawdust acts as both a reducant and a flux, is usually free for the asking, doesn't remove tin oxide as the borates do, and doesn't leave a foul, hygroscopic glass residue all over the pot liner and and skimming tools, so is much more desirable.

If you want to know the chemistry behind all this, Glen Fryxell wrote an excellent article on the subject which is available to read on the LASC (dot) US website.

Gear

[mdi]

Wow. Gear comes through again. Thanks for you sharing your experience/knowledge Gear!

[GRid.1569]

Wow. Gear comes through again. Thanks for you sharing your experience/knowledge Gear!

+1 on that...

[Hip's Ax]

Indeed! Bravo!!! :lovebooli

[Lefty SRH]

Gear mentions lots of stirring when fluxing with saw dust. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I push my saw dust (Pats Marlins flux material) under the surface and stir around when I smelt my WW. Is this the correct way? I feel like I get good results because my LEE drip-o-magic pot rarely leaks and my boolits look good too. I also stir my alloy when I'm casting with a paint stirring stick and that seems to help also.
Don't mean to hijack the OPs thread but I have wondered if I was doing it correctly as well.

[44man]

Good points but I understand it is carbon that does the job. So paraffin stirred in should be OK. It does nothing burning on the surface. Beeswax works too. So would old engine oil. It needs stirred in the same as a stick that stirs.
Other fluxes that make a glass surface work but are not good for ladle casting. They also draw moisture when cool.

[geargnasher]

Again, carbon (or actually the combustion/decomposition reduction-oxidation reaction that takes place when a hydrocarbon BURNS) is only reducing metal oxides to elemental metal and CO2/water. It ain't doing SQUAT for removing any impurites to make the metal flow better.

It's the carbohydrates found in wood that do the FLUXING.

Gear

[44man]

Again, carbon (or actually the combustion/decomposition reduction-oxidation reaction that takes place when a hydrocarbon BURNS) is only reducing metal oxides to elemental metal and CO2/water. It ain't doing SQUAT for removing any impurites to make the metal flow better.

It's the carbohydrates found in wood that do the FLUXING.

Gear
So you are saying to stop using wax and use my BOOZE to flux? :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:

[geargnasher]

Nah, drink what you can, sell the rest, and use the spent mash for flux!

Gear

[44man]

Nah, drink what you can, sell the rest, and use the spent mash for flux!

Gear
Funny smell you need to inhale to appreciate! [smilie=s: