Glen Fryxell: No Pariffin?

[jonp]

I've been reading Mr. Fryxell's book and it seems that he is not a fan of using paraffin as a reducer/flux. He recommends sawdust in all capacities so I'm wondering about the people on here that recommend paraffin.
What does everyone think? I have been using both but it seems like I don't need to.

[Bohica793]

I only use sawdust for my flux, mostly because it is free. Paraffin seems to produce a black goo which I really don't like to deal with.

[dudel]

I used paraffin (old candles) before I discovered sawdust. Candle wax smoked a lot, and left some goop to scrape off the Lee pot (which runs best clean). Sawdust, drill cleanings, etc seemed to leave less of a mess in the pot, plus gave off a nice scent if using aromatic wood.

I've found that boolit lube also works well (damaged boolits that have already been lubed); but I rarely have enough of those to use as flux. Very little smoke (but then that's one reason we choose the lube!).

[ACrowe25]

For those of us who don't ever use non-treated lumber or do much wood work... Is there a source I can buy sawdust. Or in another form that can be purchased by the bag at homedepot etc. Or really anywhere?

Thanks.

[gmsharps]

Check your local school wood shop.

[cainttype]

Pet bedding at Walmart, Petco, etc... I prefer the smallest chips, if there is a choice.

[dudel]

For those of us who don't ever use non-treated lumber or do much wood work... Is there a source I can buy sawdust. Or in another form that can be purchased by the bag at homedepot etc. Or really anywhere?

Thanks.

Good point! I would urge agains using sawdust from PT lumber.

Go to Home Depot or Lowes. Go to the lumber department where they will saw your wood for you. There normally lots of sawdust there you can pick up. Again, avoiding PT sawdust.

All else fails, get a piece of pine, and have just drill holes in it. Use a larger diameter drill. The bigger the hole, the more chips and dust. A forstner (not a hole saw) bit for drilling door locks will create lots off chips. Save the chaff. You don't need much.

[jmort]

100% Pine pet/kitty litter is so inexpensive and uniform, why not blow $3.00 on a bag? It will last you a long time. I know, it costs $3.00 and you miss the experience of sponging for sawdust with plywood/whatever dust mixed in at the home improvement store, but I figure you only live once.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Get a piece of a 2x4 or an old piece of a pine (or any other wood except PT) board and using a saw or a drill with a wood bit, proceed to cut or drill it to pieces over a piece of plastic sheeting. When done cutting collect up the sawdust/drilling waste and use it as flux. I used candle pieces and homemade bullet lube (a real failure!) as flux for many years till I started using sawdust. Avoid Marvaflux at all costs!Robert

[gray wolf]

I bought a bag (2'X2' ) at the local farm supply, it's for chicken coop bedding or little bunnies,
Very thin shavings, nice and small and it's pine.
It cost less than 4 Bills and will probably be in my will for someone else to use.
My pot is clean, I get no crud in my bullets, I don't use a wooden stick to stir, just a metal soup spoon.
I will never go back to wax, Sure a bullet with lube on it gets thrown in once in a while to no ill effects.

[Springfield]

I find a little bullet lube melted on top of the sawdust works best. I tend to use less sawdust that way also. Just keep stirring until it turns to ash.

[hickfu]

Pet bedding at Walmart, Petco, etc... I prefer the smallest chips, if there is a choice.

I use the same stuff... and I dont have to go scrounging up sawdust


Doc

[mdi]

No paraffin for me, tried it and the "whoop" as it ignited was a bit much. I now use wood saw dust, smoking chips, and pine cat litter (I buy the large bags for $7.00 and steal a bit now and then from my wife's cat...

[Char-Gar]

There is not any sorcery to finding a good flux that will do the job. But some produce a lower flash point and more smoke. Wood shavings, saw dust or even stirring with a good pine stick will do as well as anything, produces low smoke and smell good as well.

[Walter Laich]

another vote for saw dust though sometimes I fight the smoke in my face.

[bangerjim]

Good point! I would urge agains using sawdust from PT lumber.

Go to Home Depot or Lowes. Go to the lumber department where they will saw your wood for you. There normally lots of sawdust there you can pick up. Again, avoiding PT sawdust.

All else fails, get a piece of pine, and have just drill holes in it. Use a larger diameter drill. The bigger the hole, the more chips and dust. A forstner (not a hole saw) bit for drilling door locks will create lots off chips. Save the chaff. You don't need much.

But at those big boxes they cut EVERY kind of wood so you will be getting an unknown mix of lamenants, PT, flake, glue, Masonite, and pine.

Avoid those places!!!!!! Just make your own or (OMG!) spend a little money and buy pet bedding.

I use Beeswax NOT paraffin for reducing. Higher melting point, no goo, smells great, works great.

banger

[Mal Paso]

Another vote for Beeswax for the casting pot. A wooden match tip size piece. Randyrat is my source.

I use Cedar chips though when I'm outside smelting or blending. That's where I get rid of most of the dross.

[jonp]

I bought a small bag of pet bedding shavings at the pet store for $3. Ive cast 500 or so using the bag and have hardly put a dent in it.
looks like consensis is against paraffin.

[kenyerian]

One of my old shooting buddies was a plumber so he supplied us with wax toilet rings and plenty of plumbers lead which we mixed 50/50 with COWW. We all had Ruger 44 Mag BH's and we went through a lot of lead. This was back in the late 60's so there were still a lot of small landfills around that we would target practice at on the weekends.
I usually use sawdust now.

[wmitty]

Anyone else use crumbled up dried leaves? Red oak leaves seem to work fine.

[jonp]

Anyone else use crumbled up dried leaves? Red oak leaves seem to work fine.

I tried some before i bought the shavings as i have a giant oak. Results seemed mixed

[bangerjim]

Anyone else use crumbled up dried leaves? Red oak leaves seem to work fine.

Any carbon-based life-form will work.

banger

[Lead Fred]

Used to use bee's wax, but since trying Pat's wood chips, thats all I use now

[olafhardt]

I use plain, white, granulated sugar or grain products like chicken feed.

[WRideout]

Lately I have been using vegetable oil, because it seems to clean all the lead off the bullet jackets when I smelt range scrap; much better than paraffin on that score. Also, it makes the shop smell like french fries.

I have tried to use sawdust, but couldn't figure out how to use it efficiently. I am a dipper, and the sawdust was always in the way when I tried to dip out a ladle full. What do you guys do with that?

It also occurred to me that burned toast could work as well, maybe better, than other carbon sources. When I worked in the ER, it was recommended to give burned toast to kids with suspected poisoning, as a source of activated carbon.

Wayne

[dragon813gt]

I use both. I use the sawdust first. But I find it difficult to remove all the ash from this process. Throw in enough gulf wax so it spreads across the entire top and it binds any remaining particulates together. And who doesn't like a big fire :)
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa39/dragon813gt/Firearms/Reloading/d338abe7.jpg

I only use wax outside or when I have both doors in the garage open. There is an amount you can add that only smokes, a lot, if you don't light it off.

[mdi]

There is not any sorcery to finding a good flux that will do the job. But some produce a lower flash point and more smoke. Wood shavings, saw dust or even stirring with a good pine stick will do as well as anything, produces low smoke and smell good as well.
I flux real good when smelting and once per pot full with sawdust. I have some "shims", rough wood slats (1"x12" long tapered from 1/4" to point) I found at a building supply and stir with those. This is usually enough...

[drinks]

Wood pencils are usually made of white cedar, so just empty the pencil sharpener and use the nice little pieces, mixed with carbon,( graphite).
Smells pretty, too.

[bangerjim]

Wood pencils are usually made of white cedar, so just empty the pencil sharpener and use the nice little pieces, mixed with carbon,( graphite).
Smells pretty, too.

Wood pencils? Who uses them anymore? Pentel automatics are all we use..........everywhere! :bigsmyl2:

banger

[dondiego]

We did not allow any pencils in our lab at any time.

[wch]

For those of us who don't ever use non-treated lumber or do much wood work... Is there a source I can buy sawdust. Or in another form that can be purchased by the bag at homedepot etc. Or really anywhere?

Thanks.
Tractor Supply and Wal Mart both sell cedar small animal bedding; that's what I use.

[gwpercle]

I been using the stuff from our pencil sharpeners, the wood is cedar-smells nice and the little bit of graphite in there doesn't hurt anything. I drop in a large pinch and add a small bit of beeswax , it mixes with the shavings and when all is stirred in leaves a black powder on the surface that's easy to remove with my spoon. This is fluxing in the casting pot not smelting scrap.
Some of us still use wood pencils , believe it or not.
Gary

[gwpercle]

We did not allow any pencils in our lab at any time.
Why? Are they evil, bad, contaminated?

[fredj338]

I used to use wax based fluxes with mixed results. When I switched to sawdust, it works sooo much better, I'll never use anything else. I only flux when smelting. When casting, I just stir often with a wooden paint stick.

[osteodoc08]

I've recently started using old bees wax cone from a friend that has several bee hives. Really shiny pretty lead.

[jonp]

Wood pencils? Who uses them anymore? Pentel automatics are all we use..........everywhere! :bigsmyl2:

banger
I bought a package when a member here suggested i use an eraser to smooth a possible burr in a mold