Cedar animal bedding

[waco]

Would this work for flux? I've always just used a chunk of bullet lube. A piece the size of a pea. I wanted to try some sort of wood but don't really have access to any sawdust. I just thought this stuff might fit the bill.

[Yodogsandman]

Are you using it before or after the hamsters? Could be a good smell or bad...

[Hannibal]

On a more serious note, the biggest thing I would be concerned about would be moisture content. I would spread it out on something and let it dry for a month or 2 before I tried it.

[jmort]

Use the pine bedding/litter. Cheap and works well as a flux when smelting. Once you get clean smelted ingots, use beeswax in your casting pot for reduction.

[Doc Highwall]

I use it myself.

[bangerjim]

Anything that will burn (if you can stand the smell! ) can substitute for sawdust. Pine is best, I use pine, walnut, alder, cherry, mahogany, oak......anything/everything I cut in my wood shop. Just NOT pressure-treated and MDF/flake due to glue/garbage not good for you.

Carbon-based lifeforms when totally dry will work. I even use TOTALLY dried leaves! We are after the carbon.

Just go to WalMArt and buy a bag of pine pet bedding.....will last you for a long time! Cedar is very oily and I have heard it can cause respiratory problems when burned? I have never used it.

The volatile oil produced by cedar wood and it's leaves and twigs contains a high percent of thujone, which is a hydrocarbon and a toxic chemical. Borneol, finchone, picine, camphor, limonene, tannin, myrcin and thujin are also found in cedar. Lots of stuff!!!!!! Why do you think cedar repels bugs in closets and clothing storage containers? Toxic substances.

Use at your own risk........it sounds like. Be safe and just buy and use pine bedding from WalMart. Or grab a hunk of pine 2x4 and a plane/sander/drill/saw and make you own! Does not take a lot to get the job done.

I use paraffin wax the last time in the melting pot and beeswax only in my casting pot to get the Sn back in there.

Take care and have fun casting! I love the smell of cedar wood.......just do not want to burn it.

bangerjim

[waco]

Thanks Jim. I have some juniper in the shop. Well seasoned. I guess I could just fire up the chainsaw.

[Jack Stanley]

The chainsaw and spruce trees in need of thinning is where I get mine Waco . I do spread the stuff out and let it dry a while before use though . ;-)

Jack

[62chevy]

I use cedar wood chips from Walmart, for some reason they don't carry the pine. Tractor Supply has pine but in huge bags that would be imposable to store. Anyways used the cedar straight out of the bag with no problems.

[Grantb]

The pet bedding I bought is a mixture of mostly pine and some cedar chips. It works fine as a flux.

[wrench]

I just finished up a big bag of cedar pet bedding. I just throw a handful on top, and let it burn before stirring it in. Works fine, smells good.
My replacement bag is the pine shavings, we'll see how that does.

[Garyshome]

Never used cedar, always use pine.

[MrWolf]

Bag of pine bedding from Walmart. Should last me forever...

[Leslie Sapp]

I use whatever shavings came off the planer last, if my wife doesn't hijack them for mulch in her flowerbeds. :-) Cypress is what's out there right now, works great.

[waco]

Thanks fellas!