Favorite flux material for casting lead slugs?

[glenr1]

I have cast sinkers, and lead toy soldiers before it was a bad health risk, silver work and pewter at assorted times in my life. I am going to start casting slugs for loading 12ga shells, I was wondering what flux materials that member use. Borax, paraffin, or other?
Thanks for your response.

[Rottweiler]

Sawdust

[bangerjim]

This has been discused and cussed many times in the past. There are entire articles on fluxing. Do a search for fluxing on here.

Pine sawdust 3X in your re-melting pot to get clean ingots is what the "experts" say. I use it with great success. It is free and works great. I just reach under my table saw for a bag.

I prefer beeswax in my casting pot to reduce the Sn back in and keep the burnt hunks to a very minimum. You will probably be using only pure Pb for shotgun slugs.

banger

[bikerbeans]

Pine shavings that I steal from my wife. She buys them from TSC to put in her horse stalls.

BB

[pworley1]

I use cedar saw dust. Any saw dust will work, but the cedar smells better to me.

[Blood Trail]

I have a bottom pour lead pot. I don't do much fluxing.

[bangerjim]

I have a bottom pour lead pot. I don't do much fluxing.


I too have bottom poour casting pots. And do not FLUX in it. But you need to REDUCE the Sn back in during your casting session and when you add more ingots of alloy. If you are just skimming the "stuff" off your pot, you are throwing away a big bunch of your Sn/Sb. At casting temps, the Sn will oxidize rapidly and must be put back in.

Beeswax is the best reducer I hae found. I use 2-3 pea-sized pieces during a casting session. It floats and does not leave a bunch of burnt wood behind to get down in your pour spigot.

[Treeman]

I use wax when smelting. For casting from a bottom draw pot I use sawdust and leave the ash on top after fluxing to reduce oxidation of the melt surface.