PatMarlin
09-11-2018, 04:55 PM
:Fire:
I know when anybody thinks of California, they think of flakes right? ...and with good reason.. lol
Well one good thing to come from California is the beautiful old growth trees I used to mill on my homestead in the Shasta Trinity National Forest.
I'm frequently asked if I would offer CFF (California Flake Flux) flux again but since I moved to civilization, I had to stop.
CFF is hands down the best lead flux I've ever used, and many members here at Cast Boolits feel the same way. So much so there were a lot of guys very disappointed when I discontinued it.
Clean pours. Clean Pots. Healthy -non toxic great smell, and great cast boolits.
Fast forward to today... an old friend of mine is running a mill up there now, and he's also milling the same- old growth, huge dark heart centered, sappy giant trees that makes CFF such a fine flux. So I have a new source.
These are planer shavings. Buggied, blued, with colors running light to dark.
I can ship about 1.4lbs in a bag for $18 to your door.
This will last a considerable amount of time and enough for hundreds of pots. A pinch is all you need.
So, I'm looking for feedback and to see if anyone is interested in CFF anymore. Whether or not it's worth messing with,.
Please feel free to chime in on CFF or ask any questions you may have.
Warmest Regards,
Pat
:Fire:
Below are a few comments from years back:
“I just got some of Patmarlins CFF (California Flake Flux) the other day. Fantastic stuff. He runs a small sawmill in far Northern California and I'm not sure just which types of pine trees he uses to make this stuff, but it smells great and the pot comes out waaaaay far cleaner than anything else I've used."
"I'll bet you have not tried Pat Marlins CFF wood flakes. He uses a type of wood and it is not like ground sawdust you get when cutting with a saw. His product is like wood shavings. After I flux with it I put another pinch or so on top of my alloy to prevent any oxidation of my alloy. My wife always ask what smells so good in my casting area".
"I gently stirr the melt with a charred wooden stick after the alloy has melted, be sure to scrape the sides. I always leave a layer of dross on the top of the melt in my bottom pour pot. I then a layer of Patmarlins CFF and I let those two do their dance. It keeps more dross from forming, I never drain the pot dry. No problems so far."
"Far from an expert here and in fact just smelted my first pot....they were some pretty clean wheel weight ignots I got from a friend, after using Pats california flake flux I was surprised to see how much more crud rose to the top of the pot."
"I have tried motor oil, lube, Marvelux, (didn't like it or the residue it left on the pot) and finally, PatMarlin's California Flake Flux. Try saying that 3 times really fast! Especially after a beer or three. [smilie=l: I really like the Flake, it smells so nice, little mess, easy, and I stir with a paint stick. They do catch fire fairly regularly, which quickens the pulse till you get used to it.:shock: A clean pot, too! Why make things harder than they need to be? When I run out, I'll order another box.8-)"
"I don't make any money on CFF (very little when considering the time invovled making sure it's clean, mixing, and boxing) but it's a good use of God's gift and I hate to waste anything. If you saw my milled old growth lumber, planed- you would be suprised at how absolutely beautiful it is. These are trees that are passed on because of blue stain, borers, beetles, etc. and left to rot… Pat"
"After years of using Marvelux, I went back to candle wax and realized an immediate increase in percentage of good bullets. Now I use Pat Marlin's California Flake Flux (finely shredded wood chips), the best yet. The above is IMO, Marvelux vs. natural fluxes is a cntroversial subject here."
"CFF smokes very little, smells fantastic, and works very well. Does not rust steel and keeps you pot real clean."
"Took me a bit longer to get a clue; I only switched about three years ago. I too used to use Marvacrap. No longer, that stuff hit the dumpster. Actually to be perfectly honest, I use CFF I got from Pat Marlin."
"I always put the sprues back in the pot while casting. But, I also have a fairly thick layer of wood flux (PatMarlin's CFF) on top of the molten lead, so the sprues lay on top of the wood until they heat to the melting point, then the lead melts thru the flux, so only clean lead alloy gets thru the flux. This avoids the sprues dropping to the bottom,and dragging oxides to the bottom of the pot. On my own I never would have thought to use wood as a flux, I learned that here on this site, so I thank everyone here for their help."
I know when anybody thinks of California, they think of flakes right? ...and with good reason.. lol
Well one good thing to come from California is the beautiful old growth trees I used to mill on my homestead in the Shasta Trinity National Forest.
I'm frequently asked if I would offer CFF (California Flake Flux) flux again but since I moved to civilization, I had to stop.
CFF is hands down the best lead flux I've ever used, and many members here at Cast Boolits feel the same way. So much so there were a lot of guys very disappointed when I discontinued it.
Clean pours. Clean Pots. Healthy -non toxic great smell, and great cast boolits.
Fast forward to today... an old friend of mine is running a mill up there now, and he's also milling the same- old growth, huge dark heart centered, sappy giant trees that makes CFF such a fine flux. So I have a new source.
These are planer shavings. Buggied, blued, with colors running light to dark.
I can ship about 1.4lbs in a bag for $18 to your door.
This will last a considerable amount of time and enough for hundreds of pots. A pinch is all you need.
So, I'm looking for feedback and to see if anyone is interested in CFF anymore. Whether or not it's worth messing with,.
Please feel free to chime in on CFF or ask any questions you may have.
Warmest Regards,
Pat
:Fire:
Below are a few comments from years back:
“I just got some of Patmarlins CFF (California Flake Flux) the other day. Fantastic stuff. He runs a small sawmill in far Northern California and I'm not sure just which types of pine trees he uses to make this stuff, but it smells great and the pot comes out waaaaay far cleaner than anything else I've used."
"I'll bet you have not tried Pat Marlins CFF wood flakes. He uses a type of wood and it is not like ground sawdust you get when cutting with a saw. His product is like wood shavings. After I flux with it I put another pinch or so on top of my alloy to prevent any oxidation of my alloy. My wife always ask what smells so good in my casting area".
"I gently stirr the melt with a charred wooden stick after the alloy has melted, be sure to scrape the sides. I always leave a layer of dross on the top of the melt in my bottom pour pot. I then a layer of Patmarlins CFF and I let those two do their dance. It keeps more dross from forming, I never drain the pot dry. No problems so far."
"Far from an expert here and in fact just smelted my first pot....they were some pretty clean wheel weight ignots I got from a friend, after using Pats california flake flux I was surprised to see how much more crud rose to the top of the pot."
"I have tried motor oil, lube, Marvelux, (didn't like it or the residue it left on the pot) and finally, PatMarlin's California Flake Flux. Try saying that 3 times really fast! Especially after a beer or three. [smilie=l: I really like the Flake, it smells so nice, little mess, easy, and I stir with a paint stick. They do catch fire fairly regularly, which quickens the pulse till you get used to it.:shock: A clean pot, too! Why make things harder than they need to be? When I run out, I'll order another box.8-)"
"I don't make any money on CFF (very little when considering the time invovled making sure it's clean, mixing, and boxing) but it's a good use of God's gift and I hate to waste anything. If you saw my milled old growth lumber, planed- you would be suprised at how absolutely beautiful it is. These are trees that are passed on because of blue stain, borers, beetles, etc. and left to rot… Pat"
"After years of using Marvelux, I went back to candle wax and realized an immediate increase in percentage of good bullets. Now I use Pat Marlin's California Flake Flux (finely shredded wood chips), the best yet. The above is IMO, Marvelux vs. natural fluxes is a cntroversial subject here."
"CFF smokes very little, smells fantastic, and works very well. Does not rust steel and keeps you pot real clean."
"Took me a bit longer to get a clue; I only switched about three years ago. I too used to use Marvacrap. No longer, that stuff hit the dumpster. Actually to be perfectly honest, I use CFF I got from Pat Marlin."
"I always put the sprues back in the pot while casting. But, I also have a fairly thick layer of wood flux (PatMarlin's CFF) on top of the molten lead, so the sprues lay on top of the wood until they heat to the melting point, then the lead melts thru the flux, so only clean lead alloy gets thru the flux. This avoids the sprues dropping to the bottom,and dragging oxides to the bottom of the pot. On my own I never would have thought to use wood as a flux, I learned that here on this site, so I thank everyone here for their help."