Sawdust from tropical hardwoods

[Jtarm]

I’ve been extensively reading articles and posts on about fluxes and techniques to try and improve the quality of my alloy. Sawdust seems to be the consensus favorite.

One thing I haven’t seen is any warning about fluxing with sawdust or chips from tropical hardwoods or engineered wood products.

Due to the high silica content and chemicals that make them so rot resistant, the dust created from working tropical hardwoods is nasty stuff to breath in. And that’s without throwing it into a pot of molten lead.

Besides the health hazards (which is reason enough to stay away from tropicals) I have no idea how silica would behave in the melt. It would probably just form dross, but I’d rather not have it in the pot.

Just like scrap lead, don’t flux with sawdust if you’re unsure of the composition, and don’t use any from tropicals at all.

A bag of pine shavings from the feed store isn’t going to break anyone.

[Polymath]

I use spruce sawdust (1 tsp) or beeswax, chunk the size of my thumbnail. I have even used dirt (kind of by accident got swept up with some sawdust) and it worked too.

[Budzilla 19]

Pure pine sawdust ( really rosiny pine sawdust, I mean like clog the blade type of stuff)mixed with cedar. We got a sawmill so I’m never out. And with a 55 gallon drum of the stuff, I’m set for life.

[lightman]

One of my retired co-workers got into making Duck Calls after he retired. He ordered a lot of exotic wood and some of it made him itch really bad and some of it made him sick.

I've tried a few different types of sawdust and Pine seems to work the best. I'm guessing its the rosin or sap that helps.

[too many things]

yea but if you keep it long enough it will make coconuts

[DanishM1Garand]

I have hardwood floors that are a Brazilian Cherry. Not Cherry but some exotic stuff. I got an eye infection when I cut it to lay it.

It needs refinished and I’ll have to hire someone to sand it. This stuff is nasty.

[kevin c]

Like lightman says and also Glenn Fryxell ("From Ingot to Target"), the resins in softwoods like pine seem to help clean and reduce the alloy. Hardwood sawdust I'd guess will also provide the carbon monoxide for reducing oxides and the char to act like activated carbon to remove the unwanted stuff, but pine seems to go one better.

ETA:

Yeah, I have the same flooring, DanishM1Garand. Also known as Jatoba or Courbaril. A very hard wood. Cutting it to fit, the installers produced a huge amount of ultra fine, flour like sawdust that got into everything and took forever to get rid of. I don't doubt in the least that that stuff is irritating to eyes, noses and lungs.

[GregLaROCHE]

I can’t comment on the exotic import woods, but I would sure stay away from sawdust from treated wood. One important thing too, is to make sure the sawdust is completely dry, if I don’t want a visit from the tinsel fairy.

[Burnt Fingers]

I’ve been extensively reading articles and posts on about fluxes and techniques to try and improve the quality of my alloy. Sawdust seems to be the consensus favorite.

One thing I haven’t seen is any warning about fluxing with sawdust or chips from tropical hardwoods or engineered wood products.

Due to the high silica content and chemicals that make them so rot resistant, the dust created from working tropical hardwoods is nasty stuff to breath in. And that’s without throwing it into a pot of molten lead.

Besides the health hazards (which is reason enough to stay away from tropicals) I have no idea how silica would behave in the melt. It would probably just form dross, but I’d rather not have it in the pot.

Just like scrap lead, don’t flux with sawdust if you’re unsure of the composition, and don’t use any from tropicals at all.

A bag of pine shavings from the feed store isn’t going to break anyone.

Almost everything in life is chemicals... everything else is elements.

[Jtarm]

Almost everything in life is chemicals... everything else is elements.

True, but some are much more toxic than others.

[Jtarm]

I have hardwood floors that are a Brazilian Cherry. Not Cherry but some exotic stuff. I got an eye infection when I cut it to lay it.

It needs refinished and I’ll have to hire someone to sand it. This stuff is nasty.

Yep, jatoba is bad. Ipe (Brazilian walnut) is the worst.

Members of the rosewood family can cause nasty reactions. I know a guy who went into anaphylaxis from turning a piece. He was Ok, but said in hindsight, the recommended $300 cartridge respirator seemed like a bargain.

Tropicals are also brutal on cutting tools.

When I want tough, I go with hickory. It costs less, easier on cutters, and I love the creamy appearance.

[Ural Driver]

I have a pallet manufacturing company in my area. They produce dumpsters of fresh pine sawdust weekly. I stopped by with a couple of buckets with screw-on lids (think dry pool chemicals) and was told to help myself to all I wanted. The buckets keep the sawdust "clean", dry and easy to handle. Makes the smelting area smell good too. :idea:

[Burnt Fingers]

Yep, jatoba is bad. Ipe (Brazilian walnut) is the worst.

Members of the rosewood family can cause nasty reactions. I know a guy who went into anaphylaxis from turning a piece. He was Ok, but said in hindsight, the recommended $300 cartridge respirator seemed like a bargain.

Tropicals are also brutal on cutting tools.

When I want tough, I go with hickory. It costs less, easier on cutters, and I love the creamy appearance.

Thanks for mentioning hickory. It reminded me I need to get a new cane. I have to order them because of my size. The average cane isn't make for someone 6'3" and 17.5 stone in weight.

Most people that use a cane use one that's too short. This comes from watching TV and not talking to a physical therapist.

The correct height is just over hip height and having the arm with a bend in it.

[38SuperAuto]

A wooden stirring stick is a good source of carbon as well. That'll get the reducing agent (C) deep into the melt and will also help you scrape all the junk on the bottom and sides of your lead pot.

[Jim22]

A wooden stirring stick is a good source of carbon as well. That'll get the reducing agent (C) deep into the melt and will also help you scrape all the junk on the bottom and sides of your lead pot.

I'd like to use this tip. Sounds like it makes sense. What species ofwood do you use?

[Capt Keith]

Would bamboo work ok?

[kevin c]

Well, new popsicle and paint stirrer sticks, which seem to be softwoods, don't work so well for me. The sticks I have are dry, but maybe residual moisture in the wood or off gassing as it chars cause sputtering under the surface that I do not care to see.

[David2011]

I wouldn’t use any hardwood for two reasons. One is the previously mentioned toxicity and the other is the lack of resins. Any engineered wood product is a definite no. Even though it’s probably made from softwood the glue in it is the problem. Treated wood would offgas toxins and may still contain a lot of moisture, inviting a visit from the tinsel fairy.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Well I guess if you are inhaling your smoke you would have a problem , I do use whatever scrap I have on hand , stirring sticks of whatever thin sliced from projects get used in casting pot , sawdust in casting pot I do not need .

Outside rendering is whatever the table saw has or tree debris from yard , tossed in at beginning of range scrap process it is no worry from moisture , and as to toxic smoke the scrap has enough garbage for that to not be a issue , stay out of smoke .

I keep flame and lower portion of melting pot with scrap protected , above pot I do not as what wind is blowing disperses the smoke away from where I am and where I dump ingots .

Any stick is going to cause bubbling under melt and small splatters coming up along side stick , wear glove glasses and stir and remove .

Only tropical hardwoods I have on hand are Tigerwood have used it for quite a few projects , looking at a toxic wood chart , fir and pine and cedar are all listed with issues also . https://www.mountainwoodworker.com/articles/toxic_woods.pdf

[Burnt Fingers]

, looking at a toxic wood chart , fir and pine and cedar are all listed with issues also . https://www.mountainwoodworker.com/articles/toxic_woods.pdf

This list looks like it was written by the California Prop 65 people.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Might have been , what isnt bad harmful or cancer causing now a days , I am not worried about the source of sawdust as flux , anyone inhaling the smoke is not doing themselves any favor , as a after thought I suppose those libs would say hemp was ok .