Garage floor oil absorbent for fluxing?

[kelbro]

Anybody use this for fluxing? Similar to kitty litter.

Thanks!

[runfiverun]

i don't use it as a flux but as a heat barrier.
i notice it does turn to "ash" as i go along though. and perhaps the ash fluxes some.

[j20owner]

I use it in my 10lb Lee pot. I also use a wood paint stick for stirring. No idea if the 'kitty litter' fluxes, but my metal is clean. Mine also turns to ash. It is such a good heat barrier that rejects and sprue puddles placed on top with pot hot will not melt/fall through. They do get hot, but not as hot as the rest of the melt.

[briang]

I once used sawdust treated for oil absorbing. DON"T DO IT, really nasty fumes. Never tried the kitty litter like stuff but you may have the same problem.

[captaint]

I tried the kitty litter deal yesterday and it worked real well. Must agree with j20, noticed the same thing with sprues tossed on top. COOL.

[Bret4207]

Carpetman tried it once. ONCE!!! He forgot is was supposed to be NEW kitty litter, not USED kitty litter.......

[docone31]

hehehe.
Kinda like casting without handles.
I have gotten quite fond of spreading a little Kitty Litter on top of the melt. It slowly breaks down into fine powder. I water drop and I can set a reject on top of the Litter. The residual water evaporates off the reject, and it drips into the melt. Same with my sprues. Crud sticks to the Litter.
I bet, if the floor stuff is clay, it will work. They have to put a fire retardant in sawdust. Clay does not burn.
The Kitty Litter is actually diatomatious (sp?) earth. It just crumbles with the heat and gets smaller and smaller untill it makes dust.

[Shiloh]

Tried the oily sawdust once. Great billowing clouds of smoke. The smell linged in the garage.

Shiloh

[Kraschenbirn]

Garage floor oil absorbent for fluxing? Anybody use this for fluxing? Similar to kitty litter.

Around here, the kitty litter doubles as garage floor oil absorbent as well as casting flux.

Bill

[Dave Berryhill]

Two questions:
1. What happens to the kitty litter if you stir your pot? Does it float back to the top?
2. What happens to the stuff once it turns to ash? Do you skim it off and add more kitty litter?

[docone31]

It works its way to the top. It is lighter than the alloy.
When it turns to ash, I cool down the pot and turn it over. At that point, I add more litter.

[Springfield]

I have used the clay oil absorbant and kitty litter, seemed like mosty the same stuff. Just make sure you don't get the scented litter. And yes, it floats back to the top when stirred and eventually turns to ash. Just scoop it off and add more.

[Ancesthntr]

How would corncob or walnut media work? I have 25 # bags of each for tumbling cases, and it'll be years before I go through it all...plus SWMBO hates cats, so no kitty litter.

[Willbird]

corncob media sort of "pops" like popcorn, it does work but man does it stink :-).

Bill

[SciFiJim]

If kitty litter is diatomacious earth then you can get DE at a pool supply place. It is used as a filtering medium. It has no additives or scent. It feels like a fine powdery sand.

ps. it comes in a nice reusable 5 gallon bucket & who doesn't need more of those

Question - how thick of a layer do you put on your melt?

[Windy City Kid]

I have a couple of questions about using kitty litter in your melting pot.

I use a Lee 20 pound pot with the bottom pure, if that makes a difference. I also start with a clean lead alloy.

(1) When you use the kitty litter, can you keep adding lead without fluxing?

(2) How much kitty litter do you use?

(3) Does the kitty litter take the place of flux?

(4) Do you stir the kitty litter in to the lead alloy like you do with flux?

I would try this if I knew how to use the kitty litter. I have heard of using kitty litter , I just didn't know how to use it.

Thanks,

WCK

[kelbro]

I checked the mfrs. website and this stuff is the diatomaceous earth (clay).

[j20owner]

That's what I'm using. As for how much, I just put some on. Not real thick, just enough to cover the melt good. When I add ignots, I set them on the top of the pot to warm, then slowly add them to the melt. The slowly pass through the 'litter' and melt into the rest of the pot. I then stir with my paint stick a little to make sure the ignot is melted down good. It's working so far.

[Marlin Hunter]

what about Boraxo?

I have used Boraxo as a flux for braze welding.

Can it work as a flux for lead, or is that a different kind of flux?

[j20owner]

I have no idea. No experience with Boraxo of any sort.

[hydraulic]

Kitty litter is not used for fluxing. It is a heat barrier and it keeps the metal from oxidizing and forming a scum that many guys skim off, thereby losing tin. A wooden stick is used for fluxing. I use a piece of cedar house siding about the size of a pencil. One of the guys here said that fluxing can be done with anything that will form carbon. The stick does that. In my Lee 10 lb. pot I use 4 teaspoons full of kitty litter.

[Martin Luber]

I heard cheap litter is bentonite clay. I thought DE was always white. Had a lot of sand in some scrap, also appeared to be a nice cover material.

[Chainsaw.]

This ^^. Just use a little pinch of saw dust. You should be casting with good ventilation anyway so what is a minute of a little smoke hurting?

[Dragonheart]

For those that are fluxing the pot and especially using a lot of odd ball stuff for flux I sure hope you have a large fan pulling the fumes away from you. You do realize the it is the fumes coming off a pot can carry molecules of lead?