Cheap Wax for Fluxing!

[mtgrs737]

Last weekend was the city-wide garage sale in my little town. At one of the sales I spotted a huge ugly candle for 50 cents. That candle must weigh close to 5 pounds so that makes it 10 cents a pound for fluxing wax. I like to use wax for smelt fluxing when ingoting ww lead. Cheapest way to buy wax for fluxing I have found.

[fredj338]

Just about anything works for fluxing. I have gone to clean sawdust. Free, works a bit better than waxes IMO, & smells nice when working. Stir w/ a wood paint stick & good to go.

[lwknight]

My wife changes out the smelly candles every so often so I get a lot of wax leftovers.
Yard sales and such are a good place to find wax candles too.

[WHITETAIL]

I am lucky that way too.
My daughter gives me all of those smelly
candle leftovers.:lol:

[cptinjeff]

Last year I put all the Christmas decorations in the crawl space above the garage and above the insulation ( I live in S. Florida). I've been out of the dog house for a little while but I still have lots of melted candles for flux ;);)

[Gee_Wizz01]

Last year I put all the Christmas decorations in the crawl space above the garage and above the insulation ( I live in S. Florida). I've been out of the dog house for a little while but I still have lots of melted candles for flux ;);)

I accidentally did the same thing (N.E. Florida is also quite warm) after 3 years my wife has finally forgiven me. I figure in another year or 2 I can start using some of those deformed Christmas figurine candles for flux.

G

[sagacious]

A neighbor gave me a large burlap sack full of old candles. After melting down all the odds-n-ends and casting the wax into 5lb blocks, I had over 40lbs of wax. That should hold me for a while.

[lwknight]

I told ya melting stuff was fun. Even old candles.

[evan price]

fluxing ingots = used motor oil = free
fluxing the pot = restaurant crayons = free

I also shamelessly trashpick the candles from the church when I clean up.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
If nothing else we are resourceful individuals.
The worse part of living in a third world country is nothing gets tossed until it is real junk. We have fellers that come around weekly to buy anything... plastic... steel..bottles.. gets so a scrounger has to be real resourcefull.
But when I return to the state of ILL there are treasures everywhere just waiting for someone to grasp onto..

[mac1911]

I grabbed 12 toilet seals from a blummer, they where damaged. They work good. I also been useing some saw dust from my table saw from a project 5 years ago. Very dry, pine and oak dust.
the saw dust is a better opption as it helps mask the smell of smelting WW I toss a bit in the pot then dump the WW on top. I then add a bit as the temp comes up.

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

Good morning
If nothing else we are resourceful individuals.
The worse part of living in a third world country is nothing gets tossed until it is real junk. We have fellers that come around weekly to buy anything... plastic... steel..bottles.. gets so a scrounger has to be real resourcefull.
But when I return to the state of ILL there are treasures everywhere just waiting for someone to grasp onto..

Yep, it's funny how not having much makes one realize how much others waste. My newlywed wife, shakes her head at me all the time for the scrounging I do. Of course when the roadside trash, ends up a nicely painted and re- upholstered dining room chair she doesn't say word.

I think we all are going to see allot more people being resourceful before long.

[fryboy]

in my haunts for pewter at second hand stores i often see ( sometimes buy ) big bags of candles/wax pieces for a coupla three bucks ,some thrift stores mark stuff down every coupla weeks if it doesnt sale ....yup i been watching a appox 3# piece of pewter that i doubt if anyone but a boolit caster will buy lolz kinda curious how far down the ugly thing will go (it's at 19.98 now - almost worth it ...) if i'm using up the pot of lead fairly quick i'll use lube attempts..erm wax ;) if i'm casting lil 22's i'll use sawdust

[Jon]

Nice find. I'm still working on my first box of cheap candles. I think I bought them for $1 at walmart. I'll have to keep an eye out at yard sales for them. It's like lead, you can't have too much.

[jaguarxk120]

The church candles are good pickings, some are 51% beeswax. Use them in boolit lube.

[sargenv]

While I can't call my supply cheap, I can call it plentiful. I still have about 100 pounds of slab and flake parrafin from when I used to make candles.. A definite lifetime supply.

[a.squibload]

I found a slab in the basement, about 1.5 x 2.5 ft, more than an inch thick.
I think she has forgotten all about it...

[daschnoz]

I found a slab in the basement, about 1.5 x 2.5 ft, more than an inch thick.
I think she has forgotten all about it...

I hope you're right :grin:

[mtgrs737]

Sounds like there are plenty of cheap fluxing materials out there, I while back a got a couple big trash bags of hardwood sawdust from the cabinet shop down the road. Free of course!

[DukeInFlorida]

I prefer sawdust that has lots of RESIN in it, so softwood (pine and other sappy wood) is preferred around here.

I don't think it's just the cellulose that makes it work, I think the resins aid in the fluxing.

[Changeling]

Guys if you just want saw dust, go to a lumber mill, school that teaches a wood course, run a free add for homeowners, there is lots of ways/places. A lot of these places will even bag it and save it for you.
Now if I can only find Tin as cheap LOL.

[johnlaw484]

Yep, it's funny how not having much makes one realize how much others waste. My newlywed wife, shakes her head at me all the time for the scrounging I do. Of course when the roadside trash, ends up a nicely painted and re- upholstered dining room chair she doesn't say word.

I think we all are going to see allot more people being resourceful before long.

He learned from a master>>>>>>ME.