Sawdust

[skeet1]

Well, I went to the local lumber yard this morning and got a coffee can full of sawdust. The young man that was helping me looked like he couldn't understand why anyone would want anything they just threw away, so I told him what I was doing.

This was the first time I had really given sawdust a good try and was very pleased with the results. I have always used a pinch of bullet lube in the past as most of the manuals tell you. After reading numerous time on this forum about using sawdust I tried it. I think it fluxes better than lube and the smoke doesn't make you gag. One thing I did different was to leave the the impurities and chard sawdust on the top of the molten alloy. This way I wasn't removing any tin or antimony from the mix. Since I take my lead from the bottom of the pot in my 4-20 Lee pot I think it's best to do it this way.

I would encourage anyone to use sawdust.

Skeet1

[JJC]

I have been stirring with a wood stick, so far so good maybe time to give saw dust a try

[qajaq59]

Sawdust and a dry hardwood stick to scrape the sides is what I use. And I leave the burned sawdust on top as an oxygen barrier. Works for me

[XWrench3]

yep, i learned about it here too. works great! i have a 5 gallon bucket of it though. my free sawdust source is about 200 miles away(father in law), so anytime i get there, i fill up.

[dragonrider]

I will never use anything but sawdust. Keeps your metal and your pot clean and fresh smelling.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Sawdust does work great. I put a layer about 1/2 inch on top and once it burns off, I am left with a bunch of ash that I leave in the pot. Helps insulate also. It seems to last the whole pot long. I just have to remember to get it off the top when the pot gets low so it doesn't clog the spout.

[Jack Stanley]

I've used a pine branch of recent and it works well enough I'm wishing I'd have put in a higher cfm fan in the hood .

Jack

[Johnch]

We use Sawdust to soak up the oil from the old tractors and bedding for the steers
As I can get it for free by the truck load for free

Oil soaked Sawdust isn't as nice smelling
But it works well
I just have to make sure it is dry before mixing it into the lead


But I am afraid to try the "used" sawdust from the pens LOL

John

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Come on John! Let us know what happens. You may have a new flux named after you.

[okksu]

Emphasis on "Dry" I grabbed a walnut trimming out of my shop to use as a stir stick yesterday ......and moisture content was apparently a little too high. Sizzle, snap, crackle, and pop, peppered some bare hand skin. Only 3-4 tiniest of beads, no big globs, but the stuff was hot......

[geargnasher]

Walnut bad. Some people are allergic to the toxins in the smoke. Use maple, cherry, or birch.

It is well known to some that dog pee (from wheel weights) makes excellent flux, so that "used" bedding might work better than you think! :kidding:

Gear

[geargnasher]

Sawdust and a dry hardwood stick to scrape the sides is what I use. And I leave the burned sawdust on top as an oxygen barrier. Works for me

Best way I've found to do it, too.

Gear

[okksu]

Gear wrote: "Walnut bad. Some people are allergic to the toxins in the smoke. Use maple, cherry, or birch. "

I'm not afflicted with the allergy. As a long time wordworker, I've worked with alot of walnut and never been bothered by it, (other than some purple stains on my fingers that can be a bear to get rid of) but I know that some folk are allergic to it. Also, for the same reason, walnut saw dust supposedly not good for composting where there's a chance the compost ends up used on a veggie garden.

[Johnch]

Walnut bad. Some people are allergic to the toxins in the smoke. Use maple, cherry, or birch.

Gear

Black Walnut sawdust can harm a horse , not sure how

But more than 1 horse owner has told me that when they were looking at the steaks in the steer barn ( pre buchering )

I use Oak , maple , hickery and some Beach

As that is mainly what the pallet factory uses


Also
If someome would like to try a flat rate box full of "USED" Sawdust
[smilie=l: With steer fertilizer mixed in for flavor [smilie=l:
Just pay the shipping

John

[82nd airborne]

Copenhagen spit works great, just be sure to get it under the surface of the molten lead before it dries up.

[Bret4207]

Black Walnut sawdust can harm a horse , not sure how

But more than 1 horse owner has told me that when they were looking at the steaks in the steer barn ( pre buchering )


John

Some toxin in the wood, but it's supposed to be the leaves and maybe bark that does it. I don't know that the fumes from walnut will do it. But, truthfully, horsey people are probably the biggest bunch of believers in mumbo jumbo urban legends there are. It just goes with the territory. \

Hey if anyone needs gen-u-wine sheep, goat, cow, chicken, goose, guinea hen, rabbit or horse droppings to flux with, let me know. $5.99 a pound plus shipping! Act now! Operators are standing by!......

[degruix]

horsey people are probably the biggest bunch of believers in mumbo jumbo urban legends there are.

Yeah, they are almost as bad as bullet casters...:coffeecom

[jameslovesjammie]

I bought some beeswax super cheap at a flea market about 5 years ago that I always used to flux my pot with. A while back I seemed to get alot of impurities in my boolits. The last time I was in Montana, my grandfather had been doing some woodworking and I got a garbage bag full of fine sawdust to flux with.

The first time I used it, I was blown away. I had never seen as much crud come out of my melt. I am definitely a convert. Only saw dust for me, now.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Gear wrote: "Walnut bad. Some people are allergic to the toxins in the smoke. Use maple, cherry, or birch. "

I'm not afflicted with the allergy. As a long time wordworker, I've worked with alot of walnut and never been bothered by it, (other than some purple stains on my fingers that can be a bear to get rid of) but I know that some folk are allergic to it. Also, for the same reason, walnut saw dust supposedly not good for composting where there's a chance the compost ends up used on a veggie garden.

The Roots of a Live black walnut give off these toxins...it keeps the other plant life competition at bay. I've seen it many times, as I roto-till gardens for spending money, people want a garden near a Black walnut and Few veggies will grow.

I've never heard the same about the bark-leaves, but it only makes sense.

OH and talk about Blackening your hands, try peeling a nut that recently fell off a black walnut tree...the Girlfriend did that once, Her hands were blackish-green for more than a week. try to explain that one at Church :)
Jon

[Bret4207]

Yeah, they are almost as bad as bullet casters...:coffeecom

There are 10 horses out in my pastures right now, so don't get offended. I are a horsey person!

[qajaq59]

Never plant a black walnut next to a driveway either or you will have the biggest mess you ever saw.

[Oyeboten]

I imaging using a Poison Ivy or Poison Sumac or maybe Oleander Stem for sitirring would make for some interestig fumes also.


I use Wood Lathe Shavings to toss on top of the Melt.


A wild/feral Cat who I am on good terms with, if she gets locked in, she pees into the Wood Lathe shavings on the floor.

When I get a hand full of those shavings onto the Melt, I can tell...Lol...

[les265]

I just recently tried some sawdust and it definitely worked better than my previous method of using wax. Especially leaving a layer on top to stop oxidation. I used pine dust because that is what I had available in my table saw. Do you guys know if hardwood dust works better than pine?

[qajaq59]

Cedar smells better. But other then that I don't think it matters.

[sha-ul]

Cedar smells better. But other then that I don't think it matters.

are you using it for potpourri :razz: or for flux?

[qajaq59]

I'm primarily fluxing with a hardwood stick and using the cedar on top. A charred stick seems to flux better because it gets the carbon to the bottom of the melt. I don't like the smoke and flare up of the wax, although I used to use it way back.

[cajun shooter]

I will say that our forum Member Pat Marlin sells wood shavings. THEY ARE NOT SAWDUST! He packs a box so tight with them that they last foreever. After I used them about two years ago I will not go back to any other flux. Not only does it remove more dross than others it burns with a nice smell. As others have said you also leave it on top until you add more lead and start over. Pat's shavings are the best!!!!

[dnepr]

Any one try pressure treated wood , I go through a couple of lifts of pressure treated wood every summer at my work so there is lots of sawdust , I know it will be toxic ( your not supposed to burn it) but I cast outside so not to worried about that . at one tim they used arsenic to treat wood so it might have helped with the heat-treatability of the boolits but I don't know what they use now . All I know for sure about it is that it really dries out your hands gloves are kinda a must have at work

[sha-ul]

Any one try pressure treated wood , I go through a couple of lifts of pressure treated wood every summer at my work so there is lots of sawdust , I know it will be toxic ( your not supposed to burn it) but I cast outside so not to worried about that . at one tim they used arsenic to treat wood so it might have helped with the heat-treatability of the boolits but I don't know what they use now . All I know for sure about it is that it really dries out your hands gloves are kinda a must have at work

with the arsenic& other toxic compounds, I wouldn't play Russian roulette

[qajaq59]

No, you're better off just avoiding the treated wood.

[buck1]

Hay I wonder if dryed out coffee grounds would be good. Talk about a hot cup of Joe.

[Cloudpeak]

Hay I wonder if dryed out coffee grounds would be good. Talk about a hot cup of Joe.

I think that would smell good. Might have to try it.

I save the clipped heads off my maduro cigars and it does a good job of fluxing. I let it float on top of my bottom pour. Smells great!

[dunkel]

I think I get the basic idea of flux, but maybe someone can explain it a little more precisely to me. Do you just start melting lead, in whatever container you're using, and then just dump a handful of sawdust into the mix? Stir it in? Am I totally misunderstanding the process?

Thanks.

[cbrick]

Just put enough on top to cover the melt, stir and scrape the sides and bottom of the pot. If bottom pouring leave it on top of the melt as an oxygen barrier. If ladle casting skim off the ash with a spoon. Sawdust does a good job of reducing tin and antimony back into the melt and removing other things that you don't want in the melt.

Here a great article on fluxing explaining that process.

The Simple Act of Fluxing by Glen Fryxell (http://www.lasc.us/FryxellFluxing.htm)

Rick

[dragonrider]

this has been said before but it cannot be said enough, when using sawdust put a handfull on top of your melt and let it burn to ash BEFORE you mix it up. No matter how dry you think it is, IT AIN'T.

[qajaq59]

No matter how dry you think it is, IT AIN'T. Yup, and the dry stirring stick isn't all that dry either. Put it into the melt slowly.

[onesonek]

Hay I wonder if dryed out coffee grounds would be good. Talk about a hot cup of Joe.


I wondered that too. did a search and seen coffee grounds brought up a few timesm, but haven't seen where someone has tried it. Don't know that I need to consider it at this time,,,,I bought some CFF,,,think I need another life time to use that up. Looks to me that box will process a ton or 2 of alloy,,could be wrong there, but a lot none the less.

Now on another point with saw dust or similar....
I got alil impatient my very first casting session.
I hadn't let the CFF go to the ash state before stirring, but rather just after it blacken or coaled, stirred and then skimmed off. I got great boolits, before a few other tempo issues arised.
But upon reading more and seeing it's best to let the CFF or sawdust go to ash, I tried that. I was disappointed as I was getting alot of "dirty" boolits. I had air pockets on the surface and small black spots on as well. Other than letting the CFF ash before stirring and skimming, (I added another layer on top and let sit while casting). the only thing different was lowering the alloy temp some.
I'm still learning alot about casting, as I'm still green as can be. So I'm asking, are those inclusions caused by my fluxing method, or is there something else going on I don't know as of yet? It doesn't seem to matter whether I bottom pour or ladle pour.
As for the method whether coal or ash state, I would force as much as I could into the melt with a slotted spoon a few times, then stir with a 1/2" hardwood dowel until it would smoke, the let set a minute or 2 before skimming.
Only thing I can think of is the ash is remaining suspended and not floating to the surface?????

[gray wolf]

Back to the walnut thing.
When I ran trap line I would boil my traps in walnut shells. The water would get black and the traps would come out looking like they were Parkerized. Strong stuff that walnut.
Anyway I don't get to fancy with the saw dust, I like pine for the resin ( Rosen ) content.
1/2 inch on top of the bottom pour pot -- let it char nice and black and stir it in with a paint mixing stick. For me it seems that if the saw dust turns to ash before it is stirred in it doesn't work as good as when it is just a little blackened.

Sam

[geargnasher]

Yes, Sam, you want to stir in the sawdust while it is still reacting, not after it has turne to inert ash. No real benifit to letting it burn down completely, I like to skim it out after the oxides are all reduced and keep the ash from forming.


Gear

[ghh3rd]

Those maple shavings from the baseball bat lathe at Disney that I begged for while I was there are working well.

I found that I must let them absolutely dry out and char a little before pushing them under the lead -- although they look dry, they still have moisture and my spoon starts rumbling.


save the clipped heads off my maduro cigars
I've done that too!

[EMC45]

My paint stick sizzles and bubbles everytime I use it. I use it in conjunction with my beeswax.

[Moonie]

lol, yea I noticed that too, kinda unnerving at first.

Wondering if I should duck:holysheep