Well, its almost sawdust...

[101VooDoo]

The only sawdust I've got handy is several year old, dusty, god-knows-what c*** from under the table saw, so I thought I'd I plane down a bit of scrap walnut.



My question is, how much do I add to the pot? Its a 20lb pot and will be filled with fresh hardball from rotometals for my first try. I've seen a pinch, golf-ball sized, and an 1/8 layer all mentioned.

I'm thinking just a thin layer, and then let it char before I stir it in, skim, and another thin layer that's left alone until more alloy's added?

Sound about right?

Jim

[docone31]

I use plain Kitty Litter.
I put about two tablespoons on top and leave it there untill it is a powder. Perhaps a couple of months later.
I do not know about shaveings. Perhaps an handful?

[Blammer]

with good lead from rotometal you most likely won't need to flux at all. If you do it'll just need to be a little.

[JIMinPHX]

I thought I'd I plane down a bit of scrap walnut.

I never thought that I would hear the words "scrap" & "walnut" used in the same sentence.

Since the damage is already done, I would guess that 4 or 5 of those shavings would be a good quantity to try for a 10-20 pound pot. See how it works & then adjust your quantity accordingly.

[101VooDoo]

Jim,

That's some of the gnarliest, misbegotten, cross grained walnut you'll ever come across. Pretty stuff, but a real bear to plane without tear out.

Jim

I never thought that I would hear the words "scrap" & "walnut" used in the same sentence.

Since the damage is already done, I would guess that 4 or 5 of those shavings would be a good quantity to try for a 10-20 pound pot. See how it works & then adjust your quantity accordingly.

[deerslayer]

You guys think that is a waste of walnut you should've seen the tree i used for firewood 3 years ago. Walnut straight as an arrow 24-30" at the base and atleast 20' to the first branch. Guy asked me if I wanted firewood where he was clearing a house lot and he already had this cut up for me in 18" lengths it about made me sick and when I explained what he had cut up to him I thought he was gonna cry. It burns mighty fine though and splits easy with an axe no splitter needed it is faster with a maul.

[Hardcast416taylor]

101 VOODOO. It`s old knife makers like me that gets all slobbery in the mouth for this twisted gnarly grain walnut for use in knife handles and other handle applications.Robert

[geargnasher]

I use plain Kitty Litter.
I put about two tablespoons on top and leave it there untill it is a powder. Perhaps a couple of months later.
I do not know about shaveings. Perhaps an handful?

Docone, I feel the need to point out to the new guy that kitty litter does NADA for reducing oxides, but does insulate and prevent them from forming. If the OP is looking for a reducant, he'll be disappointed with your recommendation.

with good lead from rotometal you most likely won't need to flux at all. If you do it'll just need to be a little.

Blammer, that clean lead will still oxidize quickly in the casting pot, there is a need for a reducant, if not a "flux", no matter how clean it is.


I've used BW sawdust and power planer shavings before, works great. Just put a tablespoon, or maybe two of those hand planer shavings, in the melt and let it char.

Gear

[mpmarty]

A place not far from me sells cedar shavings for dog bedding. Makes great flux and smells nice while doing it.

[geargnasher]

A place not far from me sells cedar shavings for dog bedding. Makes great flux and smells nice while doing it.

I don't know if you're using the same stufff, but somebody here informed me a while back that Western aromatic cedar has some "piasonus" chemicals in it that are released while burning and can cause severe alergic reactions in some people, that's why it repels insects so well! I have used the stuff in the summer and the mosquitoes stay FAR away! I use a good exhaust fan while casting anyway, so I'm not worried about the fumes.

Gear

[405]

How much sawdust or chips to a 20lb pot? Depends I guess. One thing is to not fill the pot all the way to the top to begin with. Fluxing and scraping calls for some active stirring. Just put in a tablespoon or so of the sawdust or an equivalent volume of chips and start stirring and mixing into the melt. Also, scrape the pot bottom and sides while doing this. Once the smoking stops is about when I quit stirring and start skimming the junk on top. Of course the chips are going to take a bit longer to competely go to charcoal/carbon. I've never had a problem with using too little flux. Then there are examples of those using too much of some kinds of flux . Wood chips and sawdust are pretty easy to work with. Sometimes, if the alloy is really dirty and/or too much flux is used and not stirred and skimmed completely, the chances for inclusions of foreign matter into the casting increases. This is especially true when using a ladle.

[101VooDoo]

Probably twice what I needed, ended up with two spoon-fulls of ash, just a bit of dross.



Jim

[405]

Looks like a little too much, but wood is fairly forgiving. No harm. Another thing is since the shavings are fairly large.... might consider smaller pieces or shavings from one of those rasps with the thin, super sharp blades. No more material than you really need shouldn't be much of a problem easily coming up with plenty. Also, your alloy may have started out pretty well mixed and clean to begin with. Beats throwing a bunch of petrol based flux in there and having the classic "home video of the deep fat turkey fryer burning the house down" !!

[lwknight]

Well.. mostly what you ae doing is keeping oxygen off the melt so that it will not dross up so much. A layer of ash is all you are really after anyway.
I have been tempted to rig up a cover fixd so that I could use a very low volume argon supply to keep air out. Wouldn't that be so cool to still have the mirror shine after hours of being melted?

[geargnasher]

Hey, I've done the argon/CO2 thing, but even at two cfm it costs about $20/hr to do it unless you can figger a way to work that cover you mentioned.

What I REALLY want to work out is a way to purge the mould cavities with argon right before filling when ladle-pouring, I think it would help making premium rifle boolits. Some sort of bench-mounted bracket with flowmeter and purge nozzle right next to the pot, and a foot valve on the argon line. Foosh, foosh, pour, pour..............

Gear

[Jack Stanley]

Wow ! that pro-melt looks way nicer than mine !!

Jack

[qajaq59]

I'm thinking just a thin layer, and then let it char before I stir it in, skim, and another thin layer that's left alone until more alloy's added?

Yup, that'll work fine. You just need enough carbon on there to keep the air away from the lead.
When I was young my brother-in-law had an in at the Springfield Armory. He used to get me all kind of rejected walnut stocks so I could make knife handles or whatever I wanted from it.

[Charlie, AKA The Deacon]

I never thought that I would hear the words "scrap" & "walnut" used in the same sentence.

Since the damage is already done, I would guess that 4 or 5 of those shavings would be a good quantity to try for a 10-20 pound pot. See how it works & then adjust your quantity accordingly.

I was thinking the same thing no such animal as SCRAP WALNUT

[101VooDoo]

Tried a bit less this morning,



Seems about right.

Jim

[101VooDoo]

Wow ! that pro-melt looks way nicer than mine !!

Jack

First day - now if I can just figure out how to get the lead sprinkles off...

Jim