Author Topic: Mush....Hmmm.....  (Read 1453 times)

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Offline 35Whelen

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Mush....Hmmm.....
« on: December 07, 2002, 08:28:19 PM »
I don't know Bram. But if it were me, I'd flux it REAL good with candle wax or bullet lube or paraffin and skim it off.
   Greg
"Only accurate rifles are interesting"- Col. Townsend Whelen

Offline hubbard

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What is that mush floating around ?
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2002, 10:16:25 PM »
wheelweights have other ingredients such as zinc that will float to the top. flux it every now and then and skim off what's left.

Offline John Y Cannuck

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What is that mush floating around ?
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2002, 07:23:38 AM »
Tin's melting point is below lead, but it's also lighter. Flux well before removing crud. Lots of crud in wheelweights isn't there? I guess they are not too carefull what goes into them.
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Offline Graybeard

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What is that mush floating around ?
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2002, 11:28:37 AM »
If you have a slivery color mush on top that is fairly heavy it is ALWAYS either tin or antimony or both. You do not wanna lose it.

GB


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Offline hammerhead357

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What is that mush floating around ?
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2002, 04:48:21 AM »
Ok I know the thread is old but I am new here so will throw in my two cents worth.  I think jack is correct in his reply however I would use fresh unscented cat litter. Just float a layer about 1/2 in thick on top of the melt in the pot and let it set for about 5 min. to drive out all of the moisture then stir. The only drawback to this that I have found is disposing of the litter after using it as a flux.   Wes

Offline hammerhead357

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What is that mush floating around ?
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2002, 06:51:04 PM »
Jack all I can do is relate what has happened to me. I have never used saw dust but have used a lot of kitty litter and bullet lube  and other things as flux.  I did not think of it when I wrote the last post but when I melt down ww I usually do it in 1000 lb batches and I always throw in old bullet lube or some old cull bullets with lube and then throw on the litter.
So perhaps this provides the reactant. I do stir the furnace a lot after the litter is hot and scrape the sides and bottom also. I don't lose much metal as dross.  Yes the litter makes casting nice however I don't use any flux except litter on the casting pots and I very seldom stir the casting pots, only the premelt pots and I have very few dross included bullets. Now that I have said that watch me get a load of them next casting session. Yes I did say 1000 lb batch I have an old lino furnace that holds 1000 lbs.  When I used to cast commercially I would make up large batches of lead (ie, 3000 to 5000 lbs) at a time to make the lots as uniform as possible. Oh well this is getting long and I have worked about 16 hrs today so will stop now.  Hope this is of some help to someone.    Wes

Offline joeb33050

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About that mush
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2002, 09:40:10 AM »
I don't flux when I cast, I scrape up the mush and put it in a coffee can. I bang the dipper on the coffee can, mush sticks there also. I don't know what the mush is, but I know what it does, and what it isn't.
What it does:
I take half a pot of clean WW alloy, and put in the mush from the coffee can. Half a coffee can is about 2500 bullets worth of casting, about 6 months for me. I flux the dickens oit of the melted mush, and it goes away, leaving some black powdery stuff on the lead. I scrape this up and throw it away. There's about half a dipper of black powder stuff.
What it isn't:
It isn't tin and it isn't antimony and it isn't oxidized tin or antimony. Tin or antimony or arsenic won't come out of the mix when it's melted. The reason I know this is that bullets cast from a pot of alloy weigh the same, even though the mush is scraped off into the coffee can as casting progresses. I weighed every bullet for so many years that I know and will be happy to demonstrate that bullet weights remain the same. And since the density of tin, antimony and arsenic are different than the density of lead(lower, if I remember correctly), then removing some of any of these alloy elements will change the density of the alloy and the weight of the bullets. It doesn't, and I'm real sure.
Melt it, flux it, get it good and hot, and you'll end up with the black poiwdery stuff you can throw away. Or, just throw it away. Mox Nix, as we used to say.
joe b.

Offline RBak

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What is that mush floating around ?
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2002, 10:58:27 AM »
JoeB .....I'm with you on this, However, I don't know what it is, or what it isn't. I do know it does not hurt anything. For years I called it drouss. Then I was informed it was certainly not drouss but a necessary evil that one just deals with and moves on.
AAR, It does not appear to hurt anything and stays on top where it seems harmless. Don't know what it is but I've given up worrying about it.
Respectfully, Russ
Vegetarian........ Old indian word for lousy shot.