fluxing lead

[ihookem]

I started casting lead bullets in my 45-70. I read on another thread that some put in saw dust and stir to get out impurities. I kind of scoop the junk off the top but that's it. Am I not doing enough to flux. If not is this what effected my accuracy? I never quite got it to shoot good enough for hunting.

[D Crockett]

Ihookem put a layer of saw dust on top leave it there and stir it ever once in a while leave it on top it will form a barrier that will stop oxidation of your tin D Crockett

[Czech_too]

I have to second what D Crockett is sayin'.  The sawdust, will among other things, prevent oxidation from forming on the top of your melt.  This could be the "junk" that you're removing and quite possibly any tin in the melt also.  As to whether doing this is going to improve accuracy, highly doubtful IMO.  What it will do is allow you to cast a better boolit.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive allways just used a little bit of wax. Sawdust does work but i just allways figued why introduce something that adds dirt to the pot. I know its probably an unfounded theroy but old ideas are hard to change. One thing i will say though is that most people tend to overflux rather then underflux. Overfluxing will effect the quality of your bullets as much or more then underfluxing will. When i render down wws i melt them and skim off the clips and zinc wws. I then flux the lead at least twice and make up ingots. they are for the most part clean. When i first start my pot for the day i get it up to temp and flux. I wont flux again that casting session even if i add lead as i go. Now keep in mind i use a bottom pour pot and if you ladle casting you need to worry a bit more about the surface area of your pot.

[SHOOTALL]

Plumbers use a wax ring that goes under a water closet to flux the pot , been doing so since 1972 and it works. When I pour bullets i do the same and also smoke my molds with a candle.

[Goatwhiskers]

In re: your accuracy problem you mentioned.  Before you do anything else, slug your bore with a soft lead slug and determine bore size.  Then size your boolits .001-.002" over groove size.  This will go a long way on solving accuracy problems and will also keep the bore from leading as it seals correctly.  Goat

[calvon]

Wood ashes also makes a good seal between the melt and the atmosphere. I suspect that sawdust turns to wood ashes in the pot.

[res45]

I've been using sawdust for several years now.  Sawdust cover all the important areas,it removes impurities from the lead,it reduces oxidized Tin back into the molten alloy and it prevents oxidation.

A good read on the benefits  of sawdust can be found here http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_4_Fluxing.htm

[ratdog]

never tried saw dust i have been using lee alox bullet lube stinks bad but works.

[Forsberg]

I use saw dust and canning wax  to flux and stir with a wooden paint paddle. Cleans the melt and reduces oxidation. Yes the paint paddles burn but they help clean, and the price is right at most any hardware store. Generally once per casting session.

[Don Fischer]

I've mostly used candle or bullet lube. But read about sawdust and tried it, worked fine. Then I read about sturing with a piece of wood. Tried it and it seem's to work fine. Watched a show on TV years ago about large factory's that make lead. They fluxed by throwing a log in the melted metal.

[hornady]

Over the years I have tried about all the home made fluxes. Now I just drop a pea size chunk of bullet lube in the pot. One thing I would stay away from is commercial clean flux. Back when I was still using a Lee pot, I used it once, Fluxed great, no smoke, But the next time I took the pot out the inside had a heavy layer of rust. And as most know Lee bottom pour pots will mess up with very little junk in them.