Bret4207
At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
More or less, yes. The major fluxing/cleaning is done while smelting down the scrap. For that I use sawdust, anything that will turn to carbon, and something long enough to keep me back as I agitate the melt. Also do this in a purpose bought large dutch oven that holds probably 100+ lbs of lead alloy on a gasoline plumbers furnace that throws a jet of blue flame 4 feet high. Totally serious, it's definitely an outside toy. Once everything is in ingots, then all you should have to contend with is dust and rust/dirt if you are using a ferrous metal pot. I use a very large stainless measuring cup. All I have to do is wait for it to melt and then the DRY stick is used to agitate the melt. I swirl it, rub the bottom and sides of the pot, etc. The stick chars as I go and the char/dirt floats to the top. The ladle goes in and I continue stirring as mo junk comes up. Then I skim the majority of the crap out. I don't try to get every last bit because that's where I think you start removing SN/SB and whatever else is not mixing in good. I will toss the ash, but I don't toss the metal that comes out in the dross. That goes back in the smelting pot for the next go around in case there's a little good stuff in it. If there is char on top of the melt, that's fine. The ladles I use are all built with the nozzle down the side so I'm not pouring the very top layer anyway where the stuff floats.Bret, How do you flux with a stick? Do you use a paint stick for example and stir it in molten lead until it burns up?
Seems to work for me.
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