Fluxing and ladle casting

Ian

Notorious member
Really good videos, but yer whackin' stick is about wore out there, Brad. :p Funny how we get attached to them, though.

I like how you whack the mould at least once before you pop it open, it sure helps. Usually I whack it and pop the handles open with my other hand at the same time, helps the bullets shuck out on those moulds like that one which have no draft on the front band and nearly mechanically lock themselves into the mould.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
That stick is a handle for a hawk I own. I never used my spare handle so it got repurposed. I have been using that stick for 30 years or so. Probably time for a new one?
 

358156 hp

At large, whereabouts unknown.
Tom made me a new whackin' stick a couple of years back out of Delrin. It was shorter than my original whackin' stick, and I felt it was too light to be useful. Well, the old whackin' stick wore out (broke in half) at a bad time, and I needed to keep going, so I dug out the funny little plastic stick. Holy cow! that little sucker is really light in the hand, and faster than anything. I'll never buy another hammer handle for whackin' again!

BTW Brad, your videos are getting better by the day. Was this one the GoPro, or your phone?
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Delrin stock is pretty cheap. I may just buy a hunk of 3/4" stock and make a couple.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Nice vid!

I can't believe you didn't sing us a ditty or commentate.:p

I don't touch the fluxing media till that fire you started goes out. Then I stir the black carbon chunks through the melt & scrape the sides & bottom. After that I scoop the junk off & put fresh saw dust on & leave it. Looks like you did a thorough job either way.

It's my understanding it's the carbon that brings the impurities to the surface but, I dunno.

On the casting I'm impressed. I don't ladle from my Lee. How you do it without making a bigger mess escapes me still. I have the same ladle & find it to large to get a good pace without a big mess.

I'd move the bullet drop & everything to the same side. The back & forth motions around the pot are unnecessary/slowing.

Thanks for sharing....:cool:
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
This camera could easily become addicting. Something I have learned is that what I see on tape isn't what I always think I saw or did at the time. I learn as much as anyone.
 

Ian

Notorious member
True, it's interesting to video yourself. I found out that I mouth-breathe like an ape when it's really hot and humid outside, never really noticed that before seeing it on video.

FWIW the fluxing sequence could have been shot above my own pot, that's exactly how I do it, to the tee. Sometimes when I'm feeling froggy I grab the long-handled teaspoon, scrape the bottom really well and stir the alloy to create a nice vortex after skimming, this creates a flow in the pot that pushes fine dust up the sides and then to the center of the surface where it can be skimmed.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I generally stir so I create upward flow. Same reason, I want those fine particles to reach the surface where they will stay. Amazing what gets held under the surface due to the weight of the lead.
 

S Mac

Sept. 10, 2021 Steve left us. You are missed.
Good job Brad. How did you plug the bottom pour orifice? I ladle cast with mine, don't have a Rowell so mine does fit.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
Interesting to see how others cast. So many different techniques and procedures. I want to know HOW IN THE HELL you didn't burn your bare hand while fluxing!?
Didn't that spoon get hot!?!?:eek:
You are a messy caster BTW!:cool:
Thanks for the vids. Very cool!
 

Ian

Notorious member
In that amount of time the spoon doesn't get hot at all on the end of the handle.
 

waco

Springfield, Oregon
You would think it would. My fluxing spoon has a wooden handle attached to it. I've never tried before so I guess I wouldn't know!
 

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I wouldn't know either, before the spoon ever got used it had a wood handle attached. Besides not getting hot it makes the handle longer and easier to use. My Magma pot is deeper than that LEE and I bring alloy up from the bottom, most of the spoon's handle is in the melt, it will get hot.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Waco, it is a MAN thing.:)

The spoon does get warm but not far enough up to be a real issue.

That pot is a Lee dipper pot, no bottom split to deal with. That is the advantage over my RCBS.

Yeah, it is a messy area. It gets used only for casting so I don't worry over it. I did clean it a year or so ago.
 

Brother_Love

Well-Known Member
Again, a great thread! I ordered the slightly smaller Rowell #1. I have a extra Lee 10 lb pot that I am going stop up spout with a sheet metal screw.

When I first starting casting it was with a cast iron skillet on a Coleman camp stove, a Lee SC mound and a Lee dipper. That was 4 yrs ago!

Thanks
 

Ian

Notorious member
Geez Waco, how do you do anything in there? It's too clean to think!

....sez the guy who just made half a 33-gallon trash can of mild steel swarf and only about 2 gallons is actually in the can :rolleyes: