Ian
Notorious member
I do basically all of the above, and often use a cedar stick to stir with. If you aren't stupid with it you don't get junk trapped in the melt, and nothing cleans the sides of a pot like a softwood stick, it's like a "magic eraser" for dross Klingons. So I basically dump a handful of sappy pine sawdust on top of the pot, swish the oxide scum through it, set it on fire, ladle metal up through it and pour over the top, and when the flames start to burn out I stir the hell out of it to create a vortex that cycles metal through the pot. Then I skim and take a few minutes to check the forums, size brass, pet the cat, kiss my wife, go pee, (not necessarily all at once) and come back and skim the rest, oxides and all. Then it's go time with the bottom pour.