Marvelux official depository

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shuz

Active Member
Once again I shall offer my services as an official depository site for Marvelux for those who just hate the stuff, but can't seem to throw it away. I will surely dispose of it in my RCBS PROMELT and relieve you of all responsibilities!
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
what?
it makes great soldering flux, you can use it to get raw antimony into your lead alloy, it'll make your socks white again, it'll also pull junk metals out of an otherwise good alloy too.

I ain't putting it anywhere near my casting pots though.
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
God I hated that stuff. Never saw so much rust in my life. And it attracted moisture like nobody’s business- lots of sputtering until everything dried out.

I wouldn’t even send it to fiver I hate it so much.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I always managed to ignore the siren song of Marvelux as a casting flux. Pine tree shavings did so well for me for so long, I never saw a need to explore further. Have I shared the story of the Tijuana Boat Ballast Casting Metal Saga? Pine shavings figure highly in this account.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
I dimly recall a boat ballast story,,,, but I don't recall if you told it or it was someone else's saga.
I seem to remember a tarp of some sort being involved though.
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
I hadn't even scooped off the ash from my first ever fluxing with sawdust before the Marvacrap was in the trash.
 
CZ93X62

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Not by me, Marie's uncle threaded those international needles deftly. I got the cut-off end pieces and metal sawdust post-ballast-install in the sailboat he built. That raw metal contained about 8%-10% beach sand, thanks to the maquiladora metallurgist that cast up the 1" x 4" and 2" x 4" ingots he bought in TJ. Those pine shavings did a fine job of floating that sand right out of the molten metal.
 
JonB

JonB

Halcyon member
Some years back, in my protest to the traveling junk boxes (at the other forum), I offered a NON-traveling junk box for a PIF. In that box was a near full can of Marvelux... among many other items I felt had no use in the casting room.
 
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BudHyett

Active Member
Marvelux has one very good use. I hate to mention this since others will now know and I'll not be able to get free Marvelux. I mix one hundred forty pounds (4700 200+ grain .308 and .30-'06 bullets) of used linotype hard alloy in a cast iron pot each Fall to have homogenous alloy for the coming year. May be overkill, but Alice likes to shoot both CBA Production and Military Rifle which require a hard alloy.

Marvelux works very well to get all the crud out of the mixture that sits in the pot as we begin. First, I run it on a hot plate to drive the moisture out before we begin, less bubbling. The other trick is to use it very sparingly as a light dusting and stir into the alloy. Every time I see someone offering free Marvelux at a match, I get it.
 
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RicinYakima

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Luckily you live in high humidity. Here in the desert, hydrochloric acid fumes eat up every piece of ferrous metal in 24 hours. Nasty stuff but it works if you can deal with the side effects.
 
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BudHyett

Active Member
I do this outside with a slight wind or a fan keeping the fumes going away. The first time I used this was in Illinois and a small Lyman cast iron pot, it was rusty before the sun set that day, good warning. I now even clean the pot thoroughly after use.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
Mac, you don't even have to look that far.
Glen is a moderator here, you could just ask him direct, or one of about 29 of us could just answer the question.
 
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porthos

Active Member
often wonder why they are still in business. i guess that there a lot of 1 time buyers. while i am here. why is my post in darker print?

Fixed it. The "B" in your highlight bar is on.
 
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