Who else just fluxes with wax?

[like it all]

Just started casting again, and I decided to stop using paraffin. I always hated the smoke and flames, with the associated mess. Switched to the commercial stuff from Midway. It seems to work as well, separating the scum from the metal, without the smoke and mess.

[eljefeoz]

Gear:
Thanks for the re cap.
I still check my alloy and use cedar chips -just a couple - clean out dross , BW or plain ol candles and clean up the alloy before I pour my CB.
I learnt in the last casting session-better to have wood than a thermometer. The way that mushy oat meal went to silvery alloy with a handful of cedar chips was very educating.
The animal fat off the BBQ-truly a 'sacrificial' reductant ,aye?
Yup,I ladle cast.

[Lead Fred]

Used to use wax.

Then Mr Martin sent me a pile of his magic wood flakes.

Have not gone back to wax

[WRideout]

I have used paraffin wax ever since my stepfather showed me how to cast, ca 1986. Occasionally I will use wood chips, and stir with a stick, but I haven't found by experience that it is any more beneficial than wax. I may be losing some tin in my pistol boolits, but I can't tell any difference at the range.
Wayne

[Mal Paso]

Used to use wax.

Then Mr Martin sent me a pile of his magic wood flakes.

Have not gone back to wax

Do you mean PatMarlin?

I use course Cedar Sawdust in the smelting/blending pot outside and RandyRat's Beeswax for the casting pot inside.

[Larry Gibson]

So here's the point; The OP asked a simple question....."So who else breaks all the rules and just fluxes with wax without any problems?

That's pretty clear and straight forward. He didn't ask if something fluxes better or worse than wax or what other fluxes anyone is using...........he simply asked who uses waxes for fluxing........

I still use wax and thank the others who do use waxes for fluxing who answered. As for the rest of it..........we've heard it all before and simply because science has progressed to something "new" (if we can call sawdust new?) it does not mean that wax as a flux all of a sudden doesn't flux anymore or good enough to produce excellent cast bullets..........The OP, myself or others certainly didn't "fill the world with mystic opinion, confuse facts of science, justify it all with red herring fallacies, and bring everyone, especially newcomers to the hobby, down to your level of ignorance"....we simply stated we used waxes as a flux in answer to the OP's question. Somehow some of these threads sure do get side tracked from the simplistic question of the OP.........

Larry Gibson

[wistlepig1]

WAX and proud of it

[1bilmr59]

A lot of good info Thanks

[Airman Basic]

Now that I think about it, when I'm smelting wheelweights, my flux is all the carbon based **** that's in the bucket of weights. Oil, rubber, cigarette butts, toothpicks and other random human detritus. Dang, waxing philosophical now, ain't we?

[bedbugbilly]

I'm new to this forum so not trying to "shake any trees". LOL I've been casting since the mid 60s - have always used a pot over a propane fired single burner - ladle style - mostly round ball and conicals. I've always used beeswax - don't ask me how I got started using it as I can't remember. I think I picked that up from a fellow who took me under his wing back then to get me shooting front stuffers. I bought a 10 pound block of beeswax from a apiary a long time ago and still have oodles left. Works for me but everyone has their own favorite method. The one thing about it is that it is always dry with no moisture so therefor I've never had one of those "tinsel moments". Seems to work well so I've just never used anything else.

[warf73]

I also use wax, but on my first fire up of the smelting pot I use old motor oil. Once up and running I use wax for my flux and has worked great. Never had a fillout issue that 1% tin wouldn't fix. Not saying saw dust doesn't work but I'm not going out and buying saw dust KISS has worked for fluxing my alloy.

[jlchucker]

I have used paraffin wax ever since my stepfather showed me how to cast, ca 1986. Occasionally I will use wood chips, and stir with a stick, but I haven't found by experience that it is any more beneficial than wax. I may be losing some tin in my pistol boolits, but I can't tell any difference at the range.
Wayne

Wayne, I've always used the paraffin wax that you can buy in blocks in the canning section of the grocery store. I've tried candle wax, too--and can't tell the difference. After reading all of the stuff in this thread, come springtime when I start casting again I've got to try some of the methods that the guys have been posting about. I think I'll pass on the motor oil method, though.

[shooterg]

"waxing" philosophical, Airman ? Groan !!

[mdi]

I don't believe there is a "best" flux. I have used a whole lot of stuff for fluxing and all worked to some extent. I have used all kinds of wax from bullet lube to paraffin, beeswax, and candles. All worked to some extent. I researched what flux does and tried some crushed BBQ charcoal briquettes. Worked, but way too much work. I read about sawdust and tried it. Works for me and it's free and just at the other end of my shop, just 12 feet away and that's real handy. For me, sawdust is the "best". For you wax may be the "best". It's all in what works for you and you are satisfied with the results...

[shoot-n-lead]

So here's the point; The OP asked a simple question....."So who else breaks all the rules and just fluxes with wax without any problems?

That's pretty clear and straight forward. He didn't ask if something fluxes better or worse than wax or what other fluxes anyone is using...........he simply asked who uses waxes for fluxing........

I still use wax and thank the others who do use waxes for fluxing who answered. As for the rest of it..........we've heard it all before and simply because science has progressed to something "new" (if we can call sawdust new?) it does not mean that wax as a flux all of a sudden doesn't flux anymore or good enough to produce excellent cast bullets..........The OP, myself or others certainly didn't "fill the world with mystic opinion, confuse facts of science, justify it all with red herring fallacies, and bring everyone, especially newcomers to the hobby, down to your level of ignorance"....we simply stated we used waxes as a flux in answer to the OP's question. Somehow some of these threads sure do get side tracked from the simplistic question of the OP.........

Larry Gibson

X 2

Have used wax all of my years of casting and have never seen where I short changed myself. My alloy pours fine, fills out well and make bullets that shoot straight. That is all that I really need for it to do.

[gwpercle]

When I started, my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook instructed me to use " tallow, beeswax or bullet lubricant", so I did for 40 or so years untill I discovered, on this site ...no thats wrong...sawdust is the magic flux. So I have been using sawdust, wood shavings, pencil sharpener shavings, a combination of beeswax and shavings and have even used the disdained Marvelux....and guess what...it all works.
I use Marvelux first and if it needs more fluxing I will add some melted beeswax with wood shavings just for the heck of it and I really can't see any difference in the end result. Marvelux smokes a lot less and doesn't smell bad. A small amount of cedar ( pencil sharpener) shavings and beeswax smokes a little but smells good.
As far as I can tell it all works so just use whatever is handy , cheap and available or whatever you like to use.
Gary's $0.02

[jmort]

Sounds like we have some "reducers" here. Nothing wrong with that, as long as they don't discourage actual fluxing by new members.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_4_Fluxing.htm

[kenyerian]

The guys that got me started casting back in the 60's were plumbers by trade so we used wax toliet rings. Since they have all retired I use old candles that my wife saves for me and sawdust. basicaly what ever is handy and if it's free so much the better.

[dikman]

Thanks for posting that, jmortimer, it's one of the many things I've read (and forgotten about!). It actually explained why I shouldn't flux! I shoot roundball/muzzleloaders, so I don't actually want tin in the lead if possible. By not fluxing it causes the tin (well, at least some of it) to oxidise and separate out, thus hopefully reducing the tin component. I'm working through another batch of (pistol) range scrap, this time without flux, and it seems to be working out ok so far by just skimming off all the crud.

[grumman581]

As far as I can tell it all works so just use whatever is handy , cheap and available or whatever you like to use.
Gary's $0.02

Cheap and available is the key for many of us. When smelting, I use used motor oil and sawdust mostly. I have to dispose of my used motor oil *somewhere* and if nothing else, it adds some additional heat to the smelting pot when I still have the steel clips in it. Since I have a power miter saw with a filter on it, I'm always generating plenty of sawdust that I would need to dispose of, so I just dump it in a bucket and put my oil filter in it to drain after I've changed the oil in my car. For casting though, I don't use these since I don't want a large source of flames when I'm inside my garage. I'm more inclined to just use a cedar stick for stirring, some cedar sawdust, or a bit of wax.