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casting question
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 Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 03:22 AM
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steel13
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So with me kind of new to the casting game, I have a question. I am casting from a cast iron dutch oven with WW. On the surface of the melt there is a kind of gold colored film ( I call it film, for a lack of a better term) with purple hughes through it. I fluxed it with candle wax trying to force it down into the melt but shortly after I quit stirring it reappears. Is it tin? How do I get it to mix in? I know that I dont want to scrape it off, but I have some mold clogging issues with it as it is.
Perhaps my fluxing needs improving.



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 Posted: Sat Jul 26th, 2008 03:44 AM
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Ranch 13
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You might need to get the melt just a bit hotter. Don't worry about scraping stuff off the top, if it won't melt and blend in its really nothing you want in your bullets.



 Posted: Sat Aug 9th, 2008 11:36 PM
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SCSlim
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The film probably is tin. It's pretty hard to get it mixed thoroghly. There are some fluxes that help. I used to flux the melt pretty heavily with a white powdery flux (looked something like salt), then stir the melt after each dip or pour to try to keep it mixed. It can be and was a pain.

On the upside, WWs is good stuff. Wish I could get my hands on a couple buckets full around here. The tire stores all sell it to recyclers now, so even if you buy a set of tires fom them, most won't turn loose of any. :(

 



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 Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 01:04 AM
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miestro_jerry
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I use Marveflux (sp) or Borax as a flux for my casting to keep the stuff from separating.

Sometimes what is on top is junk and other times its your tin and Antimony. Bullet casting is an art, as well as a science. It is looking at the thermometer and looking at the bullets that you are casting.

For most things I really like WWs, but then again I add some extra Tin to WWs to help the alloy.

 

Jerry



 Posted: Fri Sep 5th, 2008 07:04 PM
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steel13
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just an update with the flux/temp problem. As it turns out it was a little of both, I fluxed  with regular bullet lube and brought my temp down and tried to maintain between 650 and 670 . Problem seemed to go away and the bullets looked better. I had kind of a frosting problem as well. Which I was able to solve by bringing the temps down.



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