Fluxing a Lee pot

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  • Last Post 29 March 2018
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max503 posted this 25 March 2018

What's the best way to flux the Lee electric pot?  I had been leaving a layer of cat litter on top of the melt and doing infrequent fluxing with wax.  Last night I got rid of the cat litter and went back to using candle wax, then scraping the sides of the pot and skimming the top. 

I was using a 6 cavity, 200 grain mould which required adding lead frequently, which required lots of fluxing.  I'm just wondering if there isn't an easier way.  Maybe I should go back to leaving a layer of cat litter on top of the melt and only doing infrequent fluxing with wax.  I donno.  What do you guys do when you're doing high volume casting?

Sorry if this has been discussed before.  I haven't figured out the Search Function on this site.

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Duane Mellenbruch posted this 25 March 2018

While there are many ways of doing this, I will offer my way as one of many.  I use the Lee 4-20 with the larger molds and bullet weights.  I am also fortunate enough to have a PID heat controller.  If I am going to try to make a continuous casting run, I also use thin ingots of well cleaned alloy as well as returning sprues to the pot regularly.  I try to avoid dumping several ingots or sprue pieces back into the pot as that might chill the melt and cause some casting variables.  If you can preheat the ingots you are adding that will also benefit your temperature control.  I set the PID for about 725 degrees which will generally result in slightly frosted well filled out bullets.  As your mold comes up to casting temperature, you may need to slow down the pace which will actually give you a little more time for the pot to recover as you cast. 

If you only have a 10 pound pot, you will very likely find the preheated ingots mandatory and it will be difficult to keep the pot and mold hot enough if you are casting in a cold ambient air temp.

It might also be helpful to cut the sprue at the right time to be easy to cut, but leave the sprue in place until the hot alloy has set up just a little more.  It will prevent smears yet keep the sprue plate and mold hot between pours.  That is the theory, now to find out what works best for you in your circumstances.

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John Alexander posted this 25 March 2018

Like you, I use a layer of cat litter and never flux unless I am filling the pot. This seems to work and produces visually perfect bullets that shoot well if other things are right (clean mold right temp etc.).  Since this works so well I don't know why many casters flux repeatedly.

Sometimes I think that some folks are afflicted with a nagging guilty feeling that if it's too easy it must be wrong or if  it is hard to do and super fussy it must produce better results.  Perhaps inherited from puritan ancestors who who seemed to think pain was virtuous. My ancestors may have been Russians who weren't afflicted with this bad DNA -- or maybe I am just lazy.

John 

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358156hp posted this 25 March 2018

Here. Read this: http://www.lasc.us/FryxellFluxing.htm

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David Reiss posted this 25 March 2018

I too, like John, use kitty litter and only flux when adding new lead. This has worked for me going on 30 plus years after trying other fluxes for about 10 years. It not only works well, but is cheap also. Having said this I must add that I only use clean ingots. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
- Also deal in: Land, Banjos, Nails, Firearms, Manure, Fly Swatters, Used Cars, Whisky, Racing Forms, Rare Antiquities, Lead, Used Keyboard Keys, Good Dogs, Pith Helmets & Zulu Headdresses. .

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max503 posted this 26 March 2018

You guys say you flux when you fill the pot.  When I'm casting 6 cavities of 200 grain bullets it seems like I'm continually adding to the pot.  I only use clean ingots.  So ------- If I use a layer of kitty litter, can I just add, and cast, and not use wax very often?  Maybe stir the litter into the melt from time to time?  I think mine is a 10 pound bottom pour pot.

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Duane Mellenbruch posted this 26 March 2018

I flux when first starting the pot because it usually will have set and collected some oxide on the surface.  Once up and running, just returning the sprues and adding clean alloy does not seem to add a lot to the dross.  If I put anything on the surface, I would not be able to see what the melt is doing. 

Let me be clear, I am not focused on perfect match quality bullets.  I make good and well filled out bullets, but Bench Rest is not my goal.  I am a hand gun shooter so the perfection is not as critical.

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David Reiss posted this 26 March 2018

When using the kitty litter and clean ingots, then just stir a little after adding lead and keep going. It works for me, with any number of cavities. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
- Also deal in: Land, Banjos, Nails, Firearms, Manure, Fly Swatters, Used Cars, Whisky, Racing Forms, Rare Antiquities, Lead, Used Keyboard Keys, Good Dogs, Pith Helmets & Zulu Headdresses. .

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nosee posted this 27 March 2018

I still don,t understand how the kitty litter works, thats why I,am called Nosee.I hope you don,t use, used litter, the flux smells bad enough!  Nosee

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TRKakaCatWhisperer posted this 27 March 2018

The word FLUX means 'to clean'.  It helps break down the oxidized alloy to the starting elements (lead, tin, antimony).  Putting kitty litter on top helps keep the elements on the surface from re-oxidizing.   

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358156hp posted this 27 March 2018

My primary fluxing is done with wood chips. I use hamster bedding from the same pet store that sells me my tumbling media. I've posted a video here a few times showing the procedure, so I'll spare you a rerun.

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OU812 posted this 27 March 2018

Too help keep mess down and to refill pot I will cut and dump each solidified sprue back into pot during casting . When I get tired or when the sprue plate needs to be lubed I will take a break. Flux again before going back at it.

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David Reiss posted this 28 March 2018

Yes the kitty litter keeps the lead from oxidizing, but if you ingots are clean, there is really no need to flux, just stir them in as I stated. It has been working so long, why fix something that is not broke. John and I together have been using this method for so long without issues, so there is no need to flux, that's proven as far as I'm concerned. And yes wood chips or ash works the same way, but kitty little is just more convenient for us. 

I spent the first 10 or so years of my casting using all different types of flux in the casting pot. This was wasted time in my opinion. As long as I fluxed the alloy when making my ingots from my smelting pot, I found no reason to continue to flux when using the kitty litter. Also I use a little bullet lube to flux when making my ingots. 

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
- Also deal in: Land, Banjos, Nails, Firearms, Manure, Fly Swatters, Used Cars, Whisky, Racing Forms, Rare Antiquities, Lead, Used Keyboard Keys, Good Dogs, Pith Helmets & Zulu Headdresses. .

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OU812 posted this 28 March 2018

Kitty liter, Saw dust, Wood chips will contaminate by getting trapped between melt and walls of pot. I use flux that leaves less residue or ash...maybe simple beeswax or parifin.

Borax is shunned, but is probably one of the best for fluxing.

Veral of LBT says used motor oil can be used as flux, but very smoky. 

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TRKakaCatWhisperer posted this 28 March 2018

borax is GREAT for fluxing.

 

AND IF you use a wooden stick to stir with the sides of the pot remain CLEAN.  Just watch the moisture content of the wood for the obvious reasons.

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OU812 posted this 29 March 2018

Flux at lower temps under 750.

Some 22 caliber moulds require that I cast hotter 800 degrees for best fillout. I can cast about 200 good bullets in 1 hour, so I figure very little tin (if using tinned alloy) is lost in that time frame.

Some say tin will evaporate from pot at over 750 degrees, but they fail to say at what rate it evaporates. Very little will evaporate in 1 hour time I think. Be sure to turn temp back down or off after you have finished

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