[sagacious]

Originally Posted by gat0r

I use a bbq lighter to light my propane torch so there you go, that's what I had for my first bout of fluxing. I was not ready for how large and how long the flame burned. But I stirred the pot with my long handled lee ladel and things went well.

Thanks for the feedback on the bbq lighter. Yup, you have to be prepared for the flame, but like I say, if you light the wax flux asap, the flames will start out smaller. If you wait until there's billowing clouds of smoke, and then light it, you'll get a 'whoosh!' and bigger flames. As always, melt/pour/flux lead where spills of molten metal, or flames, will cause no harm.

I skimmed off the impurities and my pours seemed a bit better but now I have a stupid question. On this fluxing, is this to make better "BOTTOM" pours. I use a Lee Pot and still tilt and pour rather than using the bottom pourer precision pot.

That's an excellent question. Yes, fluxing will absolutely benefit ANY pouring method. OK Sagacious, just how can that be?

Well, fluxing removes impurities/dirt/oxides from within the lead, and not just from the surface of the lead. That's why you stir the lead while fluxing-- you need to stir it up really good so the dirt/oxides that are contained within the lead have a chance to be wetted by the flux, and removed from the melt. Stirring vigorously with a long-handled Lee ladle works very well to help the flux remove the dirt/oxides from within the lead melt. If you just toss a chunk of wax on the melt, light it on fire, and then skim off the soot, that won't help a whole lot. You need to really stir the melt up good, and also scrape the dirt from the sides of the pot while fluxing-- so it all gets removed. Make sense now?

I have one that blades loaned to me but the pour hole is clogged and the pours were incosistent and uneven (without fluxing). Should I clean the pour hole with something or will fluxing help fix my former bottom pour problems?

I think you're gonna be using that bottom-pour again.

What you need to do is clean out the pour hole. And from then on, use only ingots in a bottom-pour (don't ever melt down scrap or tire weights in the bottom-pour pot). When you're going to use the bottom-pour, let your ingots melt, and then always flux before you start pouring. Flux again about once every hour, to keep the lead free from oxides and dirt. That should help keep your pours consistent, speed up production, and avoid a lot of frustration. If you do that, it will help you avoid most of the clogging/leaking problems.

Hope this helps, it should make a difference for ya! More questions? Just ask!