Best Kitty Litter for Casting

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  • Last Post 16 August 2019
John Alexander posted this 13 August 2019

Anybody out there use kitty litter in their melting pot to reduce the contact of the lead with air?

If so what brand works well.  I just found one that doesn't and gumed things up.

Probably the stuff added to reduce the smell causing problems so maybe the cheapest is the best.

John

 

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cfp4570 posted this 13 August 2019

I've never used it in my lead pot, but I would think floor dry oil absorbent would be the ticket. It is just plain dried clay, or in other words, kitty litter without the additives to cover up Morris the cat's waste odors.

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Ross Smith posted this 14 August 2019

I think the old cheap clay based plain jane stuff is what to use. This trick was reccommended many years ago before the clump-n-dump stuff was invented.

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RicinYakima posted this 14 August 2019

Diatomaceous Earth

This is the only thing that ever really worked for me, other than charcoal.

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David Reiss posted this 14 August 2019

I use the cheap clay little from the $1 store, works great. 

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.
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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 14 August 2019

i use oil dry ... cheap by the bag from tractor supply ...  weird to use dipper, but it seems to float to the top and not go into casting ...   

ken

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John Alexander posted this 15 August 2019

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

It always works to just use what the cat did --- until it didn't and the new stuff made a mess. Now I have three different materials to try.

John

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Bud Hyett posted this 15 August 2019

I use corn meal, both to flux and to cover. 

  • Corn meal and beeswax candles bits to flux at the beginning
  • Add to the top and allow wax to begin melting
  • Mix thoroughly and stir until surface is shiny
  • This will usually ignite on its own , let burn to a powder
  • Skim and clean the surface
  • One more layer of strictly corn meal, light and let turn to solid carbon mass
  • Lift off, there is usually residual junk stuck to the bottom of this covering.
  • Second application of corn meal, just let it smoke or light it to be a carbon cover.  

Corn meal still has some corn oil in it to act as a flux, the bits of beeswax candles are a help. 

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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Coydog posted this 16 August 2019

I use ground up corn cobs. it keep the smell to it is ok and flux good. It works for me and use it also for tumble my brass after I size and deprime. 

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 16 August 2019

speaking of ground corn cobs, i use that for fillers, also dacron puffs ... in the rare occasions i am trying something silly.  ok, not so rare.

so far so good ... anybody else use ground corncobs for filler ?  i think it keeps the barrel shiny, but may be an answer without a question ...

ken

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RicinYakima posted this 16 August 2019

Silly, but I have used old case tumbler corn cobs for filler in a Trapdoor. Fifty grains of FF black and filler enough to compress when thumb seating the bullet. Didn't shine the barrel up (too many pits) but kept powder fouling down.

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