Marvelux

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  • Last Post 16 December 2015
Pigslayer posted this 08 November 2015

A long while back I was warned about Marvelux. I used it anyway & it made a mess of my 10 lb. LEE pot. I use my 20 lb. LEE pot for all my casting now & my 10 lb. for smelting. I got my 10 lb. out the other day & noticed that the Marvelux had corroded my thermostat to hell & back to the point where Kroil couldn't loosen the switch/control up!!! I have since ordered a new thermostat/switch & will NEVER use Marvelux again!   Pat

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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billglaze posted this 08 November 2015

Pigslayer:I used the nasty stuff for a short time, and came to loathe the black, gummy mess that covered the rim of the Lyman 20 lb casting furnace I use; I was afraid to use the pot to it's bottom, for fear of gumming up the lead outflow hole.  I didn't know it was as corrosive as you found it. For my purposes, fluxing with pieces of canning paraffin works well, followed by a half tablespoon of Borax to cover the pot surface and keep the air off the melt, works so well that's where I've stayed.  I've still got some of the yucky stuff; trying to find something it's good for.  Haven't succeeded yet.

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.

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Pigslayer posted this 09 November 2015

billglaze wrote: Pigslayer:I used the nasty stuff for a short time, and came to loathe the black, gummy mess that covered the rim of the Lyman 20 lb casting furnace I use; I was afraid to use the pot to it's bottom, for fear of gumming up the lead outflow hole.  I didn't know it was as corrosive as you found it. For my purposes, fluxing with pieces of canning paraffin works well, followed by a half tablespoon of Borax to cover the pot surface and keep the air off the melt, works so well that's where I've stayed.  I've still got some of the yucky stuff; trying to find something it's good for.  Haven't succeeded yet. Yep. Bought a pound of paraffin some time ago. Works just fine.

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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bandmiller2 posted this 10 November 2015

Marvelux is guilty as charged it will also corrode your shop equipment from the vapors. I still think it has a place for occasional use on tough to flux batches but I can't really prove it. Most of the time I use a piece of candle wax. Frank C.

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Mustafa Curtess posted this 10 November 2015

I give Marvelux Two Thumbs Down, too! I can't imagine any situation that could benefit from the stuff - and Mercy! - what a mess of my casting equipment! I did get it out of my 20 lb melter by running a elec. drill with a wire brush wheel on a shaft, To keep the dust down, I put an inch of water in the pot and kept the glass wet. Worked Great! So Mavelux is at least slightly water-soluble?

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RicinYakima posted this 10 November 2015

Yep, some of the produces of decomposition are mineral salts, and water soluble, or further break down with water to form new compounds that are easier to remove. In its original form it will pull water from the air, and requires caution in using old material.

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Maven posted this 10 November 2015

I've been using it for at least 20 yrs., as I cast indoors and paraffin, beeswax or sawdust aren't options.  Although Marvelux is hygroscopic, as Ric suggested, I've never experienced rusting of my Lee furnace, reloading equipment, or moulds left in proximity to said furnace while it cools. Moreover, any deposits left when I empty it, are easily dissolved and removed by adding boiling water to it, scraping the sides, and repeating if necessary.

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Mustafa Curtess posted this 10 November 2015

Ooooops! I never considered the smoke. Casting smoke has never been my concern. Anytime bullet quality is written about, it is at least implied that Marvelux will produce superior CB'S. That's why I bought some to use. I didn't find any difference - regardless what I flux with. I have raw BW which works fine, but normally use olive oil from a pump-dispenser. Pump a shot into the ladle, swirl it around, invert it and plunge it to the bottom of the pot and begin agitating the melt. That Marvelux deposit just gets in the way. Olive oil smokes less (than BeesWax) and the house takes on the fragrance of a hamburger joint in S. Spain.

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Bud Hyett posted this 12 November 2015

Three thoughts on Marvelux: <>If you read the Marvelux instructions, they admonish the user to use very little. This solves the bubbling problem, even if you need to do the flux several times. Like Brylcreem, a little dab will do you.<>I use it when melting wheel-weight and scrap unknown source lead; the fluxing properties in a large pot are superior and the bubbling contamination does not interfere when casting bullets later in my regular pot. <*>I use corn meal for flux, it seems to work well. After fluxing, I cover the pot with a light covering of corn meal and light it off to seal the mix from the air. This causes a carbon layer and leaves me after the casting session with a desire for burned tacos which a local restaurant can provide.

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 12 November 2015

heh burnt cornmeal ..... i suppose somebody has tried coffee grounds ..... good to dropping the last casting ...

ken

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Bud Hyett posted this 13 November 2015

Coffee grounds are great for cleaning cases in a tumbler, once thoroughly dried. There seems to be enough residual oil to shine the cases to a brilliant hue. The only problem is since I retired, I do not drink enough coffee to accumulate the needed quantity of grounds.

Farm boy from Illinois, living in the magical Pacific Northwest

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 13 November 2015

i should have noted that damp coffee grounds spooned into melted alloy would be very dangerous ... steam explosion ... i apologize for my lapse of due caution .

ken

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kcajeel posted this 16 December 2015

I have three cans of the Marvelux of different vintages with the oldest can probably being 25 years old and every one of the cans funk up my mix. I ought to throw them out but I can't let them go. The guy I got the older tins from was a commercial caster so I keep thinking he must have seen some “redeeming value” in it or he'd thrown it out. I've tried beeswax and it works well but I stumbled upon deer tallow and it works great for me.If you're in the part of the country that hunting is popular when you get a deer save the fat and give it a try. You can put chunks of the tallow in a plastic bag and throw it into the freezer storing it for later use. When you need to do some fluxing drag the bag out, break off some tallow, put the rest back for later fluxing, and flux away. If you don't hunt find a deer processer and ask him for tallow. They're glad for you to take it. They just have to pay to send it to the landfill. Give that one a try and let me know what you think.

Jack Lee

Jack

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gpidaho posted this 16 December 2015

I'm much to frightened of the tinsel fairy to drop frozen material of any kind into molten alloy. That said, I believe tallow has been used as flux and lube for centuries and most likely works very well. Gp

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