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I always mocked extra flux until my iron came out full of slag.
For a long time, I thought adding extra flux was just a waste. I saw other guys do it and laughed, saying our mix was good enough. Then last week, we had a big pour of iron parts. When we broke the molds, the surfaces were rough and pitted. The boss pointed out all the slag trapped inside. It meant hours of extra grinding and some pieces got scrapped. Now I get why that bit of flux matters. It helps the impurities rise so you can skim them off clean.
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emery1991mo ago
Reading about your slag problem took me back to this article I saw in a trade magazine last year. They had a whole section on how even a little extra flux can pull out impurities you don't even see. @mary_foster92 is right, it really changes everything once you see the results. The writer told a story about a shop that fought quality issues for months before someone checked their flux ratio. Turns out they were under using it by just a tiny amount, and that was enough to cause all sorts of surface defects. It's one of those things that seems minor until it's not, you know?
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joelt701mo ago
Guess who's not laughing at extra flux anymore? Bet you'll be the one telling new guys to stop being cheap with it next week.
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