Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Fluxes vs Oxides! (And how to remove/measure them) | Melting Smelting | Forum

Hey everyone!

I have a few questions I'd like to run by everyone, as well as ask for any suggestions. 

So I'm in an IB (think AP) chemistry class, and I decided to do my IA (which is an experiment which we must design and conduct ourselves) on the effect of fluxes on the formation of oxides on molten metal. I'm a member of the NWBA, (I attended my first event at Blacksmith Week 2016) and I've always been interested in metallurgy.I built a metal foundry a year ago with a few friends and I had a blast, and I'm VERY excited for this idea. 

The metal I plan to use is copper, and the flux is borax. I plan to add different amounts of flux to the molten metal, and then cast it and measure the results. I plan to do this by using a solution to remove the oxides, and then measuring the change in the solution. which leads to Question #1: What solution should I use to remove the oxides? (and if you know how it works, that'd be a huge bonus, if not, though, it's fine, I'll look it up myself) Question #2: I plan to use copper and borax? Should I use another low-melting point metal? (I'm planning to use a small blowtorch for the setup) Or a different flux? Question #3: Any suggestions or comments or advice concerning this? (Or any noxious fumes I should be worried about?) I'm very excited for this project, and any suggestions would be wonderful!

I'm sorry about the long and wordy post. I'm really excited about connecting my chemistry coursework to my passion for metalworking, and the thought of getting advice from you all really brings it all together. I think it may be one of my favorite assignments of my high school career! 

Thank you all,

André L