annette - this is a timesaving pragmatic shortcut self taught people
develop when we haven’t been instructed to do otherwise:
dig out or buy one of the small, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches high, toy
dollbaby bottles with a tiny nipple. - whenever & wherever you need
flux gently squeeze a minimal drop. - to flux a broader area use a
brush to spread the drop.- you don’t need a cap to keep it from
drying out; i’ve had some for ages & since there is no waste, one
filling lasts forever.
speaking of brushes, ask your dentist if (s)he could donate some of
used small bent shaft brushes with the tiny tips. absolutely the best
for applying or spreading solder flux. while you’ve got the dentist’s
attention, see if you can get the old, no longer usable diamond
burs/drills saved for you; give them a dip in clorox, rinse, dip in
vinegar, rinse - voila - some of that dental bill recovered. (the
voice of experience: still recovering from over $7,000 in root canals
from a fossicing trip accident when the cliff gave way.)
“life is a swizzle stick: you’re born, you live, you die. but life’s
a drag if you don’t stir things up a bit.” plato in beetle bailey
comic strip.
annette - this is a timesaving pragmatic shortcut self taught
people develop when we haven't been instructed to do otherwise:
Thanks, Ive. I also have a way that was not taught to me. I learned
this from watching a plumber work. They use silver solders (although
lower sil content) and a powder flux called variously Easiflo etc. As
it’s a powder you have to heat a soldering pick and put it into the
dry powder, thus coating the pick with fresh flux. Warm up the work
and apply it after it’s half hot.
If the soldering job is taking too long or the work is looking too
dirty, the flux (like all fluxes) can get depleted and lose its
efficiency. So add fresh flux powder the same way outlined above, and
it cleans it up immediately and being dry it doesn’t take much heat
away.
Brian
B r i a n A d a m
e y e g l a s s e s j e w e l l e r y
www.adam.co.nz
"annette-this is a timesaving pragnatic shortcut self taught
people develop when we haven't been instructed todo otherwise:"
I’m a self taught person too having started with a stack of library
books, $12 kmart propane torch, coffee can coat hanger (tripod),
drill duct taped to cement block with automotive buff attached
(buffer), dremel with burs from dentist (flexshaft). That is what is
so great about jewelry making. There are no end to the innovations
that can be used as alternatives. Sometimes reading the Orchid posts I
can be heard slapping myself upside the head and yelling “duh”, why
didn’t I think of that. That is why I sometimes jump in with a stupid
question. I just know that there are Orchidians out there who have
solved my annoying little problem in some ingenious way that I am too
dumb to have thought of. But not asking the question is even more
dumb. Annette