Do you use Boraxin strictly as a flux, or will it work as a firecoat as well? I currently just use borax and alcohol for that purpose.
I would suggest you switch to boric acid as it is soluble in alcohol
and borax is not so you will get better firecoat protection from
boric acid as it will provide better coverage.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
D’oh! Sorry, I misspoke (mistyped?) - I do actually use boric acid,
in granular form. I like the ease of use, but I’m always looking for
something that will miraculously prevent every smidgin of firescale
(yeah, right).
Jessee Smith
Cincinnati, OH
www.silverspotstudio.com
D'oh! Sorry, I misspoke (mistyped?) - I do actually use boric acid, in granular form. I like the ease of use, but I'm always looking for something that will miraculously prevent every smidgin of firescale (yeah, right).
You might try the powder form instead of the granular. With the
powder, you not only get what’s dissolved in the alcohol, but also
some thats just in suspension, so you can, if you wish, get a thicker
coating. In some cases, that’s a useful thing.
Peter
D'oh! Sorry, I misspoke (mistyped?) - I do actually use boric acid, in granular form. I like the ease of use, but I'm always looking for something that will miraculously prevent every smidgin of firescale (yeah, right).
Properly applied Prip’s flux or its derivatives like Cupronil and
Stop Ox II will keep you from having fire scale. They are not nearly
as easy to apply as boric acid in alcohol but they provide a much
heavier coating that is able to last through most soldering jobs.
James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
I’ve been looking into this topic as well, and found that Otto Frei now carries both the cone and dish.
planning on picking up a set and trying it out. I’ve been a fan of Andrew Berry’s for a long while now (atthebench.com) and that’s all he ever uses. Again, in Wales, so could be a regional thing.
Norm
Cathartic Studio
It depends. What metals are you soldering? Different metals need different
flux.
-Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
for most work I use 20 mule team from the gro. store 99.9% pure
I always coat anything I’m going to solder first with powdered boric acid dissolved in denatured alcohol. If you are heating up any kind of corundum stones do not get any boric acid or flux on the stones. It will ruin them. Diamonds should always be coated.
If I am soldering silver, copper, stainless or 10 KT gold I always use a white paste flux. On 14 KT or higher KT gold then liquid flux. On platinum Or palladium no flux at all. I only use granular borax for casting or ingot pouring.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
I have used cone borax for almost 40 years. There are lots of cheap things you can use as the ‘dish’. My dish of all those years is a piece of stone like marble. It is from an old floor tile. Do not use anything glazed!! It should not be smooth to the point of shiny because you basically want it to ‘grind’ the bottom of the cone. Another very good borax-cone dish is a piece of sandblasted glass.
Always use distilled water. Put a few drops in the dish and rub the cone in a circular motion until you have a milky liquid. If you want it thicker, continue grinding or add a pinch of plain powdered borax until you get the consistency you want.
The advantages over using paste borax is that 1) it is cleaner because you are always making it as you use it, and 2) you can adjust to any consistency.
Janet in Jerusalem
Hi All,
I was going to reply to this thread, where the question was, whats the best?
So here goes,
well there isnt a BEST flux per se. Why?
Because you need the the right flux for the metal your brazing up with the right brazing alloy.
Just to give you an example of a product I make, which has sold hundreds in this configfuration alone.
Take 2 1/8in dia 8% by 1 yard long bronze wires (red), then add 1 1/8th in 10% ali bronze wire(yellow) also 1 yard long, and finally add 2 already twisted 1/16th in dia ni/chrom wire (white). also 1 yd long.
primarly twist up the bronze lightly, then add the ali bronze on one side then the ni/chrom on the other side.
Then twist this lot tight so it looks like a rope.
anneal, pickle and clean.
Then forge cold this 1/2in dia rod into a “D” shape some 3 1/8th by 7/16th in . anneal. Pickle and clean up.
Cut to length. then comes the brazing bit. for this one needs 2 different fluxes, the first powerful enough to whet the ni chrom, then another to whet the ali bronze.
and yes there are fluxes specifically for these metals, as without them the whole exercise is a waste of time. Because after brazing up comes the second cold forging operation, tapering each end of the desired length. The brazing has to be good enough to withstand all this forging. Never had one come undone!
When thats done its finished and polished and bent into a cuff shape.
These are proper fluxes designed for proper industrial use . The widest range are made by Johnson Matthey here in the UK. I use them exclusively. It makes the production of this product possible.
So dear folk, do your research into what metals you want to join, all the data sheets are there, buy the right flux for the job, run your trials, and dont just rely on hearsay that borax will do everything…
Ted in
Dorset
UK.
gorgeous work…but the link didn’t work.
Borax is the only flux that I know of that does not contain formaldehyde. After checking data sheets most of the flux on the market, I only use Borax. It works really well for me and I avoid any unwanted chemical reaction.
If it works use it. I’ve been taking the white paste fluxes and drying them out and using them as a powder. Latest one is from rio. I think it was handi flux. I love it!. I hate the popping and boiling of wet flux. This is so much better. Apply with a hour pick or by sprinkling or a alcohol dampened brush. SD. Happy soldering
That’s supposed to be a hot pick for flux application. To lazy to read before sending. Shannon
My, now deceased wife and LONG TIME jeweler, used borax super saturate in alcohol for a flux. Mix a good bit of borax in alcohol so there is still some “solids of borax” and mix lightly, brush on or dip into the mixture. Light it off with a match or lighter to burn off the alcohol and ”set” the borax flux film, then do your work. Cheap, easy and it WORKS GREAT!!! Cynthia Thomas was my wife, I dabble in jewelry at her bench, I am a bronze sculpture foundry person, did her bronzes. Sure miss her!! A great loss in the art world.
John
I’ve always used Borax cons and dish too… from the UK but in the US for many years now. Metalliferous in NYC and Otto Frei in Oakland carry them. Never used anything else.
Christine
Using what’s best for the job is a safe way to go and least costly in the long run.
Just about to restore an ancient two-row sapphire and ruby “swing ring” read wedding ring,
As all of the stones are badly scratched I don’t want them burnt up with a Borax type Flux.
This new flux is in powder form and probably has all of the nasties that can kill you in it. As the ring belongs to my sister if one thing doesn’t kill you the other one will?? Will I get the money back $A120.00, from my sister, you guess.
Strangely this flux is coming from the same suburb as where the Johnson Matthey fluxes were manufactured in Victoria, Australia.