Borax to alcohol ratio

Jewelry Discussion
1

Is there a ratio of Borax to alcohol? I just continue to add Borax
until it does not dissolve is this correct?

George

2

BORAX DOES NOT DISSOLVE IN ALCOHOL. You can add as little or as much
as you like and it will not change this fact. Boric acid however is
slightly soluble in alcohol (denatured ethanol) and should be added
till there is some left on the bottom of the jar. It is much more
soluble in methanol but methanol is quite toxic and probably should
not be used for health safety reasons.

Some folks actually make a slurry of the boric acid alcohol mix and
dip or paint it on the work. In my opinion if you need the amount of
flux that the slurry method applies you should be using prips,
cupronil, StopOx II etc not boric acid/alcohol.

Jim

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

3 
Is there a ratio of Borax to alcohol? I just continue to add Borax
until it does not dissolve is this correct?

Problem with that is that borax does not dissolve in alcohol.
Perhaps you mean boric acid. That’s the more common stuff mixed with
alcohol as a firecoat for gold and protectant for diamonds, etc.

And you can add however much you like. The alcohol is just a
carrier. I usually mix enough boric acid power with the alcohol so it
forms a light slurry, about like skim milk, or maybe a bit more. You
can use less or more as you like. Same thing if you choose to use
borax. It doesn’t dissolve to any appreciable degree in the alcohol,
but the alcohol could still act as a carrier for a borax based
slurry. You’d need to be sure to stir it before dipping the work.

Peter

4

Sorry I really meant Boric Acid and denatured alcohol. I use it to
help clean the metal and use it as a firecoat. Thank you for the
correction.

George

5 
methanol is quite toxic and probably should not be used for health
safety reasons.

So is boric acid. I wouldn’t drink it even if mixed with the best
grade vodka.

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

6

We use a mix of 50/50 in alcohol. Fantastic for fire scale control on
silver. Also once applied, lite it to burn off the alcohol and to
sort of “stick” the flux materials.

John Dach

7 
So is boric acid. I wouldn't drink it even if mixed with the best
grade vodka.

Very true. Methanol is toxic, but it does not mean that it should not
be used. If you drink it, you will loose your eyesight. Like in
everything, one must know what one is doing.

About dissolving boric acid in alcohol. I am coming from the culture
where alcohol is too valuable to waste on such foolishness. So here
is what you do.

Take a stainless steel pot. The size would depends on the size of the
work you do. Fill it 2/3 with boric acid. Add borax until it almost
level with the top. Add as much water as it take to cover everything,
but no more. Bring it to boil gently and simmer until everything is
dissolved. Dunk you work in hot solution and you have the best
covering money can buy. The solution is kept hot all day, and water
must be added as it evaporates. That is the old time technique, but I
guaranty it will work like a charm.

The layer of boric/borax mixture will be quite thick and may, in some
cases, interfere with soldering. Combine your water solution with
regular alcohol (what a waste), one part of solution with 2 to 3
parts of alcohol, depending on your needs. Now you have solution
which can be conveniently used at the bench. When it cools you may
get some deposit on the bottom, but the liquid would contain the
maximum concentration of boric acid and borax mixture at the ambient
temperature.

Leonid Surpin

8 
Take a stainless steel pot. The size would depends on the size of
the work you do. Fill it 2/3 with boric acid. Add borax until it
almost level with the top. Add as much water as it take to cover
everything, but no more. Bring it to boil gently and simmer until
everything is dissolved. Dunk you work in hot solution and you have
the best covering money can buy. The solution is kept hot all day,
and water must be added as it evaporates. That is the old time
technique, but I guaranty it will work like a charm.

This is exactly the method I’ve used since 1995. Around 1998 I
started to add a small amount of Phosphoric acid on advise from a
chemist. It does coat very well. I usually lightly heat the piece and
then dip in the warmed solution and it coats evenly, completely, and
heavily.

Dan