Boric acid sources

Jewelry Discussion
1

This was topic - soldering copper onto copper. Do we have a way to
follow a thread so the real conversation can be later searched?

I get my powdered boric acid from the local Walmart pharmacy. I have
to order it, but it comes in a day or two. I think my last order was
about $10 for 2 one pound jars. That was in September this year. In
any case, it didn’t seem like a lot of money and the pharmacy is
local so no shipping charge.

As I remember, boric acid in a weak solution was used at one time to
rinse the eyes of newborns.

I just googled boric acid sources and found both boric acid crystals
and boric acid powder available from soapgoods.com for about $4 for a
pound. So it appears that if you think of it as a household chemical,
it is readily available. I also noticed that they have borax in
multiple forms.

And if you look at your jewelry equipment supplier, you can find 5
pound boxes of the stuff for $15.

Judy Hoch

2

Do you have it in the laundry aisle? In America we have Borax as a
laundry booster.

3 
Do you have it in the laundry aisle? In America we have Borax as a
laundry booster.

Boric acid is a slightly different animal :wink: Borax is a salt of
boric acid.

Regards Charles A.

4

Boric Acid and Borax (laundry variety) are two very different
compounds. I forgot what the first post was about… but borax is
used as a flux and boric acid mixed with alcohol to make an
anti-firescale solution. You can buy boric acid in bulk off ebay in
the states… I just checked and 5 lbs was twenty-two bucks. I
figure Aussie ebay has it as well. If you are going for the
anti-firescale thing… why not just go ahead and make Prips flux if
you are going to all that trouble. It is a little more trouble to
make, but safer than the boric acid in alcohol thing. The “recipe” is
in the Orchid archives… you’ll need borax, boric acid and tri-sodium
phosphate… if I remember that correctly. Easy to make, but get the
ratios right.

Frankly, I can’t tell much difference between boric acid in alcohol
and Prips flux… I use both. You can’t set fire to yourself with
Prips… a big advantage :slight_smile:

I just bought a bottle of FireScoff… we’ll see how that goes.
Anyone know what’s in that stuff… the bottle says it is a ceramic?
Is it appreciably better than Prips flux?

5

Borax is not boric acid. I think you can get boric acid in a drug
store.

Claire in TN

6

But what is the boric acid used for? I know it has to do with
soldering copper which I have been trying to teach myself, but I
forget what it is for.

Claire in TN

7

I get my boric acid at the hardware store. Boric Acid (Orthoboric
Acid) is also used for roach killer. My bottle says it “Kills
Cockroaches, Fleas, Ants AND Silverfish” and it didn’t cost that
much

8

Boric acid has become harder to find in some over the counter stores
and when you do its very expensive.

Has anyone ever looked at the ingredients of roach killer? Why not
use it?

Paul

9 
In America we have Borax as laundry booster.

It isn’t the same as Boric acid.

Boric acid is poisonous if taken internally or inhaled in large
quantities. However, it is generally considered to be not much more
toxic than table salt.

It is used as an antiseptic, (eye wash) major cause of poisoning
when it is unlabeled after being mixed with water and placed in the
refrigerator for use as eye wash.

It is also used as a fire retardant, and insecticide(major component
of the assorted roach proof powders and the ant traps) in addition to
a fluxing agent in soldering, welding and brazing.

If you can’t find Boric acid in cones or powder at jewelry supply
houses. You should be able to find it at most pharmacist shop or
better drug stores.

Be warned it is a lot more expensive than at the supply house as it
is medical grade but in the middle of the night on a weekend it will
work in water or alcohol. For fluxing.

Boric acid is the top most expensive use less

Borax the mineral, is referred to as Anhydrous borax, as it pulls
moisture out of the air during storage.

Dehybor is short for dehydrated borax that is fused so it can’t
absorb water in storage. All the water is removed is a glassy
material that is used in enameling and glass work.

You would use about 1/2 the amount of Dehybor as the borax.

Boraxo works because the sodium soap that is in it doesn’t impede
the fluxing state.It can have 10% to 30% sodium soap as a wetting
agent.

Borateem is a laundry detergent and has way to much other
ingredients to work even in a pinch.

BORIC ACID contains 56.3% B2O3 Boric Oxide
BORAX contains 36.52% Boric Oxide

Borax is a mineral not the laundry detergent booster. Boraxo is the
booster or hand soap depending on the labeling.

10 
But what is the boric acid used for? I know it has to do with
soldering copper which I have been trying to teach myself, but I
forget what it is for.

The main thing I remember is it being used for eyewash solutions for
things like pinkeye, and for footwash solutions to clear up athletes’
foot. I’m sure there’s a lot of other stuff. I know they still sell
the medical grade powder at Walgreen’s and CVS drug stores, here…

Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL

11

Just order it from Stuller or Armstrong tool

12

BORIC ACID contains 56.3% B2O3 Boric Oxide
BORAX contains 36.52% Boric Oxide

Borax is Na2B4O7-10H2O
Boric Acid is H3BO3

They are molecular compounds not mixtures, neither one “contains”
boric oxide B2O3

Borax is a mineral not the laundry detergent booster. Boraxo is
the booster or hand soap depending on the labeling.

Boraxo is a soap and borax mixture but the laundry booster (20 Mule
Team Borax, etc) is 100% sodium borate decahydrate AKA borax

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

13

My local hardware stores has cringe worthy chemical in their cocky
poison.

Regards Charles A.

14

We can get Borac Acid at the grocery store also. It is a cockroach
killer. I didn’t realize the two things were different. I could have
had a mess one day.

Thanks.
Val

15

Hi Paul,

Has anyone ever looked at the ingredients of roach killer? Why not
use it?

Well I’m not sure why this is, but roach killers in Australia (at
least in the places I’ve looked), don’t contain boric acid.

I have a friend in the states that uses an ant poison that has a
large percentage of boric acid.

Neither ant poison nor roach killers that I have seen thus far in Oz
do not contain boric acid.

We may have over 400 species of cockroach in Australia, however the
poisons used against the are seriously scary.

Regards Charles A.

16

Enoz Roach Away is 99.0% boric acid and costs a lot less than boric
acid at the pharmacy. I found it with the insecticides at Walmart. I
use it to make my Preps Flux. TSP you will find in the paint
department of your hardware store. Preps flux is a combination of
boric acid, Borax and TSP.

17

Paul-

The Ortho and Raid brands of boric acid roach and ant killer are ok
to use as long as you prep them a bit. RAID seems to have a blue dye
added, Ortho at one time (waaaaaay back in the 90’s… HA!) had a
pink dye additive.

-Mix some in a glass jar with DENATURED- not Wood alcohol- and you
will see a blue layer arise after stirring. get rid of this blue
layer and you’re in business… Denatured doesnt dissolve the
majority (much at all actually) of the boric acid, but allows the
seperation of the dyes.

-Wood alcohol has been debated ad nauseum in this community- so do
with the boric acid what you will… just be safe… and if you dont
know- ASK… Your mileage may vary.

-Old fellow, actually a blacksmith showed me this- never tried it
without the prep- so I dont know what the dyes would do to the
working properties or the metals.

18

Kerri,

-Old fellow, actually a blacksmith showed me this- never tried it
without the prep- so I dont know what the dyes would do to the
working properties or the metals.

I have been useing Roach killer for about 10 years now. I just
wanted to open this up for disscusion since I have always wondered
myself if anyone has had any problems with the dye.

I have not ever noticed any flowing problems or any problems of any
kind with the blue dye. Since flowing problems seem to always lead
back to dirt (as long as your heat source is right) I mix no more
than I need useing denatured alcohol, then getting rid of get rid of
it as it starts showing dirt.

I also learned this from an old timer I had the pleasure to work
with for awhile.

Paul

19

If you are looking for borax and don’t want the complications of
using roach powder, get it from Rite-Aid. You can still get it off
the shelf- a 4 oz bottle for $5.00 or so. If you go to the
prescription counter, you can get 4 times that amount for $12.00. J.