I began using paste solder earlier this year & find it useful. This
is just a reminder about the importance of really good
ventilation…
Many paste solder/flux combinations contain fluoride compounds. When
heated, toxic gases are released that can do real damage in the
lungs. According to Monona Rossol’s “Artist’s Health and Safety
Guide”, fluoride-based fluxes are to be avoided. By the way, I
learned about Rossol’s book on the Ganoksin website - thank you
Charles Lewton-Brain and thank you Orchid!
I’d sure love to hear if anyone knows of a source of paste solder/
flux that is fluoride-free. Thanks.
I usually hate paste solder, but do keep it around for the
occasional odd use. I don’t know of any off-hand that are
fluoride-free. There are a lot of good fluxes on the market that are,
though. By the way, I love your dragonskin rings! Those are great!
Many paste solder/flux combinations contain fluoride compounds.
When heated, toxic gases are released that can do real damage in
the lungs. According to Monona Rossol's "Artist's Health and Safety
Guide", fluoride-based fluxes are to be avoided. B
If you are going to use paste fluxes or many other fluxes you can
have noxious vapors that are released by the vaporization /
decomposition of those fluxes. Unless you use fluxes that are just
borax and or boric acid this is a potential problem. Typical flux
additives are potassium fluoride, potassium hydroxide, ammonium
chloride all of which are corrosive and breathing the vapors from
heating them is not advised. But they are not added just for the fun
of it. They help the fluxes do their job by making them more active,
dropping the melting point and reducing surface tension so that the
flux will coat the metal better etc so if you fall back to the borax
and or boric acid only fluxes you will see a definite change in how
well the flux works. Depending on what metals/alloys you are
soldering these changes in effectiveness might not affect you at all
or make it much more difficult to get a clean solder joint. Dandix is
one brand of fluoride free paste flux but I find that it is not
nearly as effective as a flux with potassium fluoride like Handy
Flux.
Jim
James Binnion @James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts