i've heard about a successful substitute for tsp (trisodium phosphate) but without the phosphate. phosphates are bad for the environment/water, etc. does anyone have experience with this other product?
There are several versions of a substitute for TSP sold for it’s
most common use, as a cleaning agent. If memory serves, I seem
to recall sodium silicate or something of the sort. These
substitutes work just fine when used as cleaning agents. but the
phosphate content is required in the use of TSP we need here, the
production of Prips flux. You can use Monosodium Phosphate,
DiSodium Phosphate, or Trisodium Phosphate interchangeably in the
prips recipe. but it should be one of these. Trisodium
Phosphate, or TSP, is the most common and easiest to obtain, so
it’s usually what’s listed. But even in areas where the sale of
TSP as a common cleaner is prohibited, it certainly will be
available from any reasonable chemicals supply house, which of
course will take a bit more work to locate and buy from than your
local hardware store. But it’s not like the stuff is
particularly dangerous. It’s somewhat caustic, and can irritate
or mildly burn sensative skin, just like any strong alkaline
cleaner. But the main problem is just the pollution problem of
introducing quantities of phosphate (a fertilizer) into waste
waters where it promotes algea blooms and the like…
hope this helps.
Peter Rowe