Borax dish

[Goldsmith]

Like Carlton I have used a borax cone for fluxing all of my working life, never had any soldering problems using it, it's cheap and reliable, my acid pickle cleans it off easily. If it ain't broke why fix it.

James

[Nick martin]

I've only ever used a borax cone and dish, and find it very effective and easy to use if applied with fine tipped brushes on clean surfaces.

Nick


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[Dennis]

My acid pickle cleans it off easily. James

I think that is one of the problems, James. Borax forms a glaze, which is slow to come off in safety pickle. Dennis.

[Moon Willow]

I think that is one of the problems, James. Borax forms a glaze, which is slow to come off in safety pickle. Dennis.

I agree Dennis borax does form a glaze if you apply it as a thick paste and your flame isn't on it for too long.

If mixed thin and soldered quickly then it spends a shorter time in the pickle.

If your pickle is strong and hot your work will only take a few minutes.

I've watched students spend 10 minutes or more with acuflux (and similar) trying to solder their work not realising that it had perished
9 mins ago and asking "Why hasn't my solder run"

Each to their own, I've usually got more than one project on the the go and often forget I've put something in the pickle hours before.

[Goldsmith]

I must admit I have no experience of modern fluxes or safety pickles. My pickle is made from 1 part sulphuric acid added to 4 parts water, then it is gently heated in a lidded Pyrex casserole bowl on a gas ring. When the pickle is hot my soldered pieces only take a few seconds in the mixture to be clean of flux etc.
Have you also spent hours soldering CBE badge stamping halves together with enamel silver solder Carlton? Borax worked well for that job.

James

[caroleallen]

I used to use borax but converted to Auflux and much prefer it. I have a little dropper bottle which works well. I also use alum as a pickle which I like because it's not too harmful to the environment and also because it doesn't attack enamel too badly.

[Moon Willow]

I must admit I have no experience of modern fluxes or safety pickles. My pickle is made from 1 part sulphuric acid added to 4 parts water, then it is gently heated in a lidded Pyrex casserole bowl on a gas ring. When the pickle is hot my soldered pieces only take a few seconds in the mixture to be clean of flux etc.
Have you also spent hours soldering CBE badge stamping halves together with enamel silver solder Carlton? Borax worked well for that job.

James

Ahhhh memories C.B.E's soldered together, these days they are stamped as one along with M.B.E's, O.B.E's, Victoria Order mmmmmmm
actual fact everything that has 2 sides these days are "die set" the last cross that I made in 2 half's was a DSO pictured below in my grubby hand.

Carlton


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[Goldsmith]

I have also made a few DSOs and the GCBs and KCBs, each quarter on the Bath orders cross was made from two hollow stamped halves then soldered together, before all 4 quarters were soldered onto a central tube. I still have a box of KCB lion castings somewhere. If you look closely at my profile photo you can see that was me making a Field Marshal's baton back in 1973, did you ever make any of them Carlton?



James

[Moon Willow]

I have also made a few DSOs and the GCBs and KCBs, each quarter on the Bath orders cross was made from two hollow stamped halves. I still have a box of KCB lion castings somewhere. If you look closely at my profile photo you can see that was me making a Field Marshal's baton back in 1973, did you ever make any of them Carlton?



James

Yep all of those except the baton, I actually make an appearance on BBC 4 program "Britain's Oldest Families" Toye.... blink and you'll miss me,
I think I'm holding a MBE (You Tube)

We still produce "Order of the Bath" Royal Victoria Order as well as the Central Chancery

Just notice the dirty borax cone in the dish, tut tut.... folks always make sure your borax is clean.

Ha ha ha James I love that picture.

Carlton

[emsterv]

Interest responses. Seems to be a personal thing for the most part. I've never seen borax in action - does it readily flow through the piece via capillary action or is it easier to control where you want it to go? Sometimes when I'm trying to do something finicky and don't want to bother with a solder resistance (say when making a hinge) I find myself wishing Batterns wasn't quite so flow-y.

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