Bakers Fluid No3

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Gentlemen,

I make and repair my own fuel tanks and use lead solder and Bakers Fluid No 3, yesterday I tried to buy a new 250 ml bottle but none of the local engineering/tool suppliers could suppl it except Cromwell tools who got me a bottle this morning, last night I looked on the internet to see how much it was going to cost me and found 125 ml bottles were £12.00 and upwards and £250 ml were £15.00 and upwards so imagine my surprise when I went to collect my bottle from Cromwells and they only charged me only £10.50 including VAT.

Only a satisfied customer,.

Martin P

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

Never knew soldering fluid was that dear,must be years since I bought it. I use a product called "Fluxite",looks like grease but works well. Also another flux called "Everflux,looks like cream,again very good. No idea how much they are,I,ve had them for ages. Might be worth while looking them up. The Everflux was made by Alan Wiseman Adhesives PO box58 Ingatestone,Essex, ph 0277353330..

The other tin is so discoloured that I can,t read who made it.

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I was only ever taught to use Bakers fluid, I've never thought of other fluxes, in fifteen years time when I need some more I will have a look at other types

Martin P

[Antony PowellParticipant @antonypowell28169]

Might be better of stocking up with another tin – probably won't be available in 2032 the tin will be too toxic !!!

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Antony,

You've just reminded me, its got an expire of 2020 on the bottle!

Martin P

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

£8.36 at Cromwell on t'internet. So they charge extra to pick it up yourself?

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

Was still cheaper than every where else I looked and I got to use it today plus it came in as a delivery from another site.

Just had a look, there is a 1 to 2 day delivery plus a delivery charge of £4.99 to add.

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 20/09/2017 14:25:37

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Fluxite brings back memories. Anybody else remember the Fluxite Twins ?

Roy ( I'm showing my age )

[larry PhelanParticipant @larryphelan54019]

So am I !!!

[Fowlers FuryParticipant @fowlersfury]

My old tin depicting "The Twins" has long since gone yet I acquired an even older tin thro' the club's "White Elephant" auction. It was in a box of junk I got landed with:-

(Google Images is a good source of nostalgia for old products' containers & packaging)

I suppose the price for Baker's Fluid doesn't warrant making your own equivalent solution. But some years ago I made Killed Spirits and it worked very well for soft soldering m/s. It "just" requires dissolving zinc in dilute hydrochloric acid until no more hydrogen is evolved and decanting the zinc chloride solution. (These days HCl can be purchased cheaply via Fleabay – I use it for descaling). I remember getting the metallic zinc by cutting up old torch batteries. Well, it was an emergency job, back when shops didn't open on Sundays .

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Posted by martin perman on 20/09/2017 14:22:17:

Was still cheaper than every where else I looked and I got to use it today plus it came in as a delivery from another site.

Just had a look, there is a 1 to 2 day delivery plus a delivery charge of £4.99 to add.

Martin P

Edited By martin perman on 20/09/2017 14:25:37

I always top Cromwell orders up to £20 to get free delivery – there is normally something else I want but can afford to wait for, and if necessary I can continue to add to the sets of T Handle Allen Keys and Record clamps that I am making up one or two at a time.

Brian

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Deleted – double post

Edited By not done it yet on 20/09/2017 17:25:23

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Zinc chloride is only eight quid a kilogram from bonnymans (that is if the pot is correct weight – don't ask why I make that comment, except it is from past experience). Plenty of other suppliers, but some sites would not load up on my 'puter.

From the safety data sheet it looks like just zinc chloride solution with some ammonia/ammonium chloride to buffer the pH a tad. Zinc chloride is very soluble, so a 50% solution is more than easy to make!

During use, the ammonium chloride and water wil be driven off by the heat.

PS i find it annoying, when they charge more to buy it off the shelf.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

That tin looks older than mine which has much 'squarer' edges to the lid. Mine is 50 yrs old. I've always thought of it as plumber's flux while killed spirits as engineer's flux, probably from reading ME articles that wouldn't mention a trade name or were just old timers like Tubal Cain or Jeynes.

What is actually in silver solder flux? I use a magic mystery powder I got, from Reeves probably, in a plastic bag with the detail description "flux". Perhaps it is just zinc chloride.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

Silver solder – proper silver solder, not the lead-free soft-solder stuff with a few % of Ag to lower the melting point, melts at around 700C (depending on the recipe). So does Borax, and this is a major constituent of the flux needed. In the good old days, you had a lump of solid borax, and a piece of slate. A few drops of water, grind round in a circular motion, and the whitish paste produced was applied with a school-type paint brush.

Cheers, Tim

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by roy entwistle on 20/09/2017 14:50:20:

Fluxite brings back memories. Anybody else remember the Fluxite Twins ?

Roy ( I'm showing my age )

Quins!

(and now I have only seen them in back issues!)

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I've used household borax as an emergency flux with brass wire. Takes a lot more heat than silver soldering but joins steel well.

Neil

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

Neil. Quite right it was Quins not twins. incidentally can one still get Fluxite ?

Roy

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Posted by roy entwistle on 20/09/2017 22:35:11:

Neil. Quite right it was Quins not twins. incidentally can one still get Fluxite ?

Roy

 

Yes Fluxite is still available, made by Fernox (I think).

Edited By V8Eng on 20/09/2017 23:00:49

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I'v got two tins(part) of Fluxite, one dates back to at least 1946, could actually be pre WW2, the other I got at a garage sale, and is probably about thirty years old, got a glass bottle of Bakers(or similar) at the same sale, have not got the steel screw cap off the bottle yet, I all ready had about 300ml in a modern plastic bottle.

Don,t use the Bakers Fluid on electrical work, or any where you can't wash out the acid.

Ian S C

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Tip for anyone storing Bakers soldering fluid, transfer to a plastic container or alternatively store the tin in a plastic tub to hold any leakage..

I had a tin eaten through and the flux ruined some dies and tools stored closeby, probable age 25 years !!!!!!!

Emgee

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I just bought some Bakers no. 3, ebay, can't have been very dear. Came in a plastic bottle. I use it for soldering steel and similar.

[Gordon TarlingParticipant @gordontarling37126]

it's been a while since I used Bakers fluid – is it likely to work on nickel?

[Keith HaleParticipant @keithhale68713]

Borax melts and starts to remove oxides, essential to the brazing process, at 743 degC.

The most common silver solder sold to the model engineer starts to melt at 630 degC.

A major benefit of using a silver solder stems from its low melting point. It is quicker, there is less distortion, less metallurgical degradation. The use of a high melting point flux negates that benefit.

If this benefit is of no interest then don't waste your money. Make your joints with brass.

If it is of interest, along with better oorrosion resistance, colour match, then use a silver solder. But why not then use it properly? Use a flux that prepares the joint for metal flow before the flller metal melts. Why build up increased levels of oxide unnecessarily. You will get better joints.

I believe that Bakers Fluid 3 has undergone two levels of dilution from Bakers Fluid.

A concentrated form is readily available. Pick it up at exhibitions without the high delivery cost incurred because corrosive liquid fluxes cannot be sen in the post.

Keith

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