[Jewelry making - Article 01161] - Re: [Orchid] Melting Dish

[John Donivan]

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Hi, Helen

>     Incidentally, when torch melting it's normal to add some powdered
>     borax to prevent oxidation. I have powdered boric acid as I've
>     recently converted from borax and water to boric acid and denatured
>     alcohol (meths) as a flux. It may seem a stupid question coming
>     from a chemist but can I use the powdered boric acid as a melting
>     flux or does it have to be borax? 

    - presumably Robin will answer your scorifier question (curious word,
    that!). Really for all: Boric acid and borax both act as fluxes to
    some degree, and are obviously related - borax is a salt of boric
    acid. The relationship between the two is much like a solder, though.
    Boric acid melts at a higher temperature - I don't know what it is
    beyond bench experience. I find it's actually too high to be useful
    with silver, for instance. You can mix boric acid and borax to make
    custom fluxes, which is what the flux makers are doing - different
    mixes will be effective at different temperatures. The lower
    temperature and properties of borax make it more useful for chores
    like melting metal, though. Once the crucible or dish is coated, all
    it takes is a pinch. I don't coat crucibles with borax, by the way. I
    get my boric acid solution and a glass eyedropper (an essential
    accessory, to me) and flood it with that, and burn off the alcohol. 

http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com
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