[TheForge] Re: Flux, was rust & pickling

Wed Aug 20 12:13:01 2003

The magnetron generally affects the water in the material best.  As the
water decreases in the heated mass, the tube would be less happy.
Modern day microwave ovens are reasonably resistant to offenses, but the
wife who also uses the microwave may be less tolerant of mis-haps<G>.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bruce Freeman
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2003 3:38 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: Flux, was rust & pickling

Chemicals can be dried with microwave energy.

I'd be concerned, however, that you might burn out  your magnetron tube.

Bruce
NJ

>>> [email protected] 08/19/03 03:16PM >>>
Has anyone tried to dehydrate borax in a micro wave oven?
Chuck
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Freeman" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2003 1:44 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Re: Flux, was rust & pickling

> This subject seems to come up repeatedly.  I don't know specifically 
> about borax, but most inorganic chemicals start releasing their water
at
> temperatures much below their melting points.  Working at about 350
in a
> standard oven would probably suffice.  Again, I haven't tried this
with
> borax, but I'd suggest trying it before going to higher temperatures
or
> melting and regrinding it.
> 
> Many anhydrous chemicals, probably including borax, will absorb
water
> from the air.  However, the simple expedient of keeping it in a
closed
> container will protect it from air.  The short time it is open for
use
> will generally not result in a massive uptake of water.  I'd suggest
you
> keep your anhydrous borax in a large jar, and pour it into a smaller 
> jars for use.
> 
> Bruce
> NJ
> 
> >>> [email protected] 08/19/03 12:45PM >>>
> 
> > So are you telling me that melting borax on an iron cookie will
pick
> > up some of the iron?
> 
> Following up to my own post...
> 
> How do you melt borax on a cookie tin?  The melting point is around 
> 1500F, a red heat.
> 
> Checking in the handbook, borax loses 8 of its 10 bound water 
> molecules at 140F and the rest at about 400F.  But it doesn't melt 
> until waayyy hotter than that.
> 
> I never tried to dehydrate borax in the oven at, say, 450F.  I
melted
> some up last night over the forge in a cast iron ladle (kinda
messy),
> poured it into a cast iron bowl where it turned to black glass.
Broke
> it up into pea size, then ran it through an old manual meat grinder 
> with the hamburger die modified to be more like a grain grinder.
Nice
> powdery stuff that should be good for flux.
> 
> Someone said that anhydrous borax will quickly re-absorb water from 
> the air.  I think a maybe the advantage to bothering with melting
and
> grinding the borax is that in the glassy state it doesn't do that
very
> readily.
> 
> Just 'spearminting around...
> 
> - Mike
> 
> -- 
> Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
>                                  
>   /V\ 
> [email protected]            
>  /( )\
> http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/
>  ^^-^^
> 
> --
> 
> 
> 
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