[TheForge] Vision damage and welding shields pt 2

[Dave Brown]

At 00:25 01/13/03 -0500, you wrote:
>sand used for glass is usually sea sand, thus has free salt (NaCl) as an
>impurity in it, while borax, the mineral, is composed of  Na 2 B 4 O 5 ( OH
>4), meaning that the sodium is already bonded to the oxygen, thus not
>forming a new chemical bond, as is the case with the  silicates containing
>sodium chloride.

Phlip,

I think you'll find that the oxygen is also bonded to the boron (hence the 
"ate" suffix).  I may not know the exact chemical position here, but I do 
know the sodium flare that I see in my forge when I'm welding.  I haven't 
done any pattern welding but can imagine that the large amount of borax 
used puts out a considerable sodium flare.

But, .....

Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI
ABANA, UMBA, GoM, MODA, ARG