[TheForge] Drying Borax (was: Welding flux?)

[Bob Ehrenberger]

We have a wood burning cook stove so I just put the borax on a cookie sheet 
and leave it in there for a day or two.   I use a hammer to break up the big 
chunks, and then a steel pipe like a rolling pin to powder the rest.  A box 
of borax lastes me 2 or three years, so it's not such a big deal to spend a 
couple hours on it every three years.

I just had an idea,  maybe a heavy can with some bearings in it, mounted in 
a paint shaker.  It should work if you can keep it all together.  I may have 
to keep my eyes open for a can that will mount in my shaker, comething like 
a one quart turpintine can.

Robert Ehrenberger
Shelbyville, Mo.
eforge at centurytel.net

----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net>
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Drying Borax (was: Welding flux?)

Give it a try Bruce and you won't tell us again. I'd love to give you a
bit about the 1100f typo but you have Andy for that. <grin>

I worked in a soils lab for a while where drying samples is a science.
Not the same science but it has to be done right. Hygrocopic moisture
can be driven off at 230f. however at around 200f borax is fused into a
block, it isn't the glassy slag of melted borax but it's mortar and
pestel and elbow grease time. Drying in a gas oven means a minimum 230f
and it turns into a white rock at 230f. I've tried an electric toaster
oven for a prolonged time, 200f wasn't enough, 212f is pretty much the
minimum to drive off moisture and 2 hours did it but meant hard
grinding. I only tried a mortar and pestel for a really short time
before getting the yard sale blender and even then it was time
consuming, loud and beat hell out of that poor old blender. Were I to do
it again I'd use the yard sale rock tumbler and steel bearings.

After a couple experiments trying to dry and grind borax I started just
melting it in the forge and using it molten. It's so much easier.

Thinking about the plastic bottle I could just put a couple inches of
1/4" copper tubing on the end and not worry about melting it.

Jer