"Lobster" wrote in message
...
For years I've had one of these - a woven fabric mat about 9" square
which I can place behind pipework which I'm soldering, to avoid setting
fire to the underlying fabric of the building or whatever.

As it is now very tatty, I included a replacement in a recent order from
Screwfix. There were two to choose from:

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=A335589&ts=44202&id=20129

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=A335589&ts=44219&id=96228
costing 4 or 11 quid respectively - both are described as 'soldering
mats'; the only obvious difference being that the expensive one is
described as "professional quality".

I ordered the cheapo one, since from the picture it looks just the same
as my old one. But having unpacked it I find a label which states:

"Do not place this soldering mat onto surfaces which can be damaged by
heat, eg nylon carpets, painted surfaces. The intended purpose of using
this soldering mat is to prevent small drops of solder coming into
contact with other surfaces. It will not act as a heat barrier for much
larger items such as nozzles from gas torches"

So I'm puzzled. Is this warning for real, or is it just a disclaimer to
stop me from suing when my house burns down?.... is my new mat likely to
be just the same as the old one and can I carry on using it in the same
way?

Or is there a different mats which I should buy to use in this way? (I
note that Screwfix's dearer mat is still described as a 'soldering mat'
BTW.

Thanks
David

Personally dont use mats,I prefer a sheet of tin the stuff thats normally
used to seal off the back of a gas fire.
This can get behind the pipe even if the pipe is very close to a wall
whereas the mat wont. ;-)