Hi,

Has anyone used tool station's lead free (plumbing) solder? I
previously used the Fernox brand from screwfix but I see there is a
price difference of a few pounds. I don't mind paying more for the
fernox if it is better; is it?

My plumbing technique seems to have got better since I bought a new
blow torch. The one I had previously, a £10 cheapie from Wilkos have a
very broad flame and I don't think that helped.

I find 15mm fittings easier to do than 22mm ones. I seem to apply the
solder to the 22mm fittings before it is hot enough to flow properly.
I guess that's because it is a bigger fitting and takes longer to warm
up. Any tricks of the trade to know when it is ready for the solder?

I am still using the yellow pot of Fry's flux, so don't need any more
yet, but I see la-co also make some which is cheaper. Is that just as
good?

TIA

Fred wrote:

I am still using the yellow pot of Fry's flux, so don't need any more
yet

Yellow pot ... what's wrong with the green tin with an imp on it?

but I see la-co also make some which is cheaper. Is that just as
good?

I used some of that when helping a friend plumbing a new flat, was
surprised how good it was.

In article ,
Fred wrote:
I find 15mm fittings easier to do than 22mm ones. I seem to apply the
solder to the 22mm fittings before it is hot enough to flow properly.
I guess that's because it is a bigger fitting and takes longer to warm
up. Any tricks of the trade to know when it is ready for the solder?


The flame from the blowlamp goes slightly green.

--
*60-year-old, one owner - needs parts, make offer

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Fred writes:
Hi,

Has anyone used tool station's lead free (plumbing) solder? I
previously used the Fernox brand from screwfix but I see there is a
price difference of a few pounds. I don't mind paying more for the
fernox if it is better; is it?

My plumbing technique seems to have got better since I bought a new
blow torch. The one I had previously, a £10 cheapie from Wilkos have a
very broad flame and I don't think that helped.

I find 15mm fittings easier to do than 22mm ones. I seem to apply the
solder to the 22mm fittings before it is hot enough to flow properly.
I guess that's because it is a bigger fitting and takes longer to warm
up. Any tricks of the trade to know when it is ready for the solder?

Heat it as fast as possible, making sure both sides of the joint
(e.g. fitting and pipe) are being heated. If there's a part which
is going to take longer to heat (such as a large brass fitting, or
larger pipe), play proportionally more heat on that, and start with
that join. By the time you've done it, the other joins may well be
almost up to temperature by conduction anyway. If you take too long,
the flux can be long gone and the copper starting to oxidise before
you've soldered it, and then the join probably won't work.

Normal tip is to just momentarily touch the end of the solder on the
join. When it's nearly ready, a tiny blob will come off and stay on
the pipe, and when it's completely ready, the blob will be sucked into
the join by capilliary action, and you can then apply more to make the
join. Don't use too much - you should see a thin silver ring all around
the join (check behind with a mirror afterwards), and ideally no drips
on the pipe, although that's a finer level of perfection which many
plumbers never manage. Do some practice ones which you unsolder and
pull apart afterwards, and check for a complete line of tinning around
the pipe and inside the fitting, to confirm it was a good seal.

I am still using the yellow pot of Fry's flux, so don't need any more
yet, but I see la-co also make some which is cheaper. Is that just as
good?

There are different types of flux, in particular acid flux is
supposed to work better on old manky pipe, but mustn't be used on
gas pipework. I prefer to clean the pipe and fittings beforehand
with steel wool (don't leave any in the pipe or fitting), in which
case you get reliable joins without using acid flux. There's
different flux for leaded and unleaded solder too.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Wed, 28 Aug 2013 23:12:07 +0100, Andy Burns
wrote:

Fred wrote:

I am still using the yellow pot of Fry's flux, so don't need any more
yet

Yellow pot ... what's wrong with the green tin with an imp on it?

I still have a brand new tin of Fluxite.

BICC used to do a flux (Coraline?) (they may still do) which has a
lovely somewhat lavender smell when heated. It ws used a lot by leccy
boards for cable jointing.


but I see la-co also make some which is cheaper. Is that just aste
good?

I used some of that when helping a friend plumbing a new flat, was
surprised how good it was.

--
Frank Erskine

On 28/08/2013 23:48, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

There's
different flux for leaded and unleaded solder too.

I have found the Fry Powerflow (yellow tub) works very well with either.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
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On Thursday 29 August 2013 20:32 John Rumm wrote in uk.d-i-y:

On 28/08/2013 23:48, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

There's
different flux for leaded and unleaded solder too.

I have found the Fry Powerflow (yellow tub) works very well with either.




The blue tub - Fernox Flux works fine too. Heat activated so good for gas
and kinder if you want to assemble a load of joints before heating.

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://squiddy.blog.dionic.net/

http://www.sensorly.com/ Crowd mapping of 2G/3G/4G mobile signal coverage

Reading this on the web? See:
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On Wed, 28 Aug 2013 22:48:43 +0000 (UTC), (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

I prefer to clean the pipe and fittings beforehand
with steel wool (don't leave any in the pipe or fitting), in which
case you get reliable joins without using acid flux. There's
different flux for leaded and unleaded solder too.

I got a fitting brush with a blowtorch kit, wouldn't have got it otherwise.
*Very* useful.

Cleans interior and exterior of a fitting. Two twists on a new fitting and the
copper is gleaming, and very slightly rough. No strands of steel to get trapped,
rust out and leak. It'll get paint off an old tube easily (and old solder too,
if the solder is thin thin and operator patient). Clean copper makes soldering a
lot easier!

Apparently they come as a drill attachement as well...

http://www.millrose.com/tiwisted_wir...overvie w.php

(First convenient picture, these are USAnian and not metric...)

Thomas Prufer