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Stop Silver Solder Running

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Jim Nic:
CTC!  That's the stuff.  Good job I wasn't a fireman innit?   ;)
Jim

Steam Haulage:
Jo,

You've certainly got a good memory. I only recalled the detail after you had mentioned the occurrence.
 It was in 1982-3 I think or perhaps earlier as I changed jobs in '84 and never got involved with chlorinates solvent formulation afterwards.

Best regards
Jerry

Bruno Mueller:
I worked many years ago in a company that manufactured valves for nuclear reactors. Before the individual components were assembled, they were cleaned in a trichloroethylene bath and then touched only with white cotton gloves.
The stuff was also good for cooling when working on stainless steel.
There was always a container with the mixture next to the drilling machine.
The painter in the company used it to clean his tools and wash the surfaces before painting.
In the mid-1970s, no one cared about environmental protection.
The wastewater from the electroplating and chemical baths was discharged into the nearest stream without any after-treatment.

RoyG:
Back to the original topic of this post ...... 
(Typos fixed)

The Silver Solder will only flow where there is flux on the surface.  As an RAAF Fitter, often silver soldering very small instrument components, we were taught that the flux should be applied very sparingly, and only in the places that you want the silver solder to flow.  When you heat the job, the flux liquifies, and capillary action will carry the flux through the joint - and capillary action will allow the silver solder to also flow into the joint.  If you've got excess flux on the job, the flux that does not flow into the joint, will flow down hill on the job creating the messy silver soldering result being referred to by the original poster.    Silver Solder Fluxes can usually be "diluted" to make them easier to apply in small quantities, and exactly where you want it.   My understanding is that most modern silver solder fluxes are water based, and so a small amount of the flux paste can be mixed with water to make a more runny slurry - at least on the brand of flux that I use.

But also - thanks for reminding me of all of those nasty chemicals that the Air Force had people like myself using, with no PPE and no warnings....

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