Safer Studio - Borax Flux

I've been using commercial paste flux for years because it was what I learned to use in college. While the flux I had been using wasn't particularly dangerous, It seemed to aggravate my lungs, and I was concerned about long-term exposure so I decided to look for a safer substitute. I have been using Firescoff flux occasionally for a while, but it is fairly expensive so I like to save it for soldering operations that tend to cause the most firescale, like soldering pin findings onto the back of a brooch.
I read that plain borax has been used as a flux historically, so I decided to give it a try. I started by mixing borax powder (the laundry kind) with water to make a paste, but the grains were too big, making a gritty mixture that was hard to apply to the metal. After some experimentation, I figured out that the trick is to use a mortar and pestle to grind up the borax and water to make a finer, more "paintable" paste.
You can also use denatured alcohol instead of water, which has the advantage of burning off quickly when the torch is applied, instead of boiling off like water does. Denatured alcohol is kind of nasty stuff though, so I decided to try water first.
So how does it work? Well, not as well as good old trusty handy flux, but well enough. It doesn't stick to the metal the way paste flux does, so it helps to get the metal nice and clean first so the borax and water mixture doesn't bead up on the metal surface. The borax also kind of puffs up when heated, before it melts down to a clear coating. It takes a little getting used to. I think I will keep working with it for a little while and see how it goes.

Safer Studio - Citric Acid Pickle

As my next step in making my studio a healthier place, I replaced my Sparex pickle solution with citric acid. I have to say I'm extremely pleased with how well it works. This is one of those things I can't believe I didn't know about before. I got a great big five pound jar of citric acid powder for about twenty bucks. I've heard that you can get it at the grocery store because people use it for canning fruits, but I couldn't find any here so I ordered it from Amazon.

To use citric acid for pickle, you just mix one part powder to ten parts water and keep it warm in a little crock pot. I've also read that you can use it cold if you mix a stronger solution (1:3) but I haven't tried it. The hot solution works really well. It seems to work almost as well as Sparex- well enough that it won't really slow me down at all. I can already tell that the fumes from the citric acid pickle aren't as irritating to my lungs.

Of course citric acid is still acid, so a certain amount of care is still in order. Remember to "do what you aughta, add acid to wata," and neutralize with baking soda. Don't drink it or put it in your eyes or anything like that.

Overall I'm very happy with the results, and I would definitely recommend citric acid to anybody looking for a safer alternative to commercial pickle chemicals.

New Year's Excuses

Happy New Year everybody! I think the time has come to explain the bareness of my shop and the infrequency of my blog posts. Of course, I am right in the middle of my first year of teaching, and recently moved my studio to my new apartment. It would appear, however, that the fates wanted my life to be as crazy as possible right now, so my husband and I are expecting a baby! (you can read my husband's thoughts on the subject on his blog)
Now, I'm a little wary of enameling (various metal pigments) and soldering (flux, metal fumes, pickle) while pregnant. I have heard a lot of mixed information about the health risks of metalwork during pregnancy.
After doing a lot of research and talking to my doctor I have decided to err on the side of caution and temporarily give up enameling, soldering, and chemical etching. I've decided to use this as an opportunity to re-evaluate the healthfulness of my studio practices, with the goal of making a healthier and safer environment for the baby and myself. Here are a few of the things I am planning on doing:
-Replace chemical etching with electrolytic etching (more on this coming soon!)
-Replace flux and pickle with safer options.
-Install bench-level ventilation to supplement ceiling ventilation in my new studio.
I'll have posts on all my studio updates coming in the next few months. If you have any other ideas for making a studio safer and healthier, leave me a comment!
Bonus: You can see an awesome drawing of our future baby done by our friend Josh here