Any of you guys using Solar Flux B

[DiabolicZ]

I just recently found out about this stuff as an alternative to back purging on stainless steel. It is supposed to be very good. I just ordered 4oz of it and am going to give it a try.

I guess it is a white powder that you mix with Methanol and then coat the inside of your seams with the paste that it makes.

[sportbike]

There is discussion relating to it on this thread http://www.everlastgenerators.com/fo...ght=solar+flux

[DiabolicZ]

Gotcha, so it leaves something similar to a glass bead after it has melted inside the tube. Wonder if you can just smack the tube and get it to flake and fall out or if you have to actually grind it out?

[Robert s]

Gotcha, so it leaves something similar to a glass bead after it has melted inside the tube. Wonder if you can just smack the tube and get it to flake and fall out or if you have to actually grind it out?

I have used this and no just smacking it will not remove it. It is some tough stuff but works well. Kind of reminds me of the flux on a stainless rod for stick welding, but all ground up.

RESIDUE

The thin glass-like residue is chemically inert after welding and adheres tenaciously to the base metal. While this residue is unattractive to the eye, it does not affect the quality of the weld and usually need not be removed. However, if removal is desired, it is easily accomplished with a stainless steel wheel, stainless steel brush or common pickling compounds. Our research indicates that 'Wonder Gel', manufactured by Bradford DeRustIt Company is excellent.

(Note: there are some pipe or tube welding applications where absolute purity and a polished inside surface are required. These include food or beverage lines where subsequent product refining will not take place, medical oxygen lines, computer chip manufacturing air lines, and high service temperature (above 1000°F) steam lines. In these situations we recommend purging instead of SOLAR FLUX so as to avoid a difficult chemical cleaning process.)

[DiabolicZ]

I have used this and no just smacking it will not remove it. It is some tough stuff but works well. Kind of reminds me of the flux on a stainless rod for stick welding, but all ground up.

RESIDUE

The thin glass-like residue is chemically inert after welding and adheres tenaciously to the base metal. While this residue is unattractive to the eye, it does not affect the quality of the weld and usually need not be removed. However, if removal is desired, it is easily accomplished with a stainless steel wheel, stainless steel brush or common pickling compounds. Our research indicates that 'Wonder Gel', manufactured by Bradford DeRustIt Company is excellent.

(Note: there are some pipe or tube welding applications where absolute purity and a polished inside surface are required. These include food or beverage lines where subsequent product refining will not take place, medical oxygen lines, computer chip manufacturing air lines, and high service temperature (above 1000°F) steam lines. In these situations we recommend purging instead of SOLAR FLUX so as to avoid a difficult chemical cleaning process.)

I was reading a thread where a guy recommends using Solar Flux B for turbo manifolds. He says that he just smacks the pipes on the ground and most of it comes out. Then what doesn't come out he just runs through the turbo. He also said his stuff goes to SEMA for the show.

I find it hard to believe pipes he smacks on the ground go to SEMA. I also would not any "glass" type material going through my turbo.

[Robert s]

I was reading a thread where a guy recommends using Solar Flux B for turbo manifolds. He says that he just smacks the pipes on the ground and most of it comes out. Then what doesn't come out he just runs through the turbo. He also said his stuff goes to SEMA for the show.

I find it hard to believe pipes he smacks on the ground go to SEMA. I also would not any "glass" type material going through my turbo.

I agree smacked pipes at SEMA? And I would not want to risk turbo damage by leaving it in, that is for sure. I just use a stainless cup brush on it and it works well.

[Weld.com]

We just did a TIG Time episode on this specifically, because we were getting a lot of questions about it. Here it is...

[Rambozo]

Looks like just the ticket for applications where it's impossible or impractical to get rear purge argon. I'll have to give it a try on my next stainless project.

[Kempy]

I use Solar Flux all the time when I weld SST pipes, headers, tanks and things that are usually thin wall and do not want burn thru. I use water and a wire brush to clean it off the flux if necessary most time I just leave it on. The video was very good on how it works it helps from using a lot of Argon gas to be the shield if you are joining thing together and can't get Argon on the backside of the weld like a big 300 gallon tank.

[Paul Moir]

Have you ever tried cleaning it with the pickle juice? If not I'll have to pick some up and give it a try.

I wish they had compared it to a back purge rather than an unshielded mess.

[Kempy]

Have you ever tried cleaning it with the pickle juice? If not I'll have to pick some up and give it a try.

Sounds like a interesting thing to use to clean the flux off will any type of pickle juice work I like Gherkin pickles maybe its juice will work.

[Paul Moir]

Sorry, pickle juice is slang for pickling acid. The stuff you put on stainless welds to strip the surface ferrous and oxides. I've got to use it anyway most the time so if it helped a lot it would make cleanup a one-step process rather than two.

[zedron]

I would be interested in using this when I do exhausts, down pipes, and turbo manifolds. The only issue I would have would be the one mentioned before with getting the residue out when doing manifolds and then applying it in long tube runs in exhaust for example. I use up AR like its going out of style when I do full exhausts and the customer wants it perfect aka back purged.