Solar Flux B Review
Posted: Thu May 05, 2016 2:46 am
I am building a small r&d refrigeration unit to test chill times of various food products in water or brine. This requires a small stainless steel tank to fill and refrigerate said water or brine. I thought this is a good time to give the Solar Flux B product a go and review for all my welding cobbers out there.
I asked the local sheet metal shop to donate a rolled section of 300mm diameter 1.2mm thick 304 sheet which he did considering the amount of work he gets out of me.
The instructions said to mix it with alchohol, methyl alchohol preferred. I had ethyl so that's what I used.
Looks like builder's cement. Mixed it into a paste like thick cream and brushed it on the inside of the joint.
Welding OK, 1.6mm 2% lanth, about 40 amps on the pedal until one of the tacks popped and the joint opened up. Gunk started coming through but welding ok with increased amps but I stopped and closed up the joint with the BFH, re-tacked before continuing.
This is the residue coming down while welding. You're gonna have to get this out if the part is closed in by welding. How do you do that?
This is the joint after welding before cleaning.
Hand wire brushing was not effective due to some of the residue turning to a glass like consistency that stuck. A wire wheel got it all off.
Cleaned with wire wheel. It actually looks alot better in real life than on the photo. I tried many shots but couldn't really capture it right. The weld was full penetration, no lack of fusion or porosity even though it looks like it on the photo. The bead on the inside is not smooth and there is still some tarnishing which the wire wheel left but a flap disc would dress it up nice I recon.
The process took longer than clamping a backing bar but did the job in the end. Maybe not the best for sanitary work...
I guess it has it's place.
Who put that there? That's a distraction!
I asked the local sheet metal shop to donate a rolled section of 300mm diameter 1.2mm thick 304 sheet which he did considering the amount of work he gets out of me.
The instructions said to mix it with alchohol, methyl alchohol preferred. I had ethyl so that's what I used.
Looks like builder's cement. Mixed it into a paste like thick cream and brushed it on the inside of the joint.
Welding OK, 1.6mm 2% lanth, about 40 amps on the pedal until one of the tacks popped and the joint opened up. Gunk started coming through but welding ok with increased amps but I stopped and closed up the joint with the BFH, re-tacked before continuing.
This is the residue coming down while welding. You're gonna have to get this out if the part is closed in by welding. How do you do that?
This is the joint after welding before cleaning.
Hand wire brushing was not effective due to some of the residue turning to a glass like consistency that stuck. A wire wheel got it all off.
Cleaned with wire wheel. It actually looks alot better in real life than on the photo. I tried many shots but couldn't really capture it right. The weld was full penetration, no lack of fusion or porosity even though it looks like it on the photo. The bead on the inside is not smooth and there is still some tarnishing which the wire wheel left but a flap disc would dress it up nice I recon.
The process took longer than clamping a backing bar but did the job in the end. Maybe not the best for sanitary work...
I guess it has it's place.
Who put that there? That's a distraction!