Expired flux keep it bin

[al.dente112]

I prefer everflux but does kill when it’s on a cut haha

 

[jtsplumbing]

Its main purpose is to stop the oxidation so I would have thought it shouldn't matter about shelf life if you think back to lead soldering wipe joints we used to use tallow,

OMG ! How old are you ?? Ok me to ancient oldie ,Still got some Moleskin around somewhere, Ah the good old days When Plumbers were real men !!

 

[al.dente112]

OMG ! How old are you ?? Ok me to ancient oldie ,Still got some Moleskin around somewhere, Ah the good old days When Plumbers were real men !!

Hahaha I’m 21 my hands are like velvet soft and smooth lol

 

[Best]

There is still the old type Fluxite or similar Yorkshire “grease” based fluxes available. Still one of the best fluxes you can use IMO.
I still use it. Old and well proven.
I have a tin of Laco I must test though.

 

[Stigster]

Laco all the way for me. It works very well using the thinnest of smears and therefore doesn't run out of fittings or make any mess. One problem I see with our students (and lecturers unfortunately) is that whatever flux they are using they put on way too much. The stuff is flowing out the fitting during soldering and dripping all over the place. The lads argue that they always clean their fitting up afterwards so it doesn't matter. I showed them a job that was a week old and indeed the fittings had been cleaned after soldering but there was green streaks all over the older pipework below from them using too much flux. I also cut out soldered pipe work and regularly find the flux runs all down the inside of the pipe and baked into the fittings, even after the systems have been flushed.

As a demo to prove a point, I cleaned a tube and fitting with wire wool, and applied an almost imaginary amount of Laco to the pipe only and got them all to solder this way successfully. I told them not to use such a small amount in reality as I was just demonstrating their excess but it did show they were all routinely using an excessive amount. There seems to be a real lack of finesse in some of the most basic plumbing skills with too many apprentices and even time served plumbers. I do my best to encourage skill and professionalism with all our lads.

I realise I've just gone off on one again but it's something that drives me nuts seeing floods of the stuff dripping all over the place plus it makes right mess of all my heat mats.

 

[Daniel Hall]

Laco is the dogs bollocks

 

[quality]

Anyone used Bakers flux ?

 

[plumbandplumber]

There is still the old type Fluxite or similar Yorkshire “grease” based fluxes available. Still one of the best fluxes you can use IMO.
I still use it. Old and well proven.
I have a tin of Laco I must test though.

Templars Telux (grease based) for me. Just have to make sure you clean both pipe and inside fitting, as it's not self cleaning. Though for some reason, Laco seems to work better on solder ring if I use that type of fitting. Don't know why.

 

[johnduffell]

@Stigster that's very useful, I just slap it on like I do solvent cement then try to wipe it all off afterwards, clearly I have a lot to learn - thanks!

 

[sammathias]

Laco , thats the one for gas . Lead free solder .

Laco on gas, i was told to steer away from laco on gas due to it being corrosive? Cant really be flushed? Used to use powerflow but its a bastard to get fittings.on with the slightest bit of water in the pipe.

 

[townfanjon]

Laco on gas, i was told to steer away from laco on gas due to it being corrosive? Cant really be flushed? Used to use powerflow but its a bastard to get fittings.on with the slightest bit of water in the pipe.

As far as I know laco is the only one that should be used on gas , its powerflow thats the agressive one .

 

[sammathias]

You maybe right, i use laco on everything but use lawtons on gas pipe because i thought laco was corrosive.

As far as I know laco is the only one that should be used on gas , its powerflow thats the agressive one .

 

[townfanjon]

You maybe right, i use laco on everything but use lawtons on gas pipe because i thought laco was corrosive.

Never heard of Lowtons , maybe fluxes are a bit regional lol

 

[sammathias]

Never heard of Lowtons , maybe fluxes are a bit regional lol

Yeah to be honest i only bought a tub as it looked decent. Think its the suppliers own brand.

 

[Ric2013]

I have left Fluxite, Laco, and Everflux on a pipe for a week (as an experiment) to see how corrosivethey were. No green whatsoever on Fluxite, but still greasy (wet?). The Laco and Everflux had dried, but the pipe was heavily greened. I would not say Laco is non-corrosive, based on this.