For this week’s
#tooltalktuesday I wanted to discuss Firescoff Flux, for those looking for a minimally hazardous and eco-friendly flux it is a great option! I must credit the Eco Jewelry Handbook by Christine Dhein as a source for some of the following information. You can find her awesome book over on my book recommendations page! It has information and health ratings on 14 different fluxes (Firescoff has one of the best ratings!) To start I wanted to talk about fluorides - they are in most fluxes because they reduce the melting temperature of the flux to allow it to flow at soldering temperatures. Flouride fumes are not good for our health, and switching to non-fluoride fluxes is a great step towards making your studio a safer environment! Firescoff is fluoride and alcohol free, it can be used on silver, gold and copper. It protects against firescale making it an all-in-one firecoat and flux product. To use you simply spray your piece, I usually apply a little bit of heat onto my piece first and then spray it. My experience was great with it, however I did not find I could skip pickling my piece. It is mentioned in the products description that you can soak it in warm water or use an ultrasonic for a few minutes. I did warm water (in an electric kettle) for a full ten minutes and I did not see my piece get completely clean but a few minutes in my citric acid pickle did the job! If you are someone that is working with Firescoff and have successfully just used water, we would LOVE to hear from you! One other downside of this spray is it is one of the more expensive ones and spraying can result in waste. One way you can help reduce waste is transferring some of the flux into a glass dropper! Would love to discuss flux more! In college I used Handy Flux which while very effective does contain fluorides so becoming educated about some better options out there has been very empowering! I must also give a shoutout to
@benchtooljunkies who sent me both the fabulous book and the Firescoff in one of their monthly subscription
boxes!#metalsmithsociety #ecofriendlyjeweler #firescoff #ecofriendlyflu
