What is Flux?
Flux is a chemical cleaning agent that facilitates soldering, brazing, and welding. It does this by removing oxidation from the metals to be joined. In high-temperature metal joining processes, the primary purpose of flux is to prevent oxidation of the base and filler materials. It also helps transfer the heat evenly over the metal surface. The use of flux also allows solder to flow easily on the working piece rather than forming beads as it would otherwise thus making the hot metal much easier to work with.
In summary, flux has 3 main components;
1. Chemically- it cleans metal surfaces to assist the flow of filler metals over base metals and provides a protective barrier against re-oxidation and heat scale.
2. Thermally- it assists with heat transfer from heat source to metal surface
3. Physically- it helps in the removal of surface metal oxides.
We strongly recommend the use of flux with your Castaloy and Steelaloy projects.
[…] protects the metal from oxidation during the bonding process, reducing the chance of oxidation.) Flux is used with some of our other products such as Castaloy and Steelaloy but not […]
[…] metal and cooled to join the pieces together. This is known as “wetting”. Usually a flux is placed on the metal. Flux is required to prevent oxides from forming while the metal is heated. […]
[…] to brazing due to the use of flux to prevent corrosion and oxidation. This is important when using a product like Castaloy because […]
[…] aluminum or steel. It is very susceptible to corrosion and oxidation so cleaning and using of our flux product is highly recommended. As with Alumaloy, make sure the area you are working with is […]
[…] this almost always requires a vigorous brushing with a metal brush or sand paper. DO NOT FORGET, flux is an acid and should be treated with respect. I have written an article on the proper way to clean and […]
[…] this almost always requires a vigorous brushing with a metal brush or sand paper. DO NOT FORGET, flux is an acid and should be treated with respect. I have written an article on the proper way to clean and […]