do you flux your fittings???

[Resolute]

La-co for me.

 

[Dannypipe]

I use Ever Flux for wet work and I use Power Flow for Gas work as its far less aggressive.

 

[secret squirrel]

Save all this faff with flux, solder, mirror to check if the solder's gone all the way round, cleaning fingers, cleaning flux brush, hot blow torch, scorch marks, shreaded heat mat, etc ...

Slap on a pushfit ...

Before anyone else says please please please allow me....

''real plumbers don't use pushfit, its for diyers and the work of satan''

 

[Dannypipe]

I've tried Laco. Really didn't get on with it. I burnt the flux which never happens with Ever Flux. I use Mapp.

 

[Best]

Who follows the rule:

Use the same length of solder as the diameter of the fitting, i.e two lots of 22mm of solder for each side of a 22mm coupling.

?

My rule is, I put as much on till I am happy the fitting is fully soldered & neatly wiped, & don't care if it means a little or a lot of solder

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i just flux the pipe and put fitting on with a twist to make sure of an even coverage, and i use la-co

 

[spanners1967]

I do exactly same... i clean everything and apply flux with the solder in a fairly thin layer ....

 

[dontknowitall]

i just flux the pipe and put fitting on with a twist to make sure of an even coverage, and i use la-co

Ditto - simples, really

My rule is, I put as much on till I am happy the fitting is fully soldered & neatly wiped, & don't care if it means a little or a lot of solder

Ditto, too!

 

[Best]

I don't like Everflux as it's aggressive & Powerflux seems to not flow well. I think Yorkshire Traditional flux is very good if you are prepared to clean fittings & pipe, (guess that makes me an oddball!) but I will consider using La-co.

 

[Phil]

Spend the morning soldering with Laco and then have a ***, it tastes of flux, yuk!

 

[PlumbBobBob]

always make sure you don't have any cuts when using la-co, my god does that smart!

 

[Resolute]

Spend the morning soldering with Laco and then have a ***, it tastes of flux, yuk!

I don't smoke (unless I set myself on fire) so don't have that problem!

 

[Dannypipe]

My rule is, I put as much on till I am happy the fitting is fully soldered & neatly wiped, & don't care if it means a little or a lot of solder

Like wise.

I asked as I have been asked for a rule of thumb before by people I'm teaching how to solder. I seem to remember being told this once.

When people are saying they apply flux with the solder, I take it they mean they are dipping the solder in a bit of flux. They're still fluxing their pipe/fitting with a brush right!!?

I find I sometimes need to dip leaded solder in the flux as it doesn't start melting at as low a temp' as lead free, and the extra flux can help it flow.

I pride myself on being able to burn a clean joint, and I've only had one leak that I can recall in years.

 

[Best]

I have watched, as I am sure we all have, demo videos of " experts " showing how to solder correctly. A lot of them blast the fitting with heat from one angle only, overheating it & letting solder run out of fitting. Then they show you the finished work, as if it is perfect! Better working out how to do it right yourself!

 

[Dannypipe]

I have watched youtube videos of people soldering. I don't know why, as its never fazed me. My father showed me how to solder when I was still wet behind the ears and the lesson took five minutes from beginning to end.

You're right, on youtube, they generally apply too much heat, on the one spot, and then feed too much solder into it and it runs down the pipe.

The thing is, it doesn't matter other than aesthetics, as most times, they will still hold water even if done like that.
I have watched youtube videos of people soldering. I don't know why, as its never fazed me. My father showed me how to solder when I was still wet behind the ears and the lesson took five minutes from beginning to end.

You're right, on youtube, they generally apply too much heat, on the one spot, and then feed too much solder into it and it runs down the pipe.

The thing is, it doesn't matter other than aesthetics, as most times, they will still hold water even if done like that.

 

[GQuigley67]

those wee mirrors are great, mine has broke already though, think i stood on it lol

 

[Best]

those wee mirrors are great, mine has broke already though, think i stood on it lol

That's 7 years bad luck! :cry_smile: Very handy for checking if fittings are neatly soldered, but you can become obsessive very easily!

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i got a dentists mirror from a boot sale years ago very handy when soldering

 

[Dannypipe]

Never bother with a mirror on fittings. Once its gone round what you can see, you're 99% sure it will have got the back of the joint aren't you!

 

[Best]

i got a dentists mirror from a boot sale years ago very handy when soldering

Advantage of that is you can always use it to help you remove your gold crowns, if times get really hard! :lol:

 

[WaterTight]

When people are saying they apply flux with the solder, I take it they mean they are dipping the solder in a bit of flux. They're still fluxing their pipe/fitting with a brush right!!?

Nope. Did at training centre but then went to work for a guy who applied his flux using the solder rod as a brush. Just dip it in and run it round. It's a bit of a trick but not that hard. Works for me.

 

[Dannypipe]

Well, each to their own!

 

[REDSAW]

i flux the pipe only with a very fine film, but sometimes the fitting as it depends on gravity ie, dont want the flux running inside the pipe as it will corrode then pin hole.

i still have the same 125gm pot of laco i bought 3 years ago & have only filled it 3 times, its gone a bit green though. it also makes me laugh at a mate of mine who uses a 450gm pot every 2 weeks but he does use it like spreading butter on toast.

 

[Dannypipe]

I gave an industrial size pot of La-Co away. I really wish I could understand why everyone loves it. I know Ever Flux is a bit evil and irritates your skin, but by heck does it work well.

 

[Best]

I gave an industrial size pot of La-Co away. I really wish I could understand why everyone loves it. I know Ever Flux is a bit evil and irritates your skin, but by heck does it work well.

I never have used Everflux - except to test it. I heard years ago, when it started to become prevalent, that it can be very corrosive to copper & solder & also heard it was banned on certain jobs. The Yorkshire Traditional flux is fairly harmless on copper, etc, & well proven - just a pity you have to clean fittings. The Fernox equivalent has a good name, but is different. Hard to buy over the counter nowadays.