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Old 09-29-2016, 12:44 PM
WNC Goater WNC Goater is offline
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Boric Acid/Decarb

Anyone ever used Boric Acid on a blade to prevent decarb during HT? The blade would need to be heated up before sprinkling on the BA so as for it to stick.

(FWIW we use boric acid in denatured alcohol to dip jewelry in before soldering to prevent firescale.)


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Old 09-29-2016, 01:05 PM
Doug Lester Doug Lester is offline
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Something in the back of my mind says that the boric acid would not take the heat encountered in heat treating the blade. I tried something similar with borax but it etched the blade rather badly.

Doug


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Old 09-29-2016, 01:44 PM
WNC Goater WNC Goater is offline
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Boric acid will melt into a glass-like coating that can withstand crucible melting temperatures well above what our typical HT temps range. It can glow under direct oxy-acet torch heat and will flow like molten glass. It doesn't evaporate off or burn up. So I don't believe its ability to "take" heat is particularly relevant.

When it melts on a metal object, it forms a barrier between the metal surface and the air...which is where (and why) firescale and, I assume, decarb form.

Not sure why borax would etch steel, but I'm speaking specifically about boric acid.

Borax is aka "sodium borate" and boric acid is aka "hydrogen borate". They aren't the same thing though apparent similar in that they are both "borates", and apparently borax can be converted to boric acid. Though I'm not a chemist or even chemistry inclined.

In the jewelry world we use borax for flux when doing a molten metal pour, and boric acid as a anti-scale when soldering as described above. I never really questioned all the what's and how's of each.


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Old 09-29-2016, 05:45 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Talking Used to work at US Borax

At their big chemical plant in Wilmington, Los Angeles harbor. I was a general sheetmetal guy. They had pure boron there and other neat stuff. Barrels of boric acid. They had this one chemical they warned us about that wasn't dangerous when it was wet, but would explosively start on fire from friction when dry. We used to play some cool jokes with that stuff, but I left when called back for the B-1 bomber contract, told my brother about the job and he went & got it the Friday I quit.

You have to understand my brother's sense of humor to understand what kind it was. Like putting a firecracker in the end of his pistol and lighting it holding it in his lap when I introduced my girlfriend and soon fiance and eventually mother of my children. She never liked him much, I wonder why cause he was such a fun guy.
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