Oops

Knocked over a bottle of Bakers Soldering Fluid on my workbench, mopped up with paper towels and washed any equipment or materials it touched but wondering what else I should do. Workbench surface is plywood with clear polyurethane finish but pretty battle scarred. Some spilt onto concrete floor and rubber matting as well. Any suggestions?

See 6.3 here: **LINK**

https://toolmedia-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/toolbank/downloads/cossh/0030.pdf

MichaelG.

Since Bakers Fluid is acidic you may use a sodium bicarbonate solution to neutralize the acid, shouldn't harm your concrete floor.

Thor

Surely the cement in the concrete would neutralise the Bakers Fluid, I would be more worried about any residual fluid trapped in the scratches on the bench surface, it’s amazing how only a small volume of the fluid can cause problems, don’t ask how I know. Dave W

Thanks all for the speedy responses.

I already found a MSDS online MichaelG but thanks for the one you provided.

After mopping up the spill I waited a while to see what reaction if any resulted. Seems like the accumulated oil/dust/rust/dirt ingrained in the benchtop simply neutralised the relatively mild acid properties of the flux as no apparent ill effects an hour later. Likewise the concrete floor appeared unharmed as well as the rubber floor mat. Did notice a 'soapy' feel on the skin of my fingers which came in contact with it when mopping up, but that soon disappeared after washing my hands again.

The only tools that came in contact was a pair of side cutters which I washed and then sprayed with light oil.

Assorted bits of metal lying on the bench which were also splashed with flux were washed and left to dry.

Interestingly, I use an old artists flat painbrush about 6mm wide to apply the flux. It never gets washed and after several years the only damage is some slight corrosion of the aluminium ferrule. The timber handle and the bristles seem to have survived fairly well, although the bristles have suffered from applying flux to surfaces already heated by the soldering iron/blowtorch..

I'll see what everything looks like in the morning. Expecting some light surface corrosion on the steel bits but that won't be a problem.

The MSDS is typically generic and "scary" The clean up instructions are totally generic. I'd second neutralising with bicarbonate of soda.

The MSDS has toxicity data for Ammonium Chlorate, an ingredent of Bakers Fluid. I'm currently chewing a Swedish licorice sweet that is liberally coated in Ammonium Chlorate..... Don't drink Bakers Fluid though.

Robert g8RPI.

Ammonium Chlorate, nasty stuff, is almost certainly a typo for Ammonium Chloride.

The Chloride is pretty safe whether used as a flux or for flavouring (E510).

I'd mop up a spillage as much as possible, neutralise with Sodium Bicarbonate, and flush with water, being careful to keep the wet away from metal. If Baker's gets on or into metal objects, clean them thoroughly - chlorides promote corrosion. (Remember what salt water does to mild-steel!)

Dave

I think part of the reason Bakers Fluid works is that the ammonium part decomposes to release hydrochloric acid which has a nasty habit of wafting around the workshop to find your most precious micrometer or other tool to promote rust on.

Oops you are right,. My mistake, rushed post, BUT it is chloride in both Bakers fluid and nordic licorice.

Yes, ammonium chlorate flux could get "quite exciting".

Just to be clear … My reason for referencing 6.3 in the MSDS was that the advice is very simple:

”Clean spillage area thoroughly with plenty of water.”

MichaelG.

It might be quite exciting as a coating for licorice sweets too...

Well after more than 24 hours the end result is:

Plywood 1, Bakers Soldering Fluid 0.

Concrete floor and rubber mat unharmed. Bits of steel on the bench were washed and now show only light surface rust most likely from residual moisture after washing. Affected tools which were washed and oiled show no after-effects.

Some of the ingrained dirt/rust/metal filings on the bench changed colour but the timber itself appears unharmed. It might have helped that over the last few days we have been experiencing the greatest rainfall ever recorded, with over 80% of our annual rainfall being recorded in a 3-day period causing widespread flooding. Humidity has been in the 90%+ range during this time too.

Regardless, next time I'll be more careful and remember not to leave opened bottles of anything where they can be knocked over.

Good result

MichaelG.

I have actually tasted Bakers Fluid, it was not a gourmet experience. It was only a tiny splash but it is a particularly foul experience, I suppose it was marginally better then getting it in my eye but I strongly recommend not tasting it, and it takes a lot of rinsing to get rid of the taste, I don’t remember it doing any real harm but I was rinsing within seconds of tasting and didn’t swallow any. Petrol is another taste that I find difficult to recommend, I had a rather larger sample of that trying to prime a siphon.

Mike