Degreaser

Can anyone tell me where I can obtain degreasing agent, I am ready to braze my. Boiler for the mini but can't find a degreaser help

I asume you are in the UK

Halfords? Gunk or Jizer?

Unless you are doing a copper boiler and really need a deoxidizer. Then you need cirtric acid from the baking section in Tescos or your local home brew shop

Pete

Hot water and washing-up liquid is good enough and dirt cheap. A quick dip in acid pickle to remove any oxide is a good idea. Your flux should do the rest.

Russell

Hi Graeme, I have not used it for the purpose you intend but brake cleaning fluid is a good de-greaser, you can buy it at most motor factors--never seen it in DIY motoring shops.

Personally for the job in hand I would use a mechanical process, i.e. emery and elbow grease-works every time with a suitable flux ! If there is a greasy film on your copper just wash with soap and water then use the emery.

Remember when soldering "cleanliness is next to Godliness"

John

Hot water and washing powder, better and cheaper than wash. liquid. Also washing up lquid has oil/ grease in it to protect my hands.

Yes, Fairy Liquid contains geraniol, an oil found in geraniums etc. It can cause some problems with painting but I've never had problems withy silver brazing. The heat of the torch soon burns off the minute quantity left behind.

Russell.

Stuff comes out of the dishwasher pretty clean, in my experience.

I've put some pretty mucky items through it from time to time, though I haven't cleaned iron or steel that way in case the hot water and air give it a slight rust coating.

Andy

A fair selection of de-greasers here:-

http://www.cromwell.co.uk/shop/080602/degreasers

Gordon.

gunk..gunk..gunk..but rinse it off properly, best with a jetwash!

Hi Graeme, you use the term Braze. Preparation for brazing could be different from silver soldering. Personally, I would not use emery cloth to clean copper as a preparation method as the soft metal would become impregnated with the emery, steel - probably OK. Gunk leaves a filmed surface in my experience. What material are you making the boiler from ?

Bob

Cellulose thinner is the best degreaser by far, leaving a clean and dry surface, I use it all the time. Sticky tapes stick fast after it's use. Obtainable fron your local motor factor. BEWARE - highly flamable with low flashpoint. Mike.

Thanks for your reply, the boiler is copper and yes I should have used the term silver solder, c4 and tenacity flux, I was in engineering for a long part off my life and used a hot degreaser bath for all brazing and soldering work. And perhaps I am looking at this to hard, but to cut the story short I rang the old boss and have a pint of acetone coming my way, yes I do know how dangerous this stuff is.

Many nail varnish removers are Acetone. Try your wife's beauty drawer, or make up shop or nail bar.

Regards

Geoff

The nail varnish remover has oil (proberbly a vegetable type), and leaves an oily surface to the nail, Straight acetone tends to dry out, and damage the nails, your chemist might be able to supply a small bottle of straight acetone, or maybe a paint shop, don't know never tryed, its one of those chemicals tied up with the manufacture of illicit drugs, so don't expect to be able to buy a 44 gal drum of it. Ian S C

Acetone is available in most supermarkets here at €2 a litre. Don't know why it's so difficult to get here.

Yes, it's an excellent degreaser for surfaces to be painted but a bit OTT for silver brazing. Yes I believe the correct term is silver brazing not silver soldering. I think the difference between soldering and brazing has to do with the temperature not the materials.

Russell.

Or soak in washing soda. Just bought a kilo from Aldi for 87p to cheer myself up for the lack of useful gadgets today - such as a left handed digital vernier at a rock bottom price.

Neil

Hand cleaner / Swafega works well for degreasing engine blocks, smear it all over, a good thick coat, and work it in, leave it for a while, then wash off with water, dry as soon as possible, because rust will follow in miniutes, if the cleaned bits are not for painting, protect with oil, otherwise paint it. Ian S C

As far as I remember brazing and soldering are the same thing (can of worms anyone?).

No argument from me fizzy, When I can get it 22/24 swg brass wire is good for steel parts, I think the use of brass is where the term brazing came from. Ian S C

I don't think you'll ever get total agrement on the terminology. Silver soldering potentially cofuses with low temperature silver bearing solders, brazing and silver brazing both imply brass in the filler metal, which isn't the case. Hard soldering seems sensible as a contrast to soft soldering, but you hardlky ever see it used.

Neil