Mer om borax som flussmedel:
http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/material/borax.phpSodium tetraborate Na2B4O7 melts at 741°C (1,366°F)
Boils at 2,867°F (1,575°C)
Sodium tetraborate, decahydrate, Borax
Na2B4O7·10H2O melts at 75°C (167°F), -8H2O, 60°C
Sodium tetraborate, pentahydrate Na2B4O7·5H2O melts at -H2O, 120°C (248°F)
Used for forge welding
flux,
brazing flux and a constituent of arc welding flux.
Also sold world wide under the trade name Solubor® as a boron fertilizer.
What it means is that borax only needs to get 120°C (248°F) to become dehydrated e.g. it will loose the water trapped around the molecules (due to the polarity of the water molecules and the affinity that Oxygen has to electrons....)
So, to get borax that doesn't make that weird dance on the steel. Just pop it in the oven at 150°C for an hour or so and the water will go away. This will make the borax slightly faster in protecting the steel from oxygen and other harm.
BORAX as FLUX:
Borax is used for brazing and forge welding flux. It is applied several ways. Brazing rods are coated with it or plain. When using plain rods the end is heated and then dipped in some borax powder which sticks to the rod and begins to melt.
When forge welding it is common to sprinkle it on. Occasionally a hot piece of iron or steel is "dipped" in the can or box. Many smiths go to the trouble to forge a long handled spoon. Another method is to use a "poker" with a short bent end. The end is heated then dipped in the flux. The flux is then transferred to the part while it is still in the fire. This has the advantage of not removing the part from the fire OR sprinkling a lot of flux in the forge.
The high
temperature solvent effect of borax will also dissolve refractories (such as your forge lining or fire brick), which after all, are metal oxides.
Cooked Borax (c) 2001 Larry Sundstrom Recipe for Dehydrating Borax
Add one box of Borax to a 9" x 14" casserole dish.
Place on middle oven rack
Bake at 500°F (260°C)for 2-1/2 hours.
Let cool where your wife won't see it.