From: whit3rd@gmail.com   
      
   On Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at 10:17:13 AM UTC-7, Michael_A_Terrell wrote:   
      
   > Some people preferred the Alpha solder that Heathkit supplied with their    
   > kits, because the like how the burning flux smelled. I was desperate    
   > once and ad to buy some Oatey. They crap spitted and sputtered, as it    
   > rolled off the joint you were trying to solder, leaving the work covered    
   > in some plastic smelling flux.    
      
   The Oatey stuff is intended for plumbing, is basically zinc chloride (acid)   
   particles in a petroleum jelly suspension.   If there's going to be running   
   water in contact with the joint, it washes away the acid, but... for   
   soldering DRY wires, or pipes that hold vacuum (physics lab stuff)   
   that acid doesn't get removed.   Bad things happen.   
      
   For potable water, it's generally recommended not to drink from    
   the newly-soldered plumbing for a couple of days, then to open   
   your taps and flush the pipes out before  tasting the water.   
      
   The petroleum jelly is benign.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)