Ever wonder where all that white, powdery residue which inevitably shows up on your nice solder seams comes from? Blame it on flux which is used in the soldering process. Flux contains a highly corrosive substance known as zinc chloride. It is this substance which actually cleans copper foil  eliminating surface contaminents including all oxidation thus enabling the solder to bond to the metal surface. Unfortunately, flux also promotes that powdery white residue which is actually corrosion of the metals in solder. A very good practice to get into is to thoroughly clean your work immediately after soldering with a mild dish detergent, or a premixed cleaning agent (such as CJ’s), and plenty of water.  However, even with this careful attention to cleaning, flux is an elusive chemical in that it can seep under copper foil no matter how firmly it is adhered to glass. Subsequently, flux tends to resurface along the edges of solder seams, corroding the solder and leaving in its path that unwanted residue. But all is not lost! Simply buff the residue off with fine steel wool. If you have used a patina, you will have to reapply it. Waxing solder seams with a product such as Nevr Dull or Clarity Finishing Compound ( available in the studio), helps somewhat in warding off the return of residue. 

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