Some time ago I bought some flux. It seemed a bit strange and, not thinking about the fact that flux is used in welding, not just soldering, I put it away to wait until I could properly identify it.
I tried looking it up online, several times, without success. I did try the official website.
Do you know what type of flux this is / what it is used for?
Thanks!

 

Did you read the contents? I find it inconceivable that you could not find a TDS or MSDS on-line. I guarantee you they are there.

It is an acid flux for plumbing and is not suitable for electronics. Zinc chloride and ammonium chloride in the ingredients on the label are clues.

 

Do you find it conceivable that I don't know what an MSDS and TDS are?
Thanks for the information! I'll look up what they are and see what I can come up with.

 

Do you find it conceivable that I don't know what an MSDS and TDS are?
Thanks for the information! I'll look up what they are and see what I can come up with.

Not for someone writing an article for publication on a technical site.

 

Not for someone writing an article for publication on a technical site.

I'm uncertain what you are trying to accomplish.
MSDS stands for "Material Safety DataSheet". I can't figure out what TDS stands for.

I asked my mother, who's college educated as a Doctor, but retired to have children. She didn't know about the abbreviation nor the expanded form (In college she did take both chemistry as well as organic chemistry). I asked my father, who owns a small company. He did not know about the abbreviation nor the expanded form either.
I don't know how you expected me to be aware of this. I'm not college educated.
I did have the opportunity to take chemistry. I did start, but my book was stolen, and being a boy of little means, I had to give it up.
As you can see from my article forum post, "Please don't use a dishwasher for both dishes and PCBs that use lead in some capacity." I do try to be safe.
If you expect me to live up to an industry standard, I will fail. I'm not part of the industry so I don't know how to. If you ask me to live up to an academic standard, I will fail. I'm not part of academia so I don't know how to.
I am aware that on the label it says to consult the MSDS for the compounds in use. I was not using it, so I found no reason to look the information up. Furthermore, having only gotten internet about 2 years ago I had assumed that the typical "Don't breath it, eat it, etc. it," applied for each compound listed (The MSDS for Ammonium Chloride says as much. I'll have to read the others.) and I did not have to perform the expensive task of trying to look up the datasheets on each compound.

So, what do you want to achieve through criticism of my ignorance? We all have to start with nothing and learn from there. That is why I post questions on this site.

 

@ballsystemlord
I believe that is the same one I used when sweating copper pipes during renovations.

https://www.oatey.com/2371622/Product/Oatey-No-95-Tinning-Flux

 

"TDS" can mean many things; however, when used in the same context as MSDS (i.e., referring to chemicals in a product), it stands for Technical Data Sheet:
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/6926/technical-data-sheet-tds

It is quite common for products. Closely related is the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). It has been quite awhile since I reviewed laws regarding the availability of those documents. In commercial settings, it used the be required that an employer have the MSDS on-site or available for all products used in a facility that were so covered. The MSDS may be too technical for some people; they may prefer the SDS or TDS. The TDS is more about how to properly use a material. I am not sure whether either supplants the need for an MSDS.

My point at the time was that you showed the label and that clearly showed the product contained both chloride salts (ammonium and zinc). If you didn't know what they were, you could have looked them up, but referring to an MSDS or SDS may be quicker and less technical.

PS: If you are in the United States and found this post by searching on "TDS," you are probably in the wrong place.

 

My point at the time was that you showed the label and that clearly showed the product contained both chloride salts (ammonium and zinc). If you didn't know what they were, you could have looked them up

Its a bit of a stretch to find much by looking up these ingredients. It will pull up way too much un needed info and be difficult for someone to connect the dots who doesn't already know somewhat of what they are looking for.

The easiest thing to do is simply search "what is oatleys no.95". Its a common product and easily found discussed all over the place. You can even search "Can I use oatleys no.95 for electronics" and you will get many discussions about why its not a good idea.

 

Its a bit of a stretch to find much by looking up these ingredients. It will pull up way too much un needed info ...

I disagree. Part of life is learning to separate the wheat from the chaff. I had assumed the TS had already done the obvious (i.e., searched for Oatley flux) and still wasn't sure about the flux.

Part of my routine to separate the puffery on labels is to go to the MSDS/SDS/TDS documents. MSDS and SDS are usually quite similar, but I have found information that was not on one on the other. The TDS is quite useful in that it often gives more information about how to use than is on the label.

 

Thanks for the link @narkeleptk !
As for what I should do when searching, ideally, I would do both. But lacking a proper understanding of chemistry, and that datasheets on these things were available, I failed at one. The other method, that of searching for what others were using the product for, I didn't consider looking for as I was searching for a product page with a better description of what it was to be used for.

I consider this question answered.

 

And all my life I thought TDS was short for Totally Dissolved Solids. Thanks for clarifying!

 

Here are more definitions of TDS: