I have tried these and must say, they work rather nicely. Yes some things may sound silly. But try it for your self.
Flux.
Simply go to a hardware store, such as Bunnings, Home Depo, What ever you have locally. Look for Borax. It comes in powder form. Pour a little into a clean glass jar add a little water and make a paste with it. When you use it mix up the paste and dab a little on your brush your all set.
Pickle solution.
Gosh this one is very easy to mix...
Use a cup of vinegar and about 3 heaping table spoons of salt.
Mix together into a glass crock pot, I use a old coffee maker.
Set my silver into this to clean off the carbon from the item, it is less dangerous then some of the other products out there. Plus you can tip it down the drain with out killing off the environment.
Fire scale sprays
Use a teaspoon borax powder into a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol. Spray it onto your piece before soldering, flick it with a flame and when it burns fa your ready to go.
Oxidise your work
You can use that stuff you buy looks and smells like rotten eggs. It's expensive. Or you can boil up an egg, put it into a plastic zip bag with your item. Then break the egg and let it sit for a hour or so. When you take it out toss the bag away. Don't eat the egg...
Wash off your item and use your steel wool to finish up, give it a nice polish and your set.
Use soap...
Well if you have a tumbler, use regular dish soap in it with a bit of water.. I use hot tap water with mine, I square a bit of soap into my tumbler and toss in the items, let it run and when it comes out its nice and pretty.
