Looking for Flux and Alcohol dispenser bottles in the US, preferablly retail - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2025, 10:26:59 pm
content: I am trying to get two types of dispenser bottles for soldering. One with a needle-like tip to dispense liquid flux, and one with a pump for alcohol that lets the liquid pool at the top so I can dip it in a brush to clean off flux.You would think this would be simple, and I am probably over-thinking it, but whenever I try to find one of these I see a lot of bad reviews all over the place saying how the bottles broke after a few days and/or leak everywhere, especially the pump kind.Seems that Weller makes two types of bottles for dispensing flux, the FD2 and FD2D (Apparently the only difference is that the FD2D is ESD? Not sure how a plastic bottle would matter one way or the other) but it's hard to find. Sure it's listed on Amazon, but it's being sold by third parties so I am worried I would just be overpaying for a bootleg 50 cent bottle from Aliexpress.The real hard to find one though is one to dispense alcohol, there are plenty of those, the types of bottles that have a pump which lets the liquid pool on the top, but the reviews are all filled with 1/5 star "It broke/leaks in a few days" type reviews.I hear the name Menda tossed around a lot, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to get them. Just about all of the official/trusted sources are from distributors intended for mass bulk purchases by corporations, and shipping tends to be expensive because of this, some of them even wanted to charge an extra fee because my order total was BELOW a certain amount. Also... I have to admit, $20-30 for a little 6oz pump bottle is rather expensive. If there was at least physical retailers in the US I could buy them from it would not be so bad, but as far as I am aware that is not an option.Does anyone know a good one either online or even preferably in a physical store in the US that are decent and aren't so expensive? Also, how important it is that they are ESD safe?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2025, 09:52:04 pm
content: ESD safe is meaningless here.You can find some on digikey:https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/menda-easybraid/35283/2779492The branded ones are definitely better. And having a glass bottle, for example, is nice.But they all have similar flaws and can fail over time.Even branded one I got has issues with pumping liquid and evaporation.This was one of the best I've used, its lasted 2 years so far:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XZH4PPW/

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2025, 10:31:15 pm
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on April 13, 2025, 10:26:59 pmUS Plastic Corp has a huge range of bottles, including laboratory and dispensing bottles:https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=469&clickid=leftnav-iconsCole-Parmer is another source of laboratory stuff:https://www.coleparmer.com/search?N=CPDomestic&Ntt=bottles&Ns=P_ItemSortCPVH|1&Nf=category%7cBottles+and+Jars&Format=json&Rgn=P_ISUUSA&Rlg=en-US&Uty=dflt&Keyword=bottles&searchterm=bottlesBoth will sell to individuals. Cole-Parmer has a bricks-and-mortar store in Illinois:Cole-ParmerAddress:625 East Bunker CourtVernon Hills, Illinois 60061United StatesTelephone:1-847-549-7600Free call:1-800-323-4340Fax:1-847-247-2929E-mail:sales@coleparmer.com

author: Pariah_Zero
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 02:15:28 am
content: QuoteI'm partial toMenda Pure-Touch, but if you want something easier to find, look forfingernail polish removerpumps.They're avery similar pump bottle, for a fraction of the cost - and more importantly, you can probably find them locally/retail. Nail polish remover isusuallyacetone, the bottles & pump are made to handle that solvent (at which point either Isopropanol or Ethanol is no problem)Edit: Fix URL, spelling of Menda.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 04:29:45 am
content: I have been buying the MENDA "One-Touch" as needed from Mouser, but Amazon has them for the same price.https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Menda/35305?qs=El1T93pd01%252Bf%2FL90526tqQ%3D%3Dhttps://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Menda/35309?qs=El1T93pd0196ijYakIw00Q%3D%3Dhttps://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Menda/35312?qs=El1T93pd01%252B587rvK0O%252BRg%3D%3DSometimes the stainless steel ball in the pump valve does not seat correctly but this is easy to fix by removing the clip on the stem and cleaning the ball and seat. Other than that and the easy to replace tube falling off, these dispensers last forever. The plastic tube can be replaced with a length of heat shrink tubing.

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 09:15:24 am
content: Thanks for the advice, I just wanted to point out before I start replying to the direct posts, I was looking for both a pump bottle for alcohol to clean off flux, and a needle applicator bottle for APPLYING liquid flux, something like this:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001IUSK3A/Any recommendations or opinions on something like that? I know that Medna makes that took, but again, hard to get my hands on them for a reasonable cost when you factor in shipping and all that on top. Come to think of it, how would I prevent such a bottle from spilling while in storage? Do any of them have any sort of way to seal/close them when not in use?Oh, and speaking of the Medna pump bottles, I saw two types, one that let the liquid slowly seep back into the bottle and ones that do not to avoid contamination. Do I have to worry at all about any flux residue from when I dip the brush in the alcohol from causing any problems if it seeps back into the rest of the alcohol? Or is that not an issue?Quote from: thm_w on April 14, 2025, 09:52:04 pmYeah, I think Digikey was the cheapest shipping I was able to find. Though the bottles themselves are still rather pricy and the shipping still isn't cheap either. Seems really hard to get a hold of these as an individual purchase without paying out the nose for the privilege. One of the official distributors I tried on top of high shipping fees wanted to charge me an additional fee on top for my total being below $50.QuoteThanks, will look into that one, at the very least as a temporary one for now. Was hard to find ANY ones that seemed decent on Amazon, they were all full of complaints about them breaking/leaking. I know any product will have some 1/5 reviews but they seemed far more than usual for these kinds of bottles than most reviews I tend to see on there.Quote from: TimFox on April 14, 2025, 10:31:15 pmThe ones in that first link cost considerably even more than the Menda bottles, despite looking like the same thing. And I could not find either the pump or needle bottles in the second one.QuoteHmm, that's not too far, I could take a look. Though if their inventory is not much different than their website it won't help much. I'll give them a call.Quote from: Pariah_Zero on April 16, 2025, 02:15:28 amQuote from: David Hess on April 16, 2025, 04:29:45 amYeah, I was trying to search Amazon for generic pump bottles or even ones made for nail polish remover/acetone, but like I said, all I could find were ones with an abnormally large number of 1/5 reviews. Many of them were even complaints that bottles listed for acetone would in fact get destroyed if you put acetone in them. That's why I made this thread, to try to find actual good ones, either from Amazon or elsewhere... that won't cost me an arm and a leg. The Menda ones look like the best but on top of the bottle costing $20-25 it's hard to get without paying another $10 or so for shipping, if I would get the bottle at retail then the price tag would not be too bad, but coupled with shipping that is about half their cost it's just a bit too much for a small bottle like that.The ones being sold on Amazon seem to be priced up to around $30, and they are being sold by random third parties so I am skeptical if they might not just be expensive fakes.

author: daisizhou
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 10:01:52 am
content: Is this the kind you mean?If so.It cannot store liquids for long periods of time.I use it to store PCB cleaning fluid，It is not completely sealed,So the liquid consumption is huge

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 02:18:53 pm
content: I get much of my clean room stuff (finger cots, dust pickups, IPA, pump bottles,etc) from Hisco.https://www.all-spec.com/

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 04:15:52 pm
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on April 16, 2025, 09:15:24 amThe MENDA bottles are expensive, but I do not place orders with Mouser until they are more than $100, so the shipping is not such a large part.QuoteThat is always a risk with Amazon, although I would usually trust it if it was shipped by Amazon.

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 08:39:25 pm
content: Quote from: daisizhou on April 16, 2025, 10:01:52 amWhat do you mean exactly by cannot store liquids for long periods of time? Do you mean that the top part of the pump won't hold a pool of liquid for very long before it seeps back into the bottle, or that you can't keep liquids in the bottle itself for a long time?Quote from: watchmaker on April 16, 2025, 02:18:53 pmThose seem to be just like the Menda bottles, but cost more. Shipping is also more than other places too.Quote from: David Hess on April 16, 2025, 04:15:52 pmYeah, I could wait until I have some other items I also need, but that might be a while since I recently bought most components I would need for my future projects.QuoteYeah, if these were being sold by Amazon I would not worry as much, or even if Menda had an official storefront there, but these all seem to just be by random third parties.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 09:41:09 pm
content: I use these for the squeeze bottles and they are fine:https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005926707985.htmlI'm sure there is always a chance you get something defective, considering how cheap they are.Quote from: Cyber Akuma on April 16, 2025, 08:39:25 pmThey are saying the evaporation rate is high. I had same issue with a name brand dispenser. Haven't had that issue with the plastic amazon acetone dispensers yet.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 10:09:35 pm
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on April 16, 2025, 09:15:24 amI did not recommend any needle applicators because I stopped using them for flux. I prefer using a brush because the flux clogs the needle too readily. But I do use needle applicators for solvents and lubricants, so I will describe what I did.I bought bottles and separate needles of different sizes, like those linked below:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NKT2KJ9https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LK7LTD5https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LKRKGLMThe needle attachment to the bottle is not very reliable and will leak, so I screw the needle onto the cap, and then pour clear Gorilla glue into the gap sealing it.

author: daisizhou
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2025, 11:50:02 pm
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on April 16, 2025, 08:39:25 pmThe hand pump seal is not tight,The liquid inside is easy to evaporate.in other words,If not used for a long time, the liquid inside will evaporate and reduce

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2025, 10:26:02 pm
content: Quote from: thm_w on April 16, 2025, 09:41:09 pmQuote from: daisizhou on April 16, 2025, 11:50:02 pmI see, not good for alcohol since that evaporates pretty easily. What about flux? Would that evaporate quickly too?Quote from: David Hess on April 16, 2025, 10:09:35 pmThe last two links are not in stock but I get what you mean, would those bottles be good for storing flux? They say they are intended for oil, is flux more corrosive than oil?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 12:05:55 am
content: You wouldn't store flux in a top dispensing container like that.You would normally either use flux syringe (for thicker gel/paste) or flux pen, squeeze bottles linked above (for thin flux).

author: Cyber Akuma
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 12:14:34 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on April 18, 2025, 12:05:55 amWhat about specifically for this kind of liquid flux?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MYEE84KI have been trying the gel kind too but that comes with it's own syringe-like dispenser.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 12:20:09 am
content: Its thin liquid, so I would use a metal tip squeeze bottle or a flux pen.https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005626369839.htmlhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/best-reuseable-flux-pen-for-0603-components/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/liquid-flux-pen-vs-bottle/

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 02:57:46 am
content: Quote from: Cyber Akuma on April 17, 2025, 10:26:02 pmThey will store solvents and acetone, so flux should not be a problem. The bottle itself is polyethylene or polypropylene. I am not sure what the cap is made of.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 03:00:18 am
content: PSA, Don't accidently fill your IPA bottle up with used IPA from the SLA printer.It wont end well for the push-pump.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 03:26:17 am
content: If you want local check make up stores. Women use the pump bottles for various products, including fingernail polish remover and Isopropyl.

author: Simmed
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 03:36:07 am
content: amazon sometimes call it acetone dispenserhttps://www.amazon.com/Acetone-Remover-Dispenser-Non-Woven-Supplies/dp/B0CPJRYH73?crid=U4QL8YK2Y3D&sprefix=js%2Bempty%2Bnail%2Bpolish%2Bmakeup%2Bremover%2Caps%2C1138&sr=8-5&th=1

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2025, 01:46:24 pm
content: The bottle you looking for is called RL-054. It's available on ali, eBay, amazon. On ali just select filter to ship from the U.S.Here is the link to one that ships from the U.S. --https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808171806607.htmlBut, you can get them from China in about a week. Price is 3 bucks for 5 pieces.