I just bought myself a cheap soldering iron to learn the skills of soldering track. Made a couple mistakes. One thing I realized is I needed to remove 2 ties from each end of a section to avoid melting ties. What do you guys do when soldering tracks together? I've seen some people have no problem leaving these ties on and have no melting problems. My iron isn't even all that powerful, only 30w. If you remove these ties, what do you use to replace them before ballasting? I was thinking of using peices of basswood cut to size. Some of the ties were removed intact so I might be able to reuse those.
Lorne
Ii have gone through my share of 30w irons although they are good for practice. I think someplace like MicroMark might have a better one.
When I solder rail joints, I will remove enough ties to accommodate the length of the rail joiner, apply flux to the joint, tin the iron and then get in and out as fast as possible. I will then cut the spikes off the tie using a utility knife and, using clear latex caulk, I reattach the ties to the roadbed. Once everything is painted and ballasted the repair disappears.
There are probabky other ways of doing it, but this works for me,
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
Sounds like you're missing using flux. You can get it at any hardware store (electronics flux works best for me).
My soldering technique:
1. Plug in iron and let it heat up fully (mine takes close to ten minutes)
2. Have a piece of wet sponge nearby (for cleaning the tip between uses)
3. Apply a BIT of flux to the joint (2-3 pinheads is enough)
4. Tin the tip of the soldering iron (apply solder, flick off excess as safely as possible, brush tip on wet sponge)
5. Apply iron to workpiece. Flux should sizzle and melt.
6. Apply solder to workpiece (not to iron). Solder will flow and follow where flux went.
7. Clean tip on sponge after soldering.
Tinning is only necessary once every few days, or when starting with a new tip/iron. Using this technique, I can solder track without removing ANY ties without any melting problems.
Hope this helps!
Stu
Streamlined steam, oh, what a dream!!
MavrykI just bought myself a cheap soldering iron to learn the skills of soldering track. Made a couple mistakes. One thing I realized is I needed to remove 2 ties from each end of a section to avoid melting ties. What do you guys do when soldering tracks together? I've seen some people have no problem leaving these ties on and have no melting problems. My iron isn't even all that powerful, only 30w. If you remove these ties, what do you use to replace them before ballasting? I was thinking of using peices of basswood cut to size. Some of the ties were removed intact so I might be able to reuse those.
First I only solder rail joiners on the curve.
I always stagger the joints so they are not directly across from each other.
I don't remove any ties. I cut a notch out under the rail so the joiner will slide in without making a bump.
30W iron is pretty small. It takes too long to get the rail hot. I use a larger iron (90W I think) that can get the rail hot real quick. Get it hot and soldered in just the one tiny spot before the ties have time to melt. Then as suggested above have a wet sponge to immediately cool the rail.
I do NOT solder rail joiners - ever. Climate conditions in my layout space would make that a Really Bad Idea.
I also don't use any cheap, wimpy little iron for soldering rail, or for soldering drops to rail. My weapon of choice is the biggest, most powerful soldering gun I can lay my meathooks on.
In order to assure electrical continuity I solder jumpers around every rail joint. I tin the rail web, tin the wire end, apply flux, then touch the tip of the pre-heated gun to rail and wire for about one second - just long enough to melt the solder. Then, get off! Done properly, the rail base will never get hot enough to melt the plastic ties. I have solder joints in daily service that were made this way in 1980, and not one has ever failed.
Main power drops get soldered the same way unless there's some special case - like soldering the drops for a turnout into the flangeways of the guard rails. My turnouts are hand-laid, soldered together on wood ties, which seldom scorch.
There is a use for a small, light iron. That place is inside a control panel (soldering wires to switch and LED socket lugs) or a locomotive shell (decoder installation.)
Chuck (Mode,ing Central Japan in September, 1964)
i always cut 2 or 3 ties off the end of each piece of track. always use electronic flux, i like the paste made by Burnley that comes in the red and yellow can. (mine has lasted me for decades) apply it with the tip of a tooth pick or small screw driver. a little dab is plenty. 30 watts is much to small. i like a weller gun rated at 100/140 watts. i just slide in and glue some stripwood ties after i am done and when they are painted, they look ok to me.
take some scrap pieces of rail and practice-practice-practice. you will get good at it with a little time and patience.
biggest deal is your 30 watt iron is way too small and by the time the work gets hot enough to melt the solder, the heat transfers all over the place and melts the ties. i prefer a gun because i don't like the hot iron laying around on the layout while i am working.
Be happy in your work.
Charlie
I agree with Santa Fe but use wet cotton makeup pads on each side of joint as close to joint as possible but allow space for the soldering iron without touching the pads. If you let the iron heat up fully and use the pencil tip I have not had problem with my 30 Watt iron melting ties. It melts the solder in just seconds. I also remove ties and replace them before ballasting.
Judging by what several of you mentioned, my techique is ok (I watched a few soldering videos on youtube before I attempted it), but my iron is lacking. I haven't tried the heatsink idea yet, however. I'll try that tonight after work. I have a ton of old track to practice on.
Oh, that reminds me. Do you think brass rails (my old practice stuff) will react differently than the nickel plate stuff?
Glad you're learning to solder, Lorne. It's a lot of fun, very satisfying, and extremely useful for far more than trackwork (electrical switches; scratch building; turntable connections).
I have a 30W Weller iron and, after I learned, have rarely had a problem. I use flextrack and simply cut the ties off sufficiently far from the joint to allow the joiner to slide free of the joint in the unlikely event I have to remove the track. I carefully grind the ties down in the middle with a Dremel and simply slide them under the joiner and track and secure them with a touch of CA when I'm finished.
The iron is only half the equation; the solder is the other half. I use .032 solder, as fine as I could find; the smaller the diameter the faster the melt. That solder, my Weller (a great iron with replaceable tips; worth every penny), and careful fluxing and tinning of the wire and rail make me invincible!
I don't recall if anyone mentioned it, but be sure to use rosin flux, not acid, for electrical work.
Rick Krall
Thanks Rick, good advise.
The flux I'm using is petrolium based lead free. Glad you mentioned the solder size. That might be my main problem. I'm using 1.6 so by the time the solder can melt, so is everything else.
Right now I'm just practicing my soldering on bare plywood base. Once I take the plunge and start soldering the good rail, it'll be sitting on 2" foam insolation. Is this going to cause any issues?
Mavryk Thanks Rick, good advise. The flux I'm using is petrolium based lead free. Glad you mentioned the solder size. That might be my main problem. I'm using 1.6 so by the time the solder can melt, so is everything else. Right now I'm just practicing my soldering on bare plywood base. Once I take the plunge and start soldering the good rail, it'll be sitting on 2" foam insolation. Is this going to cause any issues? Lorne
That solder does seem unnecessarily large, Lorne. I think you'll find a smaller size a big plus.
As to the flux, I'm not aware that lead is an ingredient or issue in flux. I guess lead-free is fine, but the real issue is acid. Just make sure your flux doesn't contain acid or, over time, it'll destroy the electrical connection. My local hardware store sells only acid flux, for example, because that's what plumbers use, so I could have easily purchased it by mistake. I bought mine at Radio Shack.
As to the foam, I can't help there, as I use cork roadbed on 1/2" ply. Others can help, but I wouldn't imagine foam would be an issue, and certainly not an unsolvable one, as it's pretty popular.
As you sharpen your soldering skills, learn to solder on the inside of the rail (assuming HO). It's a neat skill that makes soldering wire and inspecting the joint much easier.
LION RULE #1 LOOK at the Soldering Iron Before Picking it up.
LION RULE #2 ADJUST Eyeglasses BEFORE picking up soldering iron.
LION RULE #3 If you drop the soldering iron DO NOT TRY TO CATCH IT.
LION RULE #4 If you solder under table, do not let hot solder drip onto your nice fur.
LION RULE #5 Always clear off the area you will work in and know where you will place the soldering iron when not in your hand, where it will not start fire to your layout.
LION RULE #6 If using an extension cord, clamp the cord at its plug to the table fascia so that when you trip over the cord it will not disturb the soldering iron from its safe place.
LION RULE #7 Do not allow your tail to get tangled in your work. Keep it out of the way.
ROAR
PS... LION has not the patience to wait for a soldering gun to heat up. Him uses a soldering iron. Him plugs it is, then it is ready for use. Because it is on too long, LION must replace tips frequently because they burn up. LION would buy electronic soldering set, but him has not the money at the moment.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Use a Dremel wire brush to brighten up brass before trying to solder.
I've used brass rail for guardrails. As long as it's clean (tarnish-free) it solders just like nickel silver, which is just another copper alloy. OTOH, steel is totally non-cooperative.
That lead-free flux is meant for lead-free solder, which isn't worth a hoot for any model railroading use. What you want is 60-40 or 63-37 lead-tin small diameter rosin-core solder. 50-50 is fine for plumbing, but not so good for electrical use. As for proper flux, I personally use Burnley's non-acid paste. There are other rosin based fluxes, both paste and liquid. The flux in rosin-core solder is frequently too little/too late if used alone.
One trick, useful for assembling multiple soldered parts, is to make the first joints with 50-50, the later connections with 60-40 and do the final detailing with 63-37. If you ever assemble a brass locomotive from raw parts this is good to know.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
eaglescout Use a Dremel wire brush to brighten up brass before trying to solder.
Also with NS. I also solder with rosin core solder. And I use a Weller 100/140 gun.
In the beginning I softened a few ties and tried heat sinks. But now I'm in and out fast enough that I don't need the heat sinks.
Good luck
Paul
tomikawaTTOne trick, useful for assembling multiple soldered parts, is to make the first joints with 50-50, the later connections with 60-40 and do the final detailing with 63-37. If you ever assemble a brass locomotive from raw parts this is good to know.
Ok, this raises another question I've had when looking at the different types of solder. Why the differences? Are some harder than others or takes more heat to melt?
Ya know, when I first bought this soldering iron, I never thought for a second there was so d**n much to know about this. All the different solder, all the different flux, soldering iron wattage and tips, etc.
So, what I learned about this so far, acid = bad. rosin = good, and even though size matters, you still need to know what your doing. All the youtube vids I watched are really kind of pathetic, when you think that there is so much to know about this skill. There really should be a book on it out there somewhere.
Check out some of these videos, very informative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d48fftQguws
The science of soldering has changed over the years. Once upon a time you used a torch and a crucible of melted lead, and dipped your wires into that to solder them.
Standard heavy solder in rolls was used for soldering brass/copper pipes and thus the acid flux. You would use an iron with a broad tip for that.
When I was a kid, dad repaired radios and television sets [the kind in a wooden box, a metal chassis, and warm glowing vacuum tubes.) Just use rosin flux, and use a pointed tip, the rest was the same.
Enter the world of transistors, you needed thinner solder and a finer tip to get in and get out without heating up the components.
Today we have integrated chips, and need even finer solder and tips.
Sot the sort of work you are doing will suggest what sort of tip and solder that you will want to use.
Now if you were building a locomotive out of brass components, you do not want the side will to fall off while you are attaching the horn. So, for the first pieces that you install you need a solder with a high melting point. The next parts that you attach you use a solder with a lower melting point, so that the first joints do not fall apart. You keep reducing the melting point of you solder until the locomotive is finished, previous work dose not come undone.
Soldering will slowly become an art for any MR building a layout. I solder only in curves on flex track.
I always flux the rail joiner with liquid flux (GC chemicals) and slide it together with the wet flux in it which coats both rails and is intimate with the joiner and rails. I apply the thinnest diameter rosin core solder to the outside rail faces only that have been heated with a 60 watt pencil iron. Just the tiniest amount is sufficient as it will instantly wick into the joiner. Too much will flow to the inside of the rail and will have to be filed away to avoid fouling the wheel flanges. (This is hyper critical on code 70 and smaller code HO track.) Again, only the smallest amount of solder. I use standard electronic solder, either 60:40 or 63:37.
It is important to use acetone and rag to clean off rosin residues from the top of the rail after soldering as rosin is an insulator. For those recoiling at the use of acetone, a bright-boy will also scrap off the rosin via abrasion.
Like others, I tend to not solder joiners at straight junctures. I connect my feeder wires every 3 feet by feeding the center of each flex section. This makes electrical connection at the rail joints needless. The curves joints that I do solder are for structural integrity reasons only.
Also like others, I use clip-on heat sink clips to all four rail points about 1/2 back from the joint. I cut off the fake spikes on the removed ties and slide them under the rails checking with a track gauge at the joint. If tight or loose I will hand spike the joint to gauge. Curved joint issues are the #1 problem for low code curved rail work. In HOn3, I have to be very careful about gauging at all rail joints and where I have soldered feeders as melted plastic spike retainers can cause out-of-gauge issues at these critical points.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed