"FastTracks, and a Weller 25 watt iron".
Jake:
I would have to say that you are on the right track using Fasttracks products. After laying over 1000' if the stuff the old way, I would use the PC board ties in turnout construction only and leave the rest to wood ties on homasote roadbed. (unless you are an N Scaler) Much easier and much faster.
Bryan
tetters wrote: What diameter of solder are you using and what type of soldering tool? A small diameter Rosin core solder of .015 or .020 should work fine and not create such a huge mess on the rails. Also a fine soldering tip on a 30-40 watt pencil style iron should provide all the heat you'll need to get the solder flowing.
What diameter of solder are you using and what type of soldering tool?
A small diameter Rosin core solder of .015 or .020 should work fine and not create such a huge mess on the rails. Also a fine soldering tip on a 30-40 watt pencil style iron should provide all the heat you'll need to get the solder flowing.
I am using the 0.015 rosin core from FastTracks, and a Weller 25 watt iron. But the tip is a wee bit blunt. But after a few ties, I was able to keep the tip on the base of the rail, but then the problem came from positioning the solder with my left hand...Lets just say I'm not quite ambidextrous...
BlueHillsCPR wrote: TomDiehl wrote:If you can't find a pair of regular spiking pliers... I found these spiking pliers.
TomDiehl wrote:If you can't find a pair of regular spiking pliers...
I found these spiking pliers.
How did you find those??? Last time I checked Micro Mark for them, they were nowhere to be found! Either way, thank you!
fwright wrote: You definitely need at least a couple of 2 or 3 point gauges to hold the 2nd rail in gauge while you spike or solder or glue. 3 point gauges are only needed on sharper curves, where they produce some gauge widening. This is not needed on HO radii bigger than about 24". Personally, I spike my rail using the finest spikes I can find. But I'm modeling a 1900-era short line, where tie plates and creosote were not used. Wood ties look like wood ties, IMHO. On straight track, I spike both ends of the rail first, then keep splitting the distance in half for my next spike point. Anything else seems to introduce horizontal waves in the track. In the past I haven't used rail joiners, which makes pre-bending the rail on curves a necessity. Pre-bending just seems to help all around, so even if I start using cut-in-half rail joiners, I'll definitely stick with pre-bending. I've always used my fingers, sometimes with cardboard or plywood cut to the right radius as a form. I may try a rail bender (from Fast Tracks) in the future. It's difficult to pre-bend the last half inch or so without kinking, so I just cut that off before spiking. just my experiences, yours will probably differ Fred W
You definitely need at least a couple of 2 or 3 point gauges to hold the 2nd rail in gauge while you spike or solder or glue. 3 point gauges are only needed on sharper curves, where they produce some gauge widening. This is not needed on HO radii bigger than about 24".
Personally, I spike my rail using the finest spikes I can find. But I'm modeling a 1900-era short line, where tie plates and creosote were not used. Wood ties look like wood ties, IMHO. On straight track, I spike both ends of the rail first, then keep splitting the distance in half for my next spike point. Anything else seems to introduce horizontal waves in the track.
In the past I haven't used rail joiners, which makes pre-bending the rail on curves a necessity. Pre-bending just seems to help all around, so even if I start using cut-in-half rail joiners, I'll definitely stick with pre-bending. I've always used my fingers, sometimes with cardboard or plywood cut to the right radius as a form. I may try a rail bender (from Fast Tracks) in the future. It's difficult to pre-bend the last half inch or so without kinking, so I just cut that off before spiking.
just my experiences, yours will probably differ
Fred W
For track I used flex track since the beginning. Only one I spiked a track.
My first turnouts 20 years ago were spiked, with tie plates! I build this way my modul Naumburg. But spiking turnouts is not so good. If you are a little bit out of gauge it's hard to respike the rail. With soldering you can easily resolder the rail. And so I've soldered 100+ turnouts in the last years.
My latest effort are Central Valley turnouts.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
I hand-lay specialwork, but prefer flex for 'plain Jane' trackwork. My preference is to use wood ties and spikes, hand-driven with the modified needlenose pliers described above.
To my discerning eye, PC board just doesn't look like tie material. Individual bias, I admit.
I just can't see spending that much for specialized spiking pliers. Mine were made from a pair of blunt needlenose picked up at a yard sale for pennies.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on hand-laid specialwork)
Jake1210 wrote: Which do you use? And why do you prefer it over the other? I recently tried (Keyword: TRIED) soldering a 3' section of code 70 rail to some PC board ties, and it didn't come out pretty. The gauge was fine for all except 1 tie, (And that is without a 3 point gauge. I think my mom forgot to order those with my Christmas stuff. No biggie.) which was about 0.5mm out of alignment. It wasn't that hard to fix. Just reheat the solder and let the two adjacent ties snap the rail into the correct position. But I got a lot (and I mean a LOT) of solder on top of the rails. (Good thing it was just a test track!!) But I think it may be a good idea to try and spike some track. I already have wood ties, so all I'll need is some spikes and Xuron spiking pliers. (I can't find the pliers anymore, can someone help?) And also, how often do you spike your rails into the ties? How does cork roadbed hold the spikes? Should I bite the bullet and buy HomaBed? Or would it just be easier just to spike into my 1/2" plywood sub roadbed?TIA
Which do you use? And why do you prefer it over the other? I recently tried (Keyword: TRIED) soldering a 3' section of code 70 rail to some PC board ties, and it didn't come out pretty. The gauge was fine for all except 1 tie, (And that is without a 3 point gauge. I think my mom forgot to order those with my Christmas stuff. No biggie.) which was about 0.5mm out of alignment. It wasn't that hard to fix. Just reheat the solder and let the two adjacent ties snap the rail into the correct position. But I got a lot (and I mean a LOT) of solder on top of the rails. (Good thing it was just a test track!!) But I think it may be a good idea to try and spike some track. I already have wood ties, so all I'll need is some spikes and Xuron spiking pliers. (I can't find the pliers anymore, can someone help?) And also, how often do you spike your rails into the ties? How does cork roadbed hold the spikes? Should I bite the bullet and buy HomaBed? Or would it just be easier just to spike into my 1/2" plywood sub roadbed?
TIA
Soldering rail to PC board ties is something I avoid for just the reasons you state above.
Spiking the rail to wood ties on homosote roadbed is the way I've handlaid track. Trying to spike into plywood will put a major cramp in your hand IF you're able to drive the spikes straight. I spike on both sides of the rail about a 4th or 5th tie. Of course spiking both sides of the rail is easy since I use a Kadee Spiker. (They really need to bring that back). If you can't find a pair of regular spiking pliers, you can modify a standard pair of needle nose pliers (hey, I'm from the old days when we had to make these things ourselves) by cutting a slot, wide enough to hold the spike head, across the one jaw near the tip and another slot from the first slot to the tip.
PS: No matter which method you choose to hold down the rails, a pair of 3 point gauges willmake it MUCH easier to maintain alignment and gauge of the rails