I am currently working on installing an elesco feedwater heater system on a Bachmann Spectrum USRA Light 2-10-2. What is the reccommended method for assemby of the Feedwater heater and associated piping, pumps and check valves? The majority of the parts are Cal Scale brass, the piping will be Cal Scale pipes with some Details Associates brass wire in several diameters.
The plan is to smokebox mount the Elesco Feedwater heater, instead of using the provided bracket. I do not have a resistance soldering unit. I assembled a train control box using a soldering gun and a pair of needle nose pliers. I would prefer to not have to do that with the feedwater heater. CA seems to be a better route. At least until I can get a resistance soldering unit.
BMMECNYC I assembled a train control box using a soldering gun and a pair of needle nose pliers.
Throw out the soldering gun. It has no place in model railroading.
A good soldering station is best gor general soldering, if you are going to make a hobby of brass building, an investment in a resistance iron is a good thing.
When doing brass, you do the big bieces first using a high heat solder, you attach things to that with a medium heat solder, and the last details with a low heat solder. Naturally you will need a soldering station that can provide the correct heat on demand.
Or you can forget all of that and just build subway trains.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
In the past, soldering would have been recommended. Nowadays we have many good cements, so soldering probably isn't necessary. As mentioned, the various components need to be firmly attached to drilled holes for a good mechanical bond. CA, used sparingly, is probably your best bet. Actually, I have even used Goo on one project when I wasn't sure the changes would be permanent. The Goo is still holding after several years, and I see no reason to go back and change it.
Tom
BroadwayLion BMMECNYC I assembled a train control box using a soldering gun and a pair of needle nose pliers. Throw out the soldering gun. It has no place in model railroading.
I disagree with you here.
A gun is absolutely perfect for installing feeders for O-scale track. Also you cant beat a gun for soldering feeders to your main bus. Mine is a Weller Universal 140/100 Watt gun.
Yes, I have a Weller soldering station with variable thermostat. However the only thing I had was a fine point, which worked well for the box to bracket joint, but was useless for putting the lid on the box. So I got out the gun and needle nose. It worked, but I agree it was not the best. It was pretty much just a crutch to get by. I know that the gun is useless for small details. Thats why I started this thread, to find out the right way to do the details.
I will give CA and drilled holes a shot, see how it works out. I may solder the pipes into the feedwater heater heads and glue them to the feedwater heater cylinder.
BMMECNYC,
Year's ago I detailed a couple of Cast boiler Mantua 2-8-2's kits, with Cal Scale brass parts and used a combo of solder and CA....Back then the CA was no where near as good as today...therefore I would use nothing but CA...There are many good brands out there....My choice is Zap-A-Gap Medium CA+, I have used other's but prefer Zap. I would also recommend using pins whenever possible, especially on the larger parts and drill tiny holes in the large parts, to accept your plumbing so that the holes actually keep them in place as well as the CA.
As an example: A pic' of a 1/87 scale truck air-cleaner that was scracth built from brass tube, brass rod, music wire and styrene, all held together with Zap.
Have Fun!
Frank
Athearn USRA Mikado re-detailed for a friend as a CNR S-3-a. (The real 3736 didn't have an Elesco, but my friend requested it.)
As best I can recall, all piping is soldered in place. Do the larger diameter ones first. I used alligator clips and lots of small wads of wet paper towel as heat sinks while soldering, and an 80 watt iron for the large pipes. For the smaller pipes, 45 and 25 watt irons. If you drill out all of the mounting holes in the pump and heater before mounting them on the boiler, the mating areas between them and the pipes will not only be deeper, but also cleaner, resulting in quicker and stronger joints. Use resin core solder, but also flux the joints before applying heat.
Here's a brass one detailed in a similar manner - not much difference in the technique:
EDIT: I should have mentioned that since piping running along a plastic boiler can be soldered only to the brass fittings at its end(s), I use brass wire to hold it in place on the boiler. To do this, drill holes along the pipe's run so that the holes are located behind where the pipe will be run - only one hole is required for each wire pipe clamp. After the pipe has been bent to fit its intended use, use .008" or .006" brass wire, bent to a "U"-shape as pipe clamps. Make one arm of the "U" a bit longer than the other, then feed it into the hole first, followed by the shorter end, then, with your finger pressing the wire against the pipe, push the pipe tight against the boiler. Hold the pipe and wire in place, and then, from inside the boiler, use tweezers to grasp the protruding wires, pulling the pipe tightly to the boiler, then bend-over the wire's ends and apply a bit of ca to hold the pipe clamp in place.
Wayne
Edit: this should be a new topic under Prototype info for the modeler
Moving along with this topic, where exactly do the live steam and condensate pipes go on the locomotive, how does the steam piping connect to the pump?
I've been using a homemade resistance soldering system I designed for 15 years now, works great. Old 15 volt, 1 amp power supply from a computer. The resistance tip is standard drafting lead (break to about 1" long) held in a aligator clamp.
The only downside is having to clean the tip of ash every soldering or so. On the other hand, this cost me about $10 to set up.