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Soldering supplies

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  • Member since
    December 2009
  • 104 posts
Soldering supplies
Posted by 1arfarf3 on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 5:37 PM

Refer to article in June 2021 Model Railroader page 54 and 55. Going the resistance soldering route. I have the gel flux and feeder wire but trying to find the .031 solid core solder as mentioned in the article and need sources for the solder. 

 

  • Member since
    February 2021
  • 1,110 posts
Posted by crossthedog on Thursday, April 11, 2024 12:00 AM

I have twice purchased .031 Kester solder from Dave on eBay. Found him to be a very reliable and honest seller. https://www.ebay.com/str/davejohn007

Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Friday, April 12, 2024 5:01 AM

Note that he wants solid-core .031, perhaps lead-free.  Most of the commercial .031 wire is 'optimized' with some kind of no-clean flux or RA core, and I suspect this is his actual difficulty.

Dave at AggressiveFun could certainly provide the necessary 'stuff' if asked, and might be a useful source of information about the best current products for resistance soldering.

Used to be that you would use one of the 'specialty' soldering-supply companies like SRA for less-usual products.  Amazon is now highly useful BUT you have to know what you want, carefully read to be sure that's actually what you'd be getting, and then go through the crapshoot that so much online-order fulfillment has turned into.

And be very careful with what is quoted for shipping.

Remember that soldering for 'electronics' is different from soldering for 'structural integrity' and for the latter you might benefit from a jeweler's supply company like Kernowcraft.  My understanding is that it used to be much more common to use either solder paste (which is powdered solder alloy in gel flux) or small chips positioned with tools in those 'applications' than to use fine machine solder wire, but with the rise of automated solder feeding as an alternative to wavesoldering it's getting easier and easier to source.

  • Member since
    February 2021
  • 1,110 posts
Posted by crossthedog on Friday, April 12, 2024 10:15 AM

That's a good point, Overmod. I wasn't doing resistance soldering, and my response did not take that part of the OP's plan into account. Thanks for the follow up.

Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.

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