Soldering iron help

[1arfarf3]

Using Atlas nickel silver flex track and will be soldering rail joiners. What is a good iron for this and what type(brand) of solder? Will also use it to solder feeder wires.

[richg1998]

 Some of us here use the 40 watt Weller soldering station, WLC100. I set the heat control at half way for most soldering. I use electronic solder with rosin flux core. Radio Shack is a good source. I also use rosin flux paste. Clean the rail with the below scratch brush. New track will have a thin film of corrosion.

Home Depot, Lowe's should have it also. Make sure it is for electrical soldering. There is a acid based solder for soldering copper pipe but never use it for electrical work. it will bite you down the line.

Practice with scrap track and wire if you have never soldered before. Develop a technique or you will have poor solder joints and get frustrated. You might say, good soldering is not plug and play.

http://www.micromark.com/SCRATCH-BRUSH,8058.html

 

[BIG JERR]

yep ,practice ...the first time I did it  tomuch solder on outside of joiner ,2nd try  cleaned and flux inside joint but melted some ties,third try same prep but soldered track upside down with wet paper towels on the ties like the results but could be impractical for some applications,4th time right side up ,prep ,ties on wet towel ,not bad.......and I still havent tryed feeders yet .yep lots a practice

[larsend]

One of the secrets to a good solder joint is tinning.  Tinning involves covering the areas to be soldered with a light coat of solder, then putting the pieces together, apply heat and perhaps a little more solder then get off fast so that ties, etc., don't melt.

First, clean the rail.  I use a small wire scratch brush, available from MicroMark to clean and brighten the rail.  Then, using a freshly cleaned soldering iron, touch the iron to the rail, with the solder in between the iron and the rail.  As soon as the solder spreads on the rail, remove the heat.  You can clean a soldering iron tip using either a damp sponge or my favorite, a rolled up paper kitchen towel.  You want to remove the black crud that forms on the tip while it is not in use.

 Tin the wire, then form the wire and position it where you want to solder it.

A quick application of the soldering iron tip to the wire and rail, with perhaps a touch of solder, completes the joint.

I put a small crimp in the wire in a position that will be in the hole in the roadbed so that the wire will be held in position during the final soldering.

[JSperan]

Clean and tin the soldering iron before starting.

Clean rail with a scratch brush.

Apply flux to the rail.

Tin rail and wire.  Use heat sinks on rail that is fastened to plastic ties to help avoid overheating the plastic.

The WLC100 is a good iron and will handle most, if not all hobby soldering.

Clean solder joint to remove excess flux.

A "Third Hand Vice" will help hold things in place while soldering and cooling.

MLR makes a track soldering tool that may be helpful to you.

[1arfarf3]

MLR? Web site address? Thanks.

[richg1998]

1arfarf3

MLR? Web site address? Thanks.

 

MLR site

http://www.mlrmfg.com/

Take time to store all the links and study what they carry. Walther's does not seem to have the solder gauge in stock right now. You sound like you need more info. Get a Walther's catalog to familiarize yourself at what is available in model railroading.

Rich

[JSperan]

That's good you got the link to MLR, sorry bout that.

I am going to suggest another source for a soldering tool that is better than the MLR tool, IMO.

Rodney's 3-in-1 Tool

It's a bit more expensive than the MLR tool but it is a much better heat sink, (aluminum) than the MLR tool is.

[Blue Flamer]

If you go with Rodney's Tools, be prepared to wait a long time for your tools. (6 Months + for me). I ordered a number of items from him by mail and sent him a Bank Draft to cover the cost + shipping a couple of years ago. I got nothing but excuses ranging from, "he had been broken into and all his materials and metal machining equipment had been stolen", to, "he was very sick and could not work", to the fact that, "the US mail would not allow him to ship the tools to Canada". I finally got all tools in good shape only AFTER I threatened to contact the IRS to see if he was declaring all his income from his On Line business and the local FBI office to enquire if he might be committing International Mail Fraud by accepting my payment in full and not shipping my tools.

As I had his address, he Emailed me and advised that the tools would be mailed within the next couple of days. My parcel arrived within 2 weeks. I would like to buy a couple of other items, but I would not touch Rodney's Tools with a 10 foot pole. As a precaution, I kept hard copies of all our correspondence, just in case I did have to go the hard route.

Forwarned is forearmed.

Blue Flamer.

[JSperan]

 

Blue Flamer

If you go with Rodney's Tools, be prepared to wait a long time for your tools. (6 Months + for me).

Thanks for the heads up.  Rodney actuially warns that you could wait for awhile and that if it is over thirty days your money will be refunded.

Still, that doesn't exactly give me confidence in his way of doing business!

Thanks again!

[Seamonster]

As a retired electronics technician who has soldered millions of connections over the years (and who still makes sloppy joints!) I can just repeat all the good advice you've already received by telling you how I do it.

I use a 45 watt iron with a temperature control (it's just my Dremel speed control) set just past half way. Good idea to clean the rail first. It may have dirt on it or lubricant from the drawing process. I put a little bit of rosin soldering paste on the rail with a toothpick. Then I melt a little rosin core solder onto the rail (this is called tinning). I bend the stripped end of the wire into a little L-shape at the end and melt some solder onto it. I drop the other end of the wire through the hole and hold the end against the tinned spot and briefly apply the soldering iron. Two solder coated surfaces bond together very quickly and you don't need a third hand to hold the solder.

A 40 watt iron is plenty hot enough for soldering to rails, even maybe a bit too hot. The secret to avoiding melted ties is to get in and out fast. If you have to hold the iron against the rail for a long time to melt the solder, it's not hot enough. Holding a not hot enough iron against the rail for a long time trying to melt the solder will do more damage than a hot iron held for a second or two. The use of soldering paste cleans the rail and makes the solder bond faster. Very important: Always, always use rosin core electronic solder and rosin paste. Never, never use an acid solder or paste for electrical work. As someone said, it will come back to bite you, and bite hard. It will eventually corrode the connection and make it fail. Keep your soldering iron tip clean. I use a folded cotton cloth. If you do it quickly you won't burn yourself or the cloth. You really should have a holder to put the iron in when you're not using it. A hot iron rolling around can do a lot of damage. Most holders come with a sponge in their base. Wet the sponge, wring it out and wipe the iron tip on the sponge. After wiping the tip clean, touch a little bit of solder to it to keep it "wet." A "wet" tip conducts heat better than a dry one. I use a 1/8" tip for general work, including rail soldering. It looks like the business end of a straight blade screwdriver. Finally, as others have pointed out, practice, practice, practice. We didn't learn to play the piano, ride a bicycle or drive a car the first time. It takes practice.

Good luck.

[larak]

Mega -     to seamonster.  I'm not retired yet but have 40 yrs of similar experience.

I might have missed it but didn't see anyone say to use 60/40 (or 63/37 if you can get it) solder.

Rosin core - YES. Quality varies BTW. Within reason, thickness does not really matter but thinner may be easier for you to work with. Personally, I don't bother with the paste - never need it for track.

 Karl

[larsend]

I agree 100% with both seamonster and larak.

[subman]

I recently ordered 4 tools in HO scale from Rodney and before I ordered them I asked him via phone if they were in stock and within 1 week I had all 4 tools. I then had him make me a custom tool that he did not carry (Peco C100 tie drilling jig) I had this within a week and he did not charge me extra for the custom milling but the same price as the atlas. I had to send him a 4" piece of the Peco track. I have to say his tools are well made and are not plastic like the soldering jig of MLR. He did say that he only works on 5 orders at a time and when he gets slow (Not this time of the year though) he will make tools that are in demand like the 3 in 1 tool. He does not work full time at milling but has other interests that he has to attend to. Overall I am very satisfied with his tools and no one else makes the variety & quality of tools that he makes. I too was apprehensive at first after reading the negative reports but since no one else was making the tools I wanted I gave him a "shot" and was well satisfied .

[JSperan]

larak

I might have missed it but didn't see anyone say to use 60/40 (or 63/37 if you can get it) solder.

Rosin core - YES. Quality varies BTW. Within reason, thickness does not really matter but thinner may be easier for you to work with.

 

Use small diameter solder, similar to that used for electronics.  I have read that the quality of the larger solder varies.  Larger diameter solder IMO takes a bit more heat to flow and is less easily controlled.  Experience will overcome many of the difficulties encountered with soldering.

Some great advice in this thread!

Bob, thanks for your review of Rodney's.  That makes me feel better.  I do want to get one of his 3-in-1 tools!

[Seamonster]

Yes, definitely 60/40 or 63/37 rosin core solder (that's the tin/lead ratio). I use 0.75 mm (0.03") dia. solder. I find it's the best size for electronic work and is just fine for soldering rail too. You can buy it in one pound spools, which should last you a lifetime, or most places sell it in smaller quantities too.

[JSperan]

Seamonster

I use 0.75 mm (0.03") dia. solder. I find it's the best size for electronic work and is just fine for soldering rail too. You can buy it in one pound spools, which should last you a lifetime, or most places sell it in smaller quantities too.

 

Yes that's what I use too.  Fast Tracks advises using .020" diameter solder and it is available from their website.