How do you solder?

[Anonymous]

Ok I have had posted numerous topics for help in getting my N scale layout started and I am very thankful for all the help you guys have given me. My next question is how to solder. Is there a cheap solder kit available at say Walmart? I've never soldered in my life.

[fec153]

Carefully,VERY carefully. Ask Fergie.
Flip

[eng22]

I am brand new to soldering myself, however, when I laid my track a few weeks ago I jumped in head first. I went to the Hware store, had a coulple options. I bought the one that had several tips, small, really small, and smaller. I bought some rosin and some solder. When I soldered feeders to the track, I removed three tie's either side of the connection. I used a piece of flat scrap across the rails to act as a heat sink. I heated up the connection point, applied the rosin, held the feeder wire to the rail, and applied solder. It worked, I enjoyed doing it. After the rails, I solderd all my feeders to the bus wires. It worked as well. All of the tips mentioned here I found on this board over the last year or so. Hope some more veterans chime in for you.

[mcouvillion]

dmac730,

If you have never soldered, you need to practice a little before diving in to soldering wire to track or wire to wire. Find an old transistor radio or other device with a circuit board and practice unsoldering, removing, and resoldering the components. You won't get the feel for whether or not you have cold solder joints (bad connections), but at least you will get the feel of handling the iron and solder. Try simple battery-powered circuits to determine if your connections are good.

Please don't buy the cheapest iron you can find. You won't be happy with the results. Find a good quality iron of modest price ($30) and learn how to use it properly. There should be books on soldering at Radio Shack or your local library. Good Luck.

Mark C.

[ClinchValleySD40]

I don't understand the worry about melting ties. I've soldered literally thousands of feeders to track and could count on one hand the number of melted ties. If done correctly there is really very very little danger of melting anything.

[ort007]

Try searching the forum for "solder". There have been many really great posts in the past with step-by-step advice for soldering (and just about everything else!). Good luck.
Ort007

[PennsyHoosier]

There was a thread on this a few months back. Do an advanced search on "soldering flex track." One element was a tutorial on how to solder flextrack. See http://community.webshots.com/album/137793353fwcjGj/3

[Anonymous]

First....make sure you really want to solder it....if you're still arranging or if there's any chance of wanting to change something....wait to solder.

Second...Radio Shack is usually convenient...but doesn't always have the best stuff. I have one of their solder stations, two heat levels...good solution but the iron seems to be big and bulky to me....but, that's just my opinion.

Third....use flux sparingly...it's sticky and can make a big mess. Make sure you don't buy acid flux (used for plumbing)...it will cause you problems down the line (no pun intended).

Fourth...go online to order solder (really, it's worth the effort)...instead of using the normal 60/40 tin/lead mix, get 63/37. This is either liquid or it's not...no intermediate "plastic" stage which can cause "cold" solder joints...it's usually used in high reliability applicaitons. Cost is not much difference. Get smaller diameter...the stuff at Radio Shack, Home Depot, etc is a little on the big side.

Five....clean everything well...use alcohol....clean the solder as well...squeeze a light colored cloth around the solder and pull...you'll be amazed at the dirt that comes off....cleaning is time well spent. Doesn't take much...

Six...keep the tip of the iron clean. Keep a cloth handy to wipe it, get a solder sponge to wipe it on, don't wipe it on your pants leg (especially if you're wearing them).

Seven....before soldering, let the iron warm up, then melt some solder on it, this is called "tinning". Clean excess off. Tinning protects the tip and conducts heat better.

Eight...if you need to unsolder something, apply a little new solder to the joint first...it helps transfer the heat better.

As suggested earlier, find something to practice on first....if nothing else, one of the little perfboards at Radio Shack...a sacrificial piece of track....the process is simple...but like anything, the first time doesn't always have the desired result. Try it a couple times before you do the real thing....

My $.02

Tim T.

[ben10ben]

There was also an article in the most recent issue of O Gauge Railroading magazine. Although it's geared more toward three-rail O gauge, the basic principals remain the same. It might be worth checking out.

[eng22]

QUOTE: I don't understand the worry about melting ties. I've soldered literally thousands of feeders to track and could count on one hand the number of melted ties. If done correctly there is really very very little danger of melting anything.

As I indicated, I am new to soldering, this seemed like a reasonable and safe approach, can you understand that?

[cwclark]

there are 5 or six pictures here to show and explain to you how to solder...chuck
http://community.webshots.com/album/137793353fwcjGj/3

[Anonymous]

Best soldering iron I have used (work in the high tech electronic industry) is Weller. They have some irons that are variable temp, and they also have the ability to have their tips changed to a very wide variety. Don't (I repeat...Don't) go to Home Depot or Radio Shack and buy one of theirs. By the time you get done purchasing the 3 that it will take (because they suck so bad), you could have got a good Weller.

[Anonymous]

I have the "Cold Heat Solder " works damn great. No need for a plug,or flux. And the best part is that it will not burn you,if you should accidently touch the solder tip. For $20.00,its worth every penny,and a great investment[:D][8D]

[bpickering]

For heat sinks when soldering rails, I've been having good results using medium-sized "Claw Clips" (think of jumbo-sized alligator clips, kinda like on some jumper cables, albeit "only" 2" long). Clamp one on each side of where I'll be soldering, and no problems with melted ties.

Brian Pickering