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[quote]QUOTE: I discovered that I didn't have good lighting, and it was too late to drive to Home Depot to buy a light fixture. So when I Dremel-wirebrushed the paint off the outer sides of the rails, it was hard for me to tell if I had cleaned them adequately or not, they always looked dark. I continued with the rest of my plan, and now I have solid electrical contact between the track sections. Also, the test cars roll freely and smoothly over the junctions. ![/quote] Congratulations Ken! I would be surprised if you didn't have a [url="http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=81838"]BINOCULAR MAGNIFER[/url]. I found one for $5 at a discount tool store. It sure helps with the close work. [quote]QUOTE: However, it is butt-ugly - I need to find a way to disguise those melted ties...[/quote] A little extra ballast, weeds, dirt and no one will notice (and we won't tell). But you might want to practice on some scrap rail first. What is the wattage of the soldering gun you're using? It should be about 150 watts. The trick is high heat and fast. Rail is thicker than the wire, so it takes a little longer to heat up. If the heat isn't sufficent, it takes longer to heat the rail and the heat has more time to travel, thereby melting the ties. A short "burst" of heat will be localized and the heat zone won't be as big. Check out the MR article[url="http://www.trains.com/content/dynamic/articles/000/000/004/462ifjeg.asp"]"Lost art of soldering,Taking the mystery out of a useful skill that's easy to learn"[/url] by John Pryke
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