Brass Locomotive Repair

[Locojunkie]

I have a Brass locomotive on which it seems the steps to the running board from the deck have come off. How do I attach these? Do I use CA to put them back or is there any other way that it should be done?

[Anonymous]

I'd recomend trying to solder them back together, since its a much more durable assembly.

[dknelson]

if you solder make sure you have plenty of heat sinks to avoid melting other joints. Brass locomotive assembly is a tricky thing.
also remember that even "unpainted" brass is in fact painted with clear lacquer and you may want to remove that from the area to get the cleanest possible joint.
Dave Nelson

[nfmisso]

Allen;

The "correct" method is to solder it. BUT if you have never soldered details on a brass locomotive, this is NOT a good starting point. Dave provides excellent advise. Piece of paper towel soaked in water are good heat sinks.

I would go with the CA. Use a very very small amount.

Later, if you decide that you are ready to solder brass locomotives, the CA joint can be popped quite easily, and cleaned up with acetone (CA remover, nail polisher, are both acetone).

Nigel

[Locojunkie]

Thank you gentlemen for your replies. I have never soldered a brass locomotive before. I can solder wires but I feel brass locomotives are a different story altogether.

[Anonymous]

Another method to consider is the use of a fast curing epoxy. However, the faster the set time, the weaker the resulting joint. I use CAA for small details (ladders, grabs, etc.) and for the larger parts, I go with epoxy. Because of the longer set time, it is necessary to construct a holding fixture to maintain the correct alignment.

[cjcrescent]

The other thing is if you want it soldered but don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, contact any of the bigger brass dealers as I'm sure they could either do it for you or refer you to someone closer to you who does this work.