What's the secret to soldering track?

I heard to pack the ties with wet sand so they don't melt.

Joe,

The first "secret" is keep it clean.  I used a wire brush wheel on my dremel before attempting to solder.

The second "secret" is to remove the ties before soldering.  I burned up a bunch of ties before I learned this one.  Even if the ties come through okay from an appearance perspective, heating them, I'm convinced, destroys their UV properties so that in a couple of years they go brittle and fall apart.

The third "secret" is to only solder on the outside of the web of the rails.  That way you won't have a problem with derailments.  You could solder the bottom of the flanges but you would have some difficulty getting the ties back on.

Tom uses a jig made out of a 2x4.  He makes a slot with a table saw to hold the rails for soldering.

Rail benders don't like anything around the head of the rails so be careful there.  You may even want to grind some of the solder next to the rail head away before putting the ties back on.  This was a lesson learned when I tried to use my new rail bender. 

The final advice I would give is to use rail clamps on all your switches rather than trying to solder them.  The electrical connection is just as good plus you will be able to remove your switch for maintenance when you need to.  I ruined an expensive switch before I learned this one.

Lessons learned the hard way,

Rex

Hi Joe,

The secret to soldering track jumpers.

Here is my 2 cents for what it's worth, take it or leave it.

1. Soldering iron. Not resistance rig, not gun, but soldering iron.  80 watt electric is all that is required.  It has a large heavy tip that acts as a heat sink that transferres the heat rapidly.

2. The tip of the iron HAS TO BE KEPT CLEAN AND TINNED! or it will not transfere heat to the project.  An iron that is left to heat for long periods and the heat is not drawn off by soldering will burn it's self up and cause pitts on the surface.  These pitts must be filed out and the iron re-tinned.  To tin an iron you heat it (after it is filed smooth) and rub it on a salammoniac block with a little solder.  The iron tip or point will take on a bright shiney surface that looks like and is melted solder.  Anytime the tip or soldering surface of the iron is not this shiny color IT WILL NOT SOLDER. 

 3. Flux.  There are lots of fluxes out there and many of them will work for this type project.  However I have found that one of the best is a product by H&N electronics. # 30 super safe flux.  It is non-corrosive and non-conductive and works on many different materials.  No.  I do not own stock in the company, here is the link.  http://www.ccis.com/home/hn/

 4. Cleaning.  The surfaces to solder have to be clean.  The wire brush in a Dremal tool is the best way to go.  Use a steel wire brush not a brass wire brush and wear eye protection.

5. Solder.  Again lots of things will work but for general use I have found that Radio Shack's spool of .032 rosin core will do the job just fine.  Plus you can use it for electric/electronics wiring.

 6. Jumper wire.  For jumper wire go th the hardware store and get a small roll of 20 gauge soft copper bare wire. 

 Procedure according to me. 

1.Properly prepare the iron and have the other materials at hand.

2. Clean to shiny, with the wire brush,  the spots to be soldered. The new wire should not have to be cleaned.

3. Pre-tin the prepared spots by applying flux with a small brush and laying the iron on the rail web to heat.  Within just a second or two touch the solder to the rail at the base of the iron, see it suck in under the iron and withdraw the solder and iron.  You should have a nice shiny patch of solder on the rail. 

4. Pre-tin your wire end.  Apply flux and a small amount of solder to your iron and apply to the wire end ( approx. 1/2 inch long) .

5. Pick up a small amount of solder on your iron, hold the tinned wire end to the shiny spot on the rail and apply your iron to the rail & the wire till you see the solder flow, just a couple of seconds, remove the iron but hold the joint steady till the solder solidifys. 

6. I allow about a 3 inch piece of jumper wire between rail ends.  This allows for expansion/contraction and you can cut it in the center to remove a section like a switch then just solder the wire ends upon re-installation.  the wire loop hides in the ballast very easily.

 7. Melting ties.  Not a problem, I just slide them back 1/2 inch out of the way then return them after soldering. Your heat is not on the rail long enough to harm the ties. 

CLEAN AND TIN YOUR IRON!!!!

Salamoniac can be found at most good hardware stores.

NOTE.  When heating salamoniac with an iron it produces smoke that is best kept out doors.

Point of interest.  For those that don't know, a soldering tool is called an iron but is in fact solid copper that is why it pitts so easily. 

Like I said. For what it's worth.

Rick

Hey guys.  Thanks for the GREAT advice.  I'm going to get the right equipment and materials, and start practicing.

Thanks again.

Joe 

 I pretty much do exactly as Rick has outlined here.  And I have had very little trouble with melted ties without even moving them away from the soldering location.  Everything needs to be clean and you need at least an 80 watt soldering iron to heat the location quickly.  If you aren't done in just a few seconds you're doing something wrong and you better quit and correct the problem.

Bob

First-time railroad builder here.  I'm getting ready to lay Code 332 brass track outdoors for a small G-scale layout (120' of track total) using track power.  I have enough heavy-duty rail clamps for all the rail joints.  We live in north Texas with an annual temeprature range of 0 to 110 degrees F, so I'm guessing we will have a good amount of rail movement with the seasons. My questions:

 Does the advice above (80 watt iron, etc) apply to this size track?

Do I need to solder jumpers to the rail joints or will the heavy-duty rail clamps keep the electrical connection intact?

Assuming the rail clamps will keep a good electrical connection, can I connect the power lines to the track by soldering them to a rail clamp?

I have the means to build a resistance soldering setup.  What size unit will solder heavy brass track, should I decide to go that route?

I've searched the forums and found plenty of people saying RS is great/terrible/just Ok/couldn't live without it but no one who says what size track they used it on.  Micromark tech support says their largest American Beauty [250 watt] will only solder O-scale track and won't work on G-scale but that may just be cya.

My response to your questions follow.  These are just my opinions and I am sure you will get others.

 Yes, an 80 watt iron is more than adaquate for the task, if you adhere to the instructions given above.

If by heavy duty rail clamps you mean Hillman or Split-Jaw type, yes they are fine for strength and continuity, especially on that small of a track layout.  It does not hurt anything to use a brass brush in a rotory tool and polish the contacting surfaces of the rail and clamp, also go to Lowes or HD and get some electrical anti-corrosion contact paste and apply to the surfaces when making them up. The paste will keep the surfaces from oxidizing and forming a barrier to continuity. 

You could solder the feeder lines to the clamps or the rail or you could just coat them with the paste and clamp them in the rail connector.  Also they make rail connectors with feeder line connections built in.

Probably none.  That is not what a resistance soldering unit is made for. But like I said just my opinion.

As with all tools it is usually not the size or quality of the tool but the competence of the mechanic/craftsman that makes the true difference. 

 Good luck on your railroad project

and have fun doing it.

Rick

Thanks, Norcal.  We have the split-jaw rail clamps.   I'll go with them for now and we'll see how the train runs in the first snow next winter.

Good words on craftsmanship.  I'm noob to trains but a pretty decent craftsman at wood working and a couple other fields.  Getting to "competent craftsman" is at least 80% of the fun of a new endeavor.

 You've gotten several good responses so I won't comment on most of your questions.  However, I did say above (I think I did at least, it's tough when you get old and forgetful) that I put jumpers around each of my rail connections by soldering a loop of wire around each one.  I used an 80 w iron (not gun) after properly preparing the locations I was soldering to.  However, at that time I did not use any clamps.  Just the slide on connectors.  Since then I have used a number of clamps in locations where the rails sometimes pulled apart.  I had one location last winter where my snow plow would hit a connection on an incline and it would stop the train.  I never noticed that problem in previous winters and it was not a problem with any of the other cars of locos, but the plow hit it every time.  So, right then and there I put a rail clamp on the track and solved the problem.  Ok, so all of that was just to say that if I had been using rail clamps I would not have bothered with all the jumper wires.  I would have just ran feeder wires out to several locations on the layout and left it at that.

Bob

Ok, an 80 watt iron is the minimum you should use. If you look in plumbers supply houses you should be able to find or order a 100 or 120 watt iron, get one of those if you can.

Clean track , clean soldering iron, flux cored solder is fine. Practice on an old bit of rail a few times. If the wind is blowing, making a wind block ( a few sheets of cardboard, or a bit of tin bent in a 'V' shape will do) will help a lot.

 Perth in Western Australia has similar min temps to what you have, slightly higher maximums though. Rail clamps can be used for about 50% of the joins, the rest should be looser 'fishplate' type. The Aristo  fishplates are good in that one end is a fixed hole, whilst the other is a slot that the little screw can slide in if the screw is not done up solid. Other wise, the non fixed fishplates work best.

Any fish plate joint needs to be jumpered if you are running through the rail electric.  Use multi core wire (buy some 9 strand, '5 amp' automotive wire) and make up an omega shape  for the jumpers. You can pre tin the legs of the omega shape, but try to not let the solder wick all the way up the strands, you want the wire to stay flexible. I used  lengths of  2" - 2.5" for my jumpers and they worked very well with no breakages over four years.

 If you use the conductive grease as suggested be aware that you will need to clean and reapply the grease every 3 or 4 years as dirt and water will make it ineffective  around that time frame (the grease is not intended for water/ grit  prone work zones), but other than that , it works OK.