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Hi Jesse, I have been soldering for over 50 years, and was a certified "A" solderer for the US Gov. before retiring. First off, the blackening is oxidation. Excess heat or heat over a length of time. I am building an "N" gauge layout, and soldering all connections and rails, other than the isolation blocks. I am designing it for use with DC and DCC selection. First off, you need to use rosin core solder with non-activated ore mildly activated resin core, and control the tip heat. I use a Weller MC 5000, with a heater EC1201, with an ETR tip. If you are working on a larger scale, you might want to use a diferent heater, and larger tip. An ETB would be good for S and O gauge. I use 60/40 non activated, and set the temperature at 800 degrees F. There is no problem with oxidation, and there is enough heat to rapidly heat the joint and flow the solder, without melting the plastic ties, or doing any other damage. Temperature control and the correct flux is the secret. The metal mix, (60/40) is only important as far as the melting point and the strength of the joint. Good luck. WA2TTD
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