Soldering Feeders to Bus Wires

[richhotrain]

gmpullman

Hi, Rich 

My favorite solder for general layout wiring is Kester "44" in .031" diameter. Light enough to melt quickly but stiff enough not to sag when you're trying to get it to "stand upright" while under the layout.

Nice thing about the smaller diameters is that you don't have to wait too long for it to melt. I've used a 35 watt Weller pencil iron for almost all my layout wiring with no problems.

Good Luck, Ed 

Thanks, Ed. 

When soldering feeders to rails, I use a pencil soldering iron and the .03" solder and that works well.

But for soldering feeders to the bus, I use a bigger, hotter, 100 watt soldering gun.

Rich

[gmpullman]

Hi, Rich

 

My favorite solder for general layout wiring is Kester "44" in .031" diameter. Light enough to melt quickly but stiff enough not to sag when you're trying to get it to "stand upright" while under the layout.

Nice thing about the smaller diameters is that you don't have to wait too long for it to melt. I've used a 35 watt Weller pencil iron for almost all my layout wiring with no problems.

Good Luck, Ed

[richhotrain]

gregc

the solder size shouldn't matter.

but soldering upside down will be challenging, especially holding a soldering gun.   It will also be challenging to strip the insulation on the bus wire.

this is why suitcase connectors are often used in this situation 

Thanks, greg. I have ordered a Klein Wire Stripper that does in-line stripping of insulation off the wire. So, that will make the task a lot easier.

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Adjusting-Stripper-Klein-Tools-11061/dp/B00CXKOEQ6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1533591956&sr=8-4&keywords=klein+wire+stripping+tool

Rich

[gregc]

the solder size shouldn't matter.

but soldering upside down will be challenging, especially holding a soldering gun.   It will also be challenging to strip the insulation on the bus wire.

this is why suitcase connectors are often used in this situation

[richhotrain]

On my last layout, I used stranded feeders and simply wrapped the ends around the bus wires without soldering them. Worked OK.

But on my new layout, I am taking a different approach and soldering solid feeders (20 gauge) to the bus wires (14 gauge). I am using a 100 watt gun for soldering feeders to the bus wires, but the diameter of the solder is only .03" which seems too small for the task. So, I am considering larger diameter solder, say .039".

Any suggestions or advice in this regard?

Rich