nscsxcrrailfan I watched your video and what I think I'm doing wrong is worrying way too much about getting the rail hot. With model RR track you just can't get the rail very hot without melting ties. ALSO ... Is it much of an issue if I just always apply a bead of solder to the iron and rely on separate flux to do my soldering? I'm asking this because I know that the flux boils away when the solder is applied from the iron's tip instead of from a separate spool.
The addition of a good rosin flux (I am using the liquid flux from Micro Mark) is really the secret of the technique. The big reason many sources tell you not to do it the way I do is that the rosin burns away as soon as you put the solder on the iron. The use of flux at the joint being soldered allows the solder to flow into the joint as the rosin does its job of cleaning the area to be soldered. That is also why I don't worry too much about pretinning the wire or the rail. It all happens at once. BTW, sometimes I will add a bit more solder to the joint, but usually there is plenty of solder in the drop on the iron to do the job. Oh, and the rail gets very hot, right at the spot where the joint is made. It will then spread down the rail. But since you used enough heat to do a good joint in a small spot, the temp doesn't get so hot it will melt ties nearby. As I mentioned in the Video, yes, you may damage the little fake "spike right under the place you are making the joint, but that is all. Practice, practice, practice!
The black stuff that accumulates on the iron is burnt rosin, BTW. I clean the iron frequently with the same brass brush you saw in the video.
One other thing. This technique I only use for electrical work! I do something much more "traditional" when building Fast Tracks Turnouts or other soldering work.......
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
howmusnscsxcrrailfanA couple of years ago, I started using a technique where I would apply rosin flux on the end of the track feeder, put some rosin solder 40/60 on the tip, and then apply that to the wire, which would result in a tinned wire (I set the iron at slightly below half on the amount of power). I would then take some flux and put a very small amount using a toothpick on the side of the rail where I wanted the feeder (of course I cleaned it first with alcohol and a toothpick). I then put some more solder on the iron tip and touched the tinned wire to the rail and touched the iron to the wire and rail causing the solder on the wire, tip, and the flux to all combine creating a fairly good joint. This technique has worked for me I'll play the devils advocate here and tell you that your original technique is right on base. The trick is using separate rosin flux. I use a 25w Weller using a similar technique taught to me by a man who made a living repairing sound equipment. He learned it from his father who learned it in the Air Force..... I clean the rail and do the entire joint in one easy process. Yes, I get perfect results every time and I can solder a rail feeder onto code 70 flex in less than a second. Here is a short video of a clinic I gave last year for the local NMRA. http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h259/slow_rr/SLOW_RR_II/?action=view¤t=SolderingTech2.flvOn the layout I have now I have soldered around 6,000 joints. Guess how many have failed.... (0) And... no melted ties. I do not use heat sinks. Sometimes I pretin, but not always.A little theory - Heat is transferred to the joint mostly where the metal of the iron is contacting the metal of the metal being heated. Remember that air is an insulator. A dry iron has very little contact area, so the heat is transferred slowly allowing the heat to travel down the track melting ties as it goes, but won't easily get hot enough where the joint is to melt the solder or if it does you may get a cold solder joint. Having a small drop of solder on the tip of the iron increases drastically the contact surface allowing heat to be transferred quickly from both the drop of solder and the entire (very hot) iron. The result is a lot of heat right where you need it. You are done quickly and before the heat travels away from the joint to do damage. That phenomenon is the reason some people recommend a larger iron and a flat tip on the iron. More contact area, quicker, better, and safer results.
nscsxcrrailfanA couple of years ago, I started using a technique where I would apply rosin flux on the end of the track feeder, put some rosin solder 40/60 on the tip, and then apply that to the wire, which would result in a tinned wire (I set the iron at slightly below half on the amount of power). I would then take some flux and put a very small amount using a toothpick on the side of the rail where I wanted the feeder (of course I cleaned it first with alcohol and a toothpick). I then put some more solder on the iron tip and touched the tinned wire to the rail and touched the iron to the wire and rail causing the solder on the wire, tip, and the flux to all combine creating a fairly good joint. This technique has worked for me
I'll play the devils advocate here and tell you that your original technique is right on base. The trick is using separate rosin flux. I use a 25w Weller using a similar technique taught to me by a man who made a living repairing sound equipment. He learned it from his father who learned it in the Air Force..... I clean the rail and do the entire joint in one easy process. Yes, I get perfect results every time and I can solder a rail feeder onto code 70 flex in less than a second. Here is a short video of a clinic I gave last year for the local NMRA. http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h259/slow_rr/SLOW_RR_II/?action=view¤t=SolderingTech2.flv
On the layout I have now I have soldered around 6,000 joints. Guess how many have failed.... (0) And... no melted ties. I do not use heat sinks. Sometimes I pretin, but not always.
A little theory - Heat is transferred to the joint mostly where the metal of the iron is contacting the metal of the metal being heated. Remember that air is an insulator. A dry iron has very little contact area, so the heat is transferred slowly allowing the heat to travel down the track melting ties as it goes, but won't easily get hot enough where the joint is to melt the solder or if it does you may get a cold solder joint. Having a small drop of solder on the tip of the iron increases drastically the contact surface allowing heat to be transferred quickly from both the drop of solder and the entire (very hot) iron. The result is a lot of heat right where you need it. You are done quickly and before the heat travels away from the joint to do damage. That phenomenon is the reason some people recommend a larger iron and a flat tip on the iron. More contact area, quicker, better, and safer results.
Lefty
Try a pair of alligator clips from Radio Shack. They do double duty, they hold the feeder wire in place, and they act as heatsinks to reduce the amount of tie melting. I clean my rail with a wire brush in the Dremel. Tinning the feeder is helpful, it carries solder to the joint and doesn't need a third hand to do it. Rosin flux is good. Unless the rail is ultra clean, and the Gods smile upon you, the rosin core of the solder won't give enough flux for a clean joint. Forty watts is on the small side for soldering to rail. I use a 200 watt Weller soldering gun myself.
You want the tip of the iron or gun to be tinned, covered with silvery molten solder. A tip wet with molten solder will flow more heat, faster, into the rail than a black, dry, and crusty tip will. As for how long to heat the joint, you look at the solder. When the joint is hot enough, the solder will melt, wet the rail, and flow into a smooth drop shape. Soon as that happens, the joint is hot enough and you can remove the heat. The cool solder joint must stay shiny. A white frosty look is called a cold solder joint and must be reheated before it is reliable.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
The object is to get a good bond and a joint that looks wetted. (Just like wetting in scenery.) The faster the better as long as the result is good.
What I do is this: (I use a temperature controlled station and heat it to the equivalent of a 40 watt iron, about 700 degrees F.)
Clean the rail with a scratch brush. Strip the wire and bend it to the shape needed to lay against the rail. Apply a small amount of rosin flux. Wipe the irons tip on a wet sponge then apply it and the solder to the rail as close as I can to the feeder wire. (I apply the solder to the tip of the iron first then move it to the rail.) When the solder melts, move the iron to include the feeder wire. As soon as I see the solder flow on the feeder wire I remove the iron.
If I can't get the wire to stay against the rail, I will apply solder to the tip and then apply the iron to the rail on the flux.
When I apply the solder to the iron first and it melts, it then flows to the rail. When it flows to the rail, it carries or conducts the heat to the rail which helps heat it up more quickly. This heat transfer is of prime importance, just like starting with a clean area to be soldered.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
luvadj I use heat sinks on both sides of the rails when I solder, but occasionally, I still get a melted tie or two. I've found get it hot and cooled it down again as quick as possible works for me.
I use heat sinks on both sides of the rails when I solder, but occasionally, I still get a melted tie or two. I've found get it hot and cooled it down again as quick as possible works for me.
Heat sinks of one form or another. I typically use a couple of clamps, one on either side of the feeder. I've also recently read about using wetted tissue paper, being a similar concept to the wet cotton balls. However, the key is what luvadj said- get the heat on as quickly as possible, get things melted properly, and let it cool off.
I use a 45W iron for track-work, so the 40W is probably in the right range. 15W or 25W will probably take so long heating to melting temperature, that even with heat sinks, the surrounding material will heat up to the point where ties start melting.
make sure the surface you are soldering to is nice and clean.
Pre drill the hole for the feeder. Then use Solid wire for the feeder and do a small bend at the tip. About a half inch from the feed kink the wire so that the feeder is pressed into the rail when you lower the wire. That way you don't have to hold it. It will hold itself. Use flux on the joint. When soldering place the iron at the spot where the wire and track join. Use a very thin solder so that it melts quickly.
Springfield PA
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
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