I started to solder my track feeders to the underside of the rail. The nice thing is that they are completely hidden but…
There is a big problem with this way of soldering the track feeders. First I must drill a hole in the foam on both sides of the track. It’s often hard to know exactly where these two holes must be. And it’s really hard to get the two track feeder cables into the holes and at the same time fit the two rail jointers. I feel that this method can not continue, I need a better way. Thank god there is a forum like this where I can learn.
It seems that the best way is to lay down all the track, and then come back when all the track is finished and solder the feeders. Another problem is my soldering iron. It seems that one of the keys to not melting the ties is to have more heat then my 25W iron can handle, quick in, solder, quick out before any heat builds up.
So my question to the forum is, how do you solder track feeders to your track, pros and cons? How many W is your iron? And what cable do you use for the feeder?
MR had an article on the last page of the DEC issue about drilling through foam and how to feed the wire through. First a long drill bit…drill between the ties and then feed a drinking straw through the hole for the wire to pass easyly through. Next …after you feed the wire through…bend the wire and solder to the outside of the rail. Hope that helps.
Check for Joe Fugate’s posts on DCC or Scenery. He showed a good way to solder feeders. They hardly show at all using that method. Can’t remember which one it was, but I believe it was the DCC one. They are quite long, so you’ll have to go thru them to find the part about soldering feeders.
I usually solder them to the bottom of the rail joiners at the same time I (ahem) solder the joiners to the rails… The iron is a variable power soldering station made by Ungar…
You are correct about quick in and quick out… The hotter iron the better.
I usually solder the wire to the outside web of the rail. I first drill a hole between the tie ends and feed the wire from the top. I strip a small part of the wire then put a 90 degree bend in it to make it run parallel to the rail, then another small bend to press it against the rail web when you pull it down into the hole. I buff the side of the rail where I’m going to solder and the wire end with a typing eraser (the kind you sharpen like a pencil), pull it down into place, put a drop of solder flux (use SPARINGLY), then touch a hot iron with a bubble of solder on it to the joint. The wire bonds in a second or two. Clean up the flux residue and after you ballast the area, the wire is near invisible.
About 18 or 20 AWG solid wire. The iron is about 45 Watts. I put the liquid flux in a needle point bottle (available from A-West) and it makes getting just one drop directly on the joint, easy.
I make up a bunch of rail joiners with feeders attached, half with red wires, half with black. I take a piece of scrap track and put a pair of joiners on one end, loosely. Next, I set the track upside-down on my workbench. Then I solder the feeders to the center of the joiners, laying the wires parallel to the ties, NOT parallel to the track. (That way, it’s much easier to slip the replacement ties in. If the wires are along the track, you end up with a big, long lump there.)
Let them cool and then take them off and do another set. (Or, take them off right away, scream and run for the burn ointment.)
I use 22 gauge solid wire, soldered to the outside web of the rail. Along with some rosin flux, and 100 watt soldering gun, it works like a dream. I also tin the wire and tin the rail first.
Stranded wire is more flexible bending and shaping wise but does not hold it’s shape as well as solid. I like to use solid wire for the bus and stranded for the feeder. You will find in stranded that if you strip down a little too far, you just wind up with some broken strands, but can still use what is left as long as too many strands are not broken. Solid in the other hand, if you strip down too far, the wire breaks. When running wire, always give your self a little extra just in case.
Solid wire has less internal resistance than stranded wire, and has less voltage drop, and can carry more voltage. (Think of water pipe one single big pipe will carry mor water that many small pipes.) But in our hobby, since we are not dealing with high voltage, the internal restance is not worth worrying over. Power boosters a good thing to have.
So, basically, solid and stranded have thier own uses and in our hobby there is not a right way or wrong way, except for the wires in our locomotives. I found out that solid wire does not like the flexing action required of it on the trucks. Stranded wire does not bind up like solid.
I don’t think the water pipe analogy is correct. The electrons flow on the surface of the wire, not through it. Large wire carries more current than small because it has more surface. Stranded wire carries still more current because it has still more surface than solid in relation to its size. The reason for solid for bus wire is stability, not current carrying capacity. That is why such large wire is used. Stranded makes better feeder wire because it is flexible and can be much smaller to carry the same current. If you twist the ends of the stranded and then tin them, they will have the same soldering charicteristics as solid.
Actually it makes no real difference whether you use solid or stranded for the feeders. The current carrying capacity is basically the same for the same size wire. I prefer to use solid for the feeders for the reason that they stay bent the way I bent them and I think are easier to use. For HO, #18 wire is a bit heavy for soldering to the track. I do use #18 at times, but as long as your length of the feeder is less than a foot, #24 will serve just as well. I use a 25w soldering iron and have no problems with melted ties. I solder the feeders to the outside of the rails not underneath. If you solder them underneath, you are more likely to melt ties… Hmmmmm. At least that’s what happens for me. Many people use a 40w soldering iron for attaching the feeders. I would not use anything larger than a 40w. One trick is to pre-tin the wire and have a good glob of solder on the iron. I usually do not add any more solder than what is on iron and wire. Like you already know get in make the joint, and get out. I usually do it in 2 seconds or less. As soon as the solder flows, it is done.
practice is good. I am improving, you will also. I have learned that on occasion I have to cut out a couple ties and replace them. I do most of my practicing on the real thing. That way I can benefit from the good stuff, rather than have my best work on the practice piece.
As we musicians always say, “Practice makes perfect!” [:D] Find what works best for you and do that. There is no one absolutely correct or right way to do it.