I guess my 80 year old eyes are not working as good as they did years ago!
How can I tell if track and turnouts that I pulled out of a storage bin are brass or nicklesilver?
Both are nonmagnetic and when I clean them they both look about the same color.
Hate to throw away something I may use.
Thanks for any hints
Cliff
Cliff
If you’re no longer able to tell them apart maybe a younger friend/family member with better eye’s could help you out, Brass having a more yellow cast to it should show up more clearly perticularly if it has oxidized over a period of time.
Polish with a bit of steel wool and try a different light (brighter and/or another color temperature). That might be enough for you to tell the difference.
Karl
Do not use steel wool,it will most likely shed bits of steel that will be picked up by the motor magnet causing no end of problems…
Instead buy yourself a Bright Boy track cleaner to clean & polish the rail.
Do not use a Bright Boy track cleaner, it will most likely irreprerabley scratch the top of the rail causing no end of track cleaning problems…
Bright Boys do not polish they grind. It will get them clean for a short time but they willl get dirty again almost immediately causing recleaning and recleaning and recleaning etc. Instead get some metal polish (like Ma’s Mag Wheel Cleaner) and shine up the top of the rail. Brass should have a yellow gold look, while nickel-silver will be more like crome.
Except that his track is in a storage bin, not on a layout. Likely it’s very oxidized. A file will also work if you don’t mind sacrificing the last 1/4 inch of one piece.
Most houses should have a bottle of brass cleaner or silverware polish.
Break that out and hammer a sacrificial piece. You will know soon enough which it is. Silver or Brass.
Nickel Silver is good, Brass is bad. Now, both metals do well anyway, just one needs cleaning, the other not so much.
I have can of worms sitting on desk regarding soldering, feeder wires, traction, prices etc. But will defer them to later.