Greg, yes, rosin core solder
Greg, thanks for posting that link. I was not aware that “rosin core” refers to a flux that’s part of the solder. You learn things every day! So I guess I need to amend my comment to your earlier, I do in fact use flux!
Regards, Chris
I love reading the tips here because i have started doing alot of dcc installs on my own equipment & ill tell you my first install vs my latest ones are night & day .
i can only get better lol
The purpose of the iron plating on the tip is to protect the copper from erosion. If it reduces heat transfer it would not be enough to have any impact, trading that for extended tip life must be worth it.
When solder is applied to copper, it forms an alloy with the copper. Repeated alloying erodes the copper.
Tinning the tip aids in the heat transfer process by making better contact between the tip and the work.
If you are soldering often enough and long enough that tip erosion becomes an actual issue, or are concerned with trace amounts of copper in reduced-lead solder joints, you can use a small plating rig to deposit a thin nickel-iron (10% to 25% nickel) coating on a custom copper tip. That’s what I did for tips used for extensive ‘foiling’ work for stained glass. But that’s much more intensive use than I’d think most model-railroad-related soldering would involve.
That said – if you have a source for replacement plated tips, it’s cheaper and easier to swap 'em… and preserving the plating by careful use of damp sponge and bronze wool (NOT steel wool or stainless scrubbers!) is good practice.
(Remember that the iron on an iron-plated tip can corrode just like any comparable iron in storage, so keep it clean and imho well-tinned when not using it…)
Incidentally, resistance soldering gets around the tip ‘issue’ by using a carbon tip or contact, which of course isn’t tinned at all (Micro-Mark said charmingly in their instructions that they used carbon ‘so solder would not stick to it’). While you might not use this for fine electronic work it’s the bee’s knees for structural fine work…
there’s also the need to make do with what you got.
i had to move some feeders on the club layout. there was an old iron laying around with a 20/40W switch. this is just an iron, not a station. It has a cord that plugs into an AC outlet and can reach up under the layout without dragging a station.
it had a copper tip that was about 3/8" in diameter with a long gone 1/8" tip. i filed what was left down to an angled flat surface.
after struggling with it one time, i got some solder paste and brushed some on the joint with the feeder wrapped around the bus. the paste helped conduct the heat better and made soldering much easier. It avoids balls of solder melting but not flowing into the joint and falling on your face.
I have a question:
How do you solder a wire to BB loco frame? It took forever and I’m worried it’s not the strongest bond. I think it’s cast zinc.
You cheat. Drill and tap for a screw or two into the Zamac, then file the screw head as needed for clearance, and solder with appropriate flux to the screw metal. You can also ‘inlay’ a small piece of compatible metal, or use an eye or spade (if you want a push-on connection) terminal secured by a screw if you have the room.
I got away without using flux until a month ago. It definitely isn’t required but I wouldn’t go back to soldering without it.
I have two irons: a snap on butane torch/solder iron and a weller station. The butane torch gets much hotter so it lends itself to soldering detail parts to brass and pickups. The weller is for electronics as it has a pencil tip and is cooler.
Another reccomendation of mine is a third hand clamp. This makes the process safer and easier.
I use 60/40 rosin core solder for everything because it just works.
are you saying you weren’t using rosin core solder up until a month ago?
Good ideas. I have some 2-56 taps I can use. Thank you.
I’ve always used Rosin core solder. Although it is very mild compared to real flux.