I just acquired a turntable that is perfect for my needs. It is being painted and weathered for use on the T&T RR. The only problem is that the rail attached to the bridge is brass rather than nickel silver. It is fixed to the plastic of the bridge so a substitution is not possible. I have painted the sides of the rail so it will look fine, but I would like the color of the top of the rail to match my other nickel silver rail. I know in the past there have been chemicals sold to add a silver sheen (and increase electrical conductivity) to brass rail by rubbing the chemical on the brass. Does anyone know of anyone selling such chemicals these days? Any other suggestion on how to silver the top of this brass rail? thanks - Nevin
Howdy, Nevin,
If you have a heavy soldering tool you might try tinning the rails, rather than using chemicals. A really thin coat of flux on the freshly file-cleaned railhead, a drop of solder on the iron (or gun) tip and one fast stroke from end to end would probably do it - without damaging the plastic.
If you’ve never done anything similar, practice on some old snap-track.
This is the kind of thing where my old Weller hand cannon shines. Nothing like 325 watts to keep the tip hot!
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
You did not mention the brand of TT.
I have slipped the brass rails out of a Atlas TT and slipped in NS rails. No big deal for me. Your mileage may vary.
Rich
I may be wrong, but isn’t the “gleam” method supposed to do the same thing?
The ‘gleam’ method has nothing to do with the metal the rail is made from, and will not change the appearance of the railhead. Brass will still look like brass.
What ‘gleaming’ does, is burnish out the tiny imperfections in the metal that tend to collect crud. It works on both nickel silver and brass, but won’t change one to look like the other.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with ‘gleamed’ nickel silver rail)
Here is a DIY nickel plating kit. Unfortunatly, depending on the turn table, it might be cheaper to buy one with nickel rails.
http://www.micromark.com/PLUG-N-PLATE-NICKEL-PLATING-KIT,8326.html
John
Detail Associates used to have silver plating powder you mixed with water and then exposed it to a strong light, but I don’t know if they still offer it.
It is a Frateschi turntable made in Brazil and unfortunately the rails are quite fixed. - Nevin
My advice, for what it is worth, is to not even try to “silver” the brass rail. Rather I suggest using chemical patinas to darken both the brass rail and nearby nickle silver rail serving the turntable. Rails in engine terminal service tended not to shine like mainline rail anyway since the train movements were always slow.
Micro engineering sells bottles of the patina fluid they use for their preweathered NS flex track. While I suspect the brass and NS would never match exactly if patina’d, I think the end result will be more pleasing, reasonably realistic, and more long lasting than any attempt to make brass rail look like shiny NS.
I suppose with experimentation it might be possible to find one patina for NS that comes close to what a different patina would do for brass but I think that is carrying things to a level that may not be in order here.
Does this make sense to you?
Dave Nelson
An idea,I have no experience here,but stained glass shops sell various colors of patina for the leaded joints in the glass,You may be able to use these. Since they are a chemical that changes the color of the metal and not paint the rail will probably remain conductive. A note of caution,I once left a bottle of Blacken It open on my workbench and evry tool and piece of meteal within 6" was discolored. BILL
The Detail Associates black powder is the stuff I was thinking about and remember seeing quite a while ago. Walthers doesn’t have it any more. I wonder what it was and if it is available through jewelry supply shops or something like that? - Nevin
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen this product advertised in Walther’s catalog. It was an electrically conductive paint that appeared, at least in their ad, like silver paint. The ad showed an HO scale conductor with a lamp in his hand. The figure had a silver streak painted down his back to the lantern wire in his hand. The electrically conductive paint served as the wire to the lantern. Maybe this would work on rails, but I would make sure there was a solvent available to remove it if it failed.
LIRRMAN
Maybe you could contact a jewler and see if they could plate it for you instead on investing in the equipment yourself. (just a thought?)