Soldering feeders (again)

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have just finished reading all the recent posts on soldering feeders to rail and still have two questions.

  1. does nickle silver rail require a different technique than brass? and

  2. doea anybody pretin the RAIL as well as the feeder wire?

2

Yes, but the need to do this is not at all ALWAYS necessary–it just depends on circumstances (like the quality of your flux)

Ed

3

Hi Bruce, In metallurgic terms, nickel silver is just another kind of brass, and there’s no difference in soldering these two metals. Usually I tin only the feeder, but I make sure the base of the rail is clean – that means shiny! – and I put a small drop of flux on the rail as well. See fig. 10-25 on page 109 of my book, “Easy Model Railroad Wiring, Second Edition,” for my preferred method of attaching feeders. Good luck with your layout, Andy

4

Nickel silver is very close to brass only without the yellow color. It bends, works, and solders just like brass.

Pretinning the rail would require raising the rail to soldering temperature to get the solder to melt. Once you have the rail good and hot might as well solder the feeder on to it. Especially as getting the rail up to soldering temperature means you have it up to tie melting temperature too. No point in heating it twice, it just gives twice the opportunity for melted ties.

Two hints. A wire brush in a Dremel will polish the rail up nicely and quickly. A pair of ordinary alligator clips (Radio Shack) clipped to the rail serve as heat sinks and will limit tie melting. Cleverly deployed they will also hold the feeder wire in place for soldering.

5

I do the same as Andy does for feeders.

6

Bruce,

Since I solder my feeders on the bottom side of the rail instead of along the side, I do pre-tin my rail. That way the solder from both pre-tinned feeder and pre-tinned rail flow together and you’re less likely to get a cold solder joint.

Since I solder the bottom side of the rail, I also remove a few (2 or 3) of the plasitc rail ties in order to have better access to the area and not melt any ties.

Tom

7

This brings up another question I had. When I first learned about soldering feeders to the track, from some wise older heads (at the club), said always, always always solder on the outside of the track (although bottom makes really good sense). At least their point was not to put the feeder joint on the inside of the track…in the flangeways.

Then, we get the Beer Line pt 2 video and Thompson solders one of the feeders in the flangeway. Do you think he did that just so you could see what he was doing (video license?) or what? I was a little surprised…I expected a disclaimer at the least.

Rick

8

Tom, great idea about removing some ties. Do you pre tin and solder the feeder BEFORE the track is glued down? If not, you must have a very small iron tip. A tip so small it cannot easily transfer enough heat. Hmmmmmm

9

Something else that is helpful in soldering feeders to the side of the rail is a soldering tool. It’s just a small, heat resistant, pencil-like rod with a notch at one end that holds the wire in place while you apply the soldering iron with the other hand. The one I have came from Radio Shack, although you can get them at commercial radio / electronics supply houses, too. Spudger makes one that I know of.

John Timm

10

No–it’s conceivable to solder in the flangeway; I just did it tonight and I’ve seen it before in MR. It takes a bit of experience and a light hand with the solder, but it’s a great solution for hard-to-reach areas.

What I do is flux the rail then flux and tin the feeder very lightly. I then take the time required to make sure it fits low and snugly against the rail. Then a quick hit with the iron and you’ve formed a good bond. And you don’t need a hand cannon; I use a 35W Weller that is more than adequate.

Rick Krall

(01/20/2009 Update: Two important points I forgot: (1) Use fine solder; I used .032; (2) use an iron with fine tip; my Weller has replaceable tips, and I use the point or narrow blade.

Tim Warris (Fast Tracks) has an excellent video tutorial on proper soldering technique; he also sells soldering supplies.)

11

Bruce,

Yes. Here is my sequence:

  1. Figure out exactly where along a section of track the feeders will be.

  2. Remove the tie right at that point (plus one on either side).

  3. Drill feeder holes through the base at that point. I think I drilled 3/16" OD.

  4. Pre-tin the 12" feeders and the bottom side of the track just above the holes.

  5. Bend the ends of the tinned feeders 90 degrees, as well as flatten them slightly to maximize their surface area.

  6. Solder a feeder to the bottom side of each rail, making sure that the solder joint is nice and shiny.

  7. Insert the the feeders through the holes in the base.

When it comes to gluing the track down, I use DAP Latex caulk. I lay a track over on its side, lay a bead of caulk where the track is going to be, spread it out thin with a putty knife, then lay the track back over and position it in place. The feeders virtually disappear.

Later I go back and add the missing rail ties. Actually, I try not to add caulk underneath where the missing rail ties are so that installing the ties is easier.

Tom

12

I just use my knife