I remember that back in the 80’s a lot of crap about lead in the schools hit the fan. It was in the pipes, water cooler/fountains. I believe leaded paint had already been banned by that time. I know that two of the schools I went to in Leesville back in the 70’s had a complete gut of the plumbing systems and new pipes/faucets/fountains were installed and all while school was in session. It had been considered so dangerous it couldn’t wait until the summer break.
I do stained glass and have used both 60/40 and lead free solder. In this case the solder is solid core 1/4" dia with an acid flux (no electric to worry about corroding with glass). My soldering iron is a 100W Inland with temperature control.
The lead free solder has a much higher melting point than 60/40 and is more difficult to use. I have to use a higher temperature setting on my soldering iron and more flux. With practice, I have been able to create acceptable work with lead free, but prefer the 60/40.
For soldering on model RR, the 60/40 rosin core solder is the way to go. The higher heat needed for lead free solder means a higher possibility of damaging nearby plastic parts. I still wash my hands with a strong soap after soldering to remove any stray lead particles and I do not snack while I am soldering. Lead is one toxic heavy metal that is not expelled from the body over time.
Some try to treat soldering like a necessary evil. It must become part of model railroading.
I have been soldering since 1953. Good solder joints come from proper preparation, and practice.
I use a WLC110 solder station. I have never relied on the temp setting. I learned to use what works.
Rosin flux and plated tip soldering iron. Don’t file the plated tips. Don’t laugh. A few here have done that.
Fifty percent heat, fine tip for decoder, PC board wiring.
Wedge tip and seventy percent heat for track feeders and maybe ninety percent for soldering feeders to buss wires.
Cleaning the spot on the rails with a Micro Mark scratch brush is really great.
I use a Quad Eutectic solder. This solder prevents little solder balls from forming between copper traces on PC boards. Quite expensive but the best solder I have ever used over the years.I have done PC board work for some years.
Rich
Now I have more questions. Based on recommendations received from other forumites, I bought the Xytronic LF-369F. It came with a fine tip and now I am wondering if I need to buy some additional tips based on usage. Any suggestions are welcome.
This is the one that I just bought. I have not taken it up to the train room yet. I did buy and extra tip, the same as what is on it. At the rate that I used to burn the things up I would not want to be without one.
If you will be building brass models then yes you need different tips, but then you would already know that. This tip is fine for doing rails and rail joiners. It is just a thine wire to something.
ROAR
I have the Xytronic 379, with the fine tip. I find that it solders rail in a hurry using only the rosin core solder with no additional flux. I have the heat set about 3/4 way and make sure the tip is clean. I touch the tip to the rail/joiner joint and immediately touch the solder to the rail at the tip and draw the solder across the joint.
I’m no expert on soldering but I use the rosin core solder. I have both the paste and the liquid flux. I too was having trouble soldering joints and feeder wires to track. I thought I needed a higher wattage soldering iron, so I bought a Weller soldering gun in lieu of my little 25 Watt pencil iron. I still had issues with not getting the work hot enough and melting plastic ties in the process as well. Then I discovered a video on this type of soldering on the Fast Tracks website ( believe its just fasttracks.com). The video walks you through the process - - using a little 25 Watt pencil soldering iron. I’ve found its not so much the heat, but the technique, as well as how you manage and care for your soldering iron. I just wired the expansion of my layout and all the connections to the track were soldered using my little 25 Watt soldering iron. Watch the video, it really works! Oh, and by the way, NO flux was used, just a little 70% isopropyl alcohol.
It wasn’t me; it was the solder! What a difference the correct solder makes. I got some 60/40 solder and first tried tinning a piece of wire. It just flowed like in the videos. Next I cut and joined a couple of test pieces of flex track. With a little trepidation, I fluxed and soldered the joint. Again, just like in the videos. I downright enjoyed my soldering experience today and successfully laid my first sections of flex trax. I am a happy camper.
The right tools make any job easier.
I think you mean http://www.handlaidtrack.com/