soldering material

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

As a novice - I have read alot from what many of you have said about soldering rail joints - especially with flex track. Since this is new to me some of the language is unknown to me. What is the use of flux? What about rosin? And what soldering material should I use for soldering n-gauge atlas 80 flex track?

This forum is too addictive - I have learned more in the last week than in all the books and magazines I have purchased.

Thanks.
James

2

Flux is a paste or liquid that is put on first to chemically clean the part. Rosin is the same thing inside electrical solder to do the same thing. Never use acid core solder, only rosin. It will say on the package. I like flux for everything, but many find it can cause problems in the years to come. Very thin rosen core electical solder is what you want for track. What you do not want is plumbing solder.

3

Go to radio shack and get the .015 dia solder that is the easiest to work with. What kind of Iron do you have? The Radio Shack Solder station is good $19.95 20/40 watt easy to use. ALSO they make a product called TINNING AND CLEANING it is in a can. Dip the iron onto this before each joint and it flows a lot better.
I dip the tip then do a quick wipe on an old towel to give me a clean end.
The 20 watt setting is all you should need. Practice it is not that hard. 6 mo ago I was dumb as a box of rocks on this but spent the time and now I am using a 100 watt gun at the layout and not melting ties.
Take Care
George P.

4

What about the metallic make up of the solder? - Does it need to be silver or silver bearing? In other words does the solder material need ot be the same or similar to the rail & joiners?

James

5

Regular electrical solder is what you want. Silver solder is way too hard and would serve no purpose. It takes a torch to melt. Geotge hasa named what you want.

6

Silver solder has maximum load-bearing strength. I use it for handrails or applications requiring mechanical strength. As has been suggested, use regular electrical solder.

Jim

7

To add to the details above:

  1. Stay with a low wattage iron, 20 to 40 watts is a good recommendation
  2. Clean the joint area, both the rail and the wire end, BEFORE putting it together. The best thing I’ve found for this is a typing eraser, the kind you sharpen like a pencil. Buff the area of the rail to be soldered until it’s shiny, before assembly.
  3. Don’t expect the flux (rosin is a type of flux, by the old definition) to clean the joint of tarnish. This is for final cleaning at the moment of soldering.
  4. Use flux SPARINGLY. It has to vaporize before you can get the solder to flow into the joint. The fumes of vaporized flux are, at best, irritating. Don’t breathe it or let it get in your eyes.
8

I think you’ve got a lot of good info here already.

I do disagree with those who recommend a low-wattage iron for track soldering. I have found over the years that more heat is better. I find it far easier to avoid melting ties using a 100W gun, it heats faster, you get in and out faster, and the heat has less time to travel down the rail and work over the plastic…

I actually use a micro-torch for this job. You can get them with a soldering tip (the flame heats the tip). That gives even more heat than any electric iron I’ve ever used. I find I can go from cold to soldered in about 5-10 seconds with it. If you get really, really, steady and are soldering before a lot of scenery is in, you can use the microtorch without the tip: just hit the rail with the flame for a couple seconds, touch the solder to it, and bam, you’re done. No tie meltage, though you may scorch cork roadbed a bit… No matter, ballast will cover that anyway.

In short, my opinion is most possible heat for shortest possible amount of time is the way to go. Others may, of course (and do already!) disagree, this is just my experience.

9

A couple of quick comments.

The best solder is 60-40, rosin core. Exact size isn’t critical unless it’s absolutely huge.

The best ‘outside’ flux is rosin-based paste. A little goes a looooong way! (I’ve been using one little can for so long that the painted labeling has all worn off, and it’s still over half full.)

The metal to be soldered must be clean, and preferably pre-tinned. (Translation: melt a little solder - a thin film - onto the surface to be soldered.) Some wire comes pre-tinned (there is a silvery surface, but copper in the middle of the strand.)

The parts to be soldered should be in good mechanical contact, and must not be allowed to move until the solder has returned to a solid state.

Use a big, hot copper; get on, melt the tinning, add solder as required, get off. That protects the plastic tie strip. (I’m talking a second or less total time.)