How would i solder a track pick up wire to the brass rivet on the truck side plate of an athearn diesel?
Ah, very carefully.
Clean the rivet. Tin the rivet and the end of the wire. Hold the two together and heat carefully with the tip of the iron. Use rosin core solder or rosin flux only and small gauge solder. An iron with a small tip is a big help. I’m assuming that you have disassembled the truck and have good access to the rivet.
Joe
I would not recommend that, too easy to melt the plastic. Instead, solder to the “wiper arm” that reaches up from the truck to carry juice to the power strip on top on the motor. Even better, go to your hardware store and get some electrical terminals 1/4 inch “Fastons”. These will slide over the end of the wiper arm, picking up juice, AND allowing total disassembly of the locomotive with having to solder.
Just like the Hedgehogs? [:D]
I generally don’t solder to the rivet. I’ll usually try to solder directly to the plate itself, so that even if the rivet loosens over time, you’ll still have electrical contact.