My eyes hurt, my fingers are burnt, my patience is sorely tried, my significant other is avoiding me. Why? Because I am soldering little bits of wire to little bits of track. Its so frustrating because I am not the worlds best solderer and have to keep doing the same bits over and over. Jeez! I wish someone would invent a glue that would conduct electricity, that I could just apply without having to SOLDER!!! I hate it!.
End of rant, spleen being vent. Scoot
In message , scoot writes
Sounds like you're not using a separate flux, but relying on the flux built in to the solder wire. I find that a separate flux (I use Fluxite) helps make the job much easier.
On 24/05/2007 03:57, scoot said,
Go to
In a nutshell though, clean everything in sight and use a good flux, and that doesn't mean the one down the centre of the solder in this application.
Also the wattage of the soldering bolt and the shape and state of the tip can affect the performance as well. A screwdriver shaped tip is usually best for working on rail since it has a comparatively large area of contact to help heat transfer.
Jim.
There are some glues but I bet the fumes from them are worse. Note it was this glue that held the thin wire contacts on the Sony 5mp CCD sensors that failed.
It's perfectly adequate. If it's not, then it's either the materials, tools or technique that are at fault.
You need a high power iron because (1) the rail acts as a very effecient heat sink and the iron needs to be able to dump heat into it without cooling down and (2) you need to get the heat in quickly and get the job done quickly. You also need a good sized bit. Also, make sure the tip is clean and well tinned, invest in some tip cleaner if neccessary.
Do not use the soldering iron to carry solder to the joint. If you do that, the flux has already expired by the time it gets there. Apply heat, count 1-2-3, apply solder, remove heat, count 1-2-3. Holding the rail and wire steady all the while. Job done.
It may help to pre-tin the rail and wires and have a second pair of hands to hold everything in place, so you need to make your peace with the significant other.
MBQ
Tin the rail first, then the wire, then make the joint.
Richard
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com said the following on 24/05/2007 09:59:
Ah, but 'adequate' isn't as good as 'perfect' :-) In my professional life, I use a variety of solder and soldering techniques, although the flow soldering experience isn't relevant here! I won't claim to be an expert, but I would still say that the average person with an average iron isn't going to get a very good joint using multicore solder on N/S rail without additional flux. It is possible to get it spotlessly clean, but because it's usually awkward to get to that can be very difficult. I suppose it's easier if you go for the blob on the side of the rails, but everyone solders the wires to the underside these day, don't they?
Everything else you say is absolutely correct :-)
And a reflow oven tends to melt the sleepers ;-)
MBQ
snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com said the following on 24/05/2007 13:15:
Believe me, it's not just sleepers that we've melted (sorry - it's possible to melt) in a reflow oven :-)
I think that's true of any soldering job?
With the small low power iron often recommended for delicate work I find you have to keep the iron in contact with the work longer, the heat spreads and does more damage to nearby components than if a high power iron had been used for a short period. Anyone disagree?
(kim)
Sounds good to me.
Solder the wires underneath your fishplates and then add them to the layout.
Ollie
No, you're exactly right.
MBQ
Then you rely on the long-term reliability of the electro-mechanical connection from rail joiner (fishplate) to rail. Quite a few people have experienced problems with this method. You might as well say just use a power clip in an unobtrusive part of the layout and rely on rail joiners for the whole layout.
If, however, you solder a wire to every rail joiner and then solder the joiner to the rails on one side, such that every piece of rail has one soldered connection and one sliding connection, then it becomes very reliable and you can still get the rails apart.
MBQ
And it allows for expansion/contraction.
Jim.
Hmm. Well, I, like most human beans, don't have three hands so to be able to hold the wire against the rail, and hold the soldering iron, and hold the solder seems a bit problematic ;-)
By using separate flux, I can dab a tiny drop of that to the rail, hold the wire against said rail in contact with said flux, then put a tiny drop of solder on the iron, and carry it to the wire/flux/rail combo and hey presto it works first time, and there's no transmission of heat to the plastic track parts. A quick wash with a toothbrush in some water with a drop of detergent in it and the join is done...
Ian J.
On 24/05/2007 18:36, Ian J. said,
This is where you use your left hand as two hands. Wire in between little finger and ring finger, solder between thumb and finger. Easy, really :-)
Not, really! ;-) I've tried it and repeatedly fouled up more soldering joins than if I use a separate flux...
Ian J.
Going back to the conductive glue idea ...
A company called Intek Adhesives Ltd based in Blyth, Northumberland have a silver filled epoxy adhesive called 'ECA conductive adhesive'. It can be applied using a special applicator 'pen' and if you make a mistake you can rework or remove it using a hot soldering iron.
snipped-for-privacy@intek-uk.com
Chris B
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