Can anyone think of a good site where there is general information on building Etched Brass Loco kits. I am on my first, and it is not quite as easy as I first thought !! (Slater's Leek & Manifold 2-6-4 - Superb quality bits though) If anyone knows of good books on the subject, it would be helpfull.
Thanks Colin
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I enjoyed "Etched Loco Construction" (Iain Rice, Wild Swan Publications) which I got from MainlyTrains. I also got his "Loco Kit Chassis Construction in 4mm" as well.
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My first kit is the Class 02 shunter from Craftsman Models. I've not had too many problems so far, though I think I've got too much solder on the outside of the model. The hardest bit so far was doing the half-etch overlays for the buffer beam. I'm ready to solder the grill etches onto the bonnet shell - which is going to be a similar challenge.
The easiest way to minimise solder showing is to use solder paste. As supplied to the electronics industry for smd's. I bought mine from one of the on-line kit / wheel / track bits suppliers, but can't remember which! (May have been C+L Finescale?) By using just the bare minimum it is possible to sweat small items onto support sheets without unsoldering their neighbours. Otherwise different melting point solders have to be used. With these it's best to shave small pieces off the normally quite large sized sticks available. Wooden toothpicks (as well as the obligatory clothes-pegs) are very useful to manoeuvre and hold things with.
A three-sided scraper plus a small squared-off screwdriver blade can be used for sharpening up internal corners, as there will always be a meniscus of solder on a well flowed joint, whether paste or wire. This meniscus may be tiny, but an amazing amount of solder can be removed by scraping! For a minimum of effort, it can really sharpen up a model.
I've mostly given up using sticks, because of the fiddle factor, except 70 degree alloy for whitemetal. I find that a non-cored 0.7mm-ish 145 degree solder copes with most stuff. For some reason, this can be difficult to find, so I tend to get a hank from London Road Models or Wizard Models at exhibitions to keep in stock. The cored 145 degree stuff around I find pretty horrible to use, and the flux in electrical solder can be a pain to remove, so if I need a higher melting point solder, I use paste.
It is also worth mentioning that wire or stick solder should be clean and shiny before use. If it has dulled or oxidised, the flux has to work that much harder, and you won't get as crisp a joint.
...and talking of flux, my personal preference is PowerFlo (from Squires or some DIY shops) and Carr's Green Label. For long seams, I use the Green Label, as it flashes along the joint fast allowing the joint to be made quickly, therefore minimizing the amount of heat going into the job. PowerFlo is used for pretty much everything else, even soldering whitemetal! I have got some Orange Label around, but I really don't like it!
All of the above is my own preference gained by experience. Different things work for different people, so try any methods offered and see what suits you.
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