C-WW I have been busy laying track on my railroad and would like some opinions on soldering. First off all my trackage is atlas code 100 flex with atlas #6 (main) #4 (yards). My layout is in a basement room that has been made fairly climate controlled. It stays 60 degrees year round and is dry. It is an around the walls style with 3/4 and 1/2 plywood sub roadbed placed on open grid bench work. Roadbed is woodland scenics foam secured with their foam glue. Control is via Easy DCC .I have read different opinions in many mags. about soldering . Some say to solder every joint except turnouts, others say solder every third or fourth section of flex track. My question is if you solder every joint will their be enough slack for expansion? In regards to insulated sections what are the best methods?(insulated rail joiners or cut gaps filled in with styrene) Also what is the prefered solder iron wattage for soldering? I already have an adjustable wattage iron. Many thanks in advance to all replies! [ March 28, 2006, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: watash ]
Hi Dale, The only joints I solder are those tracks going around curves, the rest are left for expansion, with small gaps. I always make sure that even the ones soldered for curves have a small gap at either end of the other tracks just in case the want to creep in the heat. Also my advice would be to use insulated (Plastic) rail joiners. Not just cut the rail, this can lead to un-even rails later on. [ 11 February 2001: Message edited by: Paul Templar ]
I guess you could call me solder happy. I solder everything. It sure makes a difference to curves as mentioned. I solder the pieces of track in a straight line then curve them and dont get any joint kinks. Because the rails do expand and contract, I cut gaps as you mentioned Dale. The gaps are filled with styrene and trimmed to the rail. I even solder switches in place and cut gaps as needed. I always stagger the gaps so they are not in line. I don't cut the gaps though until the track is ballasted. I have done this in HO many years ago and currently do it in my N gauge layout. It works like a charm for me. The soldering iron has to be hot enough to do the job quickly. I use a few metal clamps to act as heatsinks. Some of you may cringe but I use a Weller 100watt soldering gun. I just wait for the solder to flow then take the heat off. I have tried one of those 25 watt soldering irons but don't like it as it takes too long to do the job. To each his own though. It is always a good idea to test on sections of track before doing the track on the layout.
My unfinished basement filled 14 year old layout doesn't have any soldered joints, and knock on wood, has operated fine all these years. I used lambert code 70 for the mains and sidings & yards, code 55 for some industries and atlas 100 for hidden staging tracks.
Dale & Fred, I, like you have my layout in the basement where the temp stays in the low 60's. I have laid my code 70 and code 55 rail using a hot-glue gun over handlaid ties without any problem over the past 13 years. I believe the relatively stable temperatures of the basement as compared to someone who has a pike in the garage or attic makes the big difference whether soldering is needed or not to allow for expansion and contraction of the rails. I have used rail joiners only and have tacked on a electrical feed line to each rail near the center of each rail to assure continued power to each rail I lay. Can't see any need to solder the joints that way.
My layout is in an unheated Living room (actually the local heat source is a fireplace) and is small (less than 5x11'). All connections are soldered and even tho' the temperature varies from about 50° to maybe 90°F, I haven't had any problems with expansion. I guess the slop in the code 100 Atlas flextrack is enough to deal with the changes. I use my trusty 25 Watt Weller pencil for virtually everything -- it takes slightly longer to get the joiner and track hot enough to melt solder, but it's less likely to melt adjacent ties (of course I take the ties under the joiner away for soldering, and replace after the joint is done). Especially on a curve, I can't imagine a joiner not kinking if it weren't soldered straight first. Very important, too, is the feeder wire to each section of flex, on both sides of switches. I also use the motor tool cut-off disk to cut the rail gaps, after the track is fixed in place. I fill the gap with styrene and ACC (super glue), and file to match.
I have built several pikes, and used flextrack on all but the first one. I agree with all the reasoning with the exception that I have found on occaision, that a poor contact can result from relying on a soldered joint. The soldered joint is fine for rigidity, but for connectivity, I follow a practice set out by Linn Wescott years ago in his first wiring book: Namely, to solder a bare wire AROUND the joiner union on the outside of the rails on both sides, and then file smooth on the top and inside if necessary. Solder them on similar to the way you solder on feeder wires. Bare wire, clean, use plenty flux, and... A BIG AMEN to the 100 watt Weller gun and heat sinks. A 40-watt iron works pretty wel for joiners and wiring, but I have never been able to endure the long period of time upside down that it takes to solder a piece of nickle-silver rail, and I have found that I end up ruining more ties/trackage with the cooler iron than I do with the high-temp iron, plus you have the light attached where you need it. I guess it's probably overkill or unnecessary work, but I also solder a feeder into the middle of each rail section, regardless of length, if it is separated by any kind of joiner. I used to crimp joiners to the rail, and that works well also, but can thrown the ends out of line if you're not careful. I used the tip ends of a pair of diagonal pliers for this, and crimped each joiner slightly where it contacted the railend soldly. All these are good suggestions. Watch out for the rosin and flux fumes. They are known carcinogens in long-term exposure. Treat them like you might using spray paint. At the least, you will get a sore throat and nasal passages/eyes. [ 12 February 2001: Message edited by: Graphite ] [ 12 February 2001: Message edited by: Graphite ]
I use a rail bender to roll the necessary curve on my rails. Only the last 1/2 inch is straight, which doesn't seem to matter at 30 inch radius, but there are no kinks. I use a 400 watt iron, or a Weller for close in, and heat sinks too. I forn a 360 degree loop in the middle of my jumper wire so the jumper can flex as well as expand or shrink with temperature change. I use #28 solid wire for this, #16 for bussing.
Having done too much soldering, I'll throw in my 2 cents worth..... The tricks to a good soldering job are easy to follow, but are seldom done. 1st, and this is of utmost importance, the metal surfaces must be spotless. Roughed up and scrubbed clean to boot if possible. 2nd, coat everything with the proper flux. Different fluxes are available for soldering different materials. I prefer a paste flux. Get one made for steel or iron. It'll be pretty nasty to work with, acidic, so take precautions. Don't wipe your hads on your jeans! I also have a flux for soldering stainless steel if needed. Flux is just for removing that thin film of metal oxide. Believe it or not, but the oxide coating starts to form as soon as the metal is exposed to air. Without the proper flux, making a good solder contact is almost impossible. 3rd. Heat, and lots of it. The surfaces getting soldered must get hot enough to easily melt solder. Here's where the problem comes in. The rails must get hot enough to be soldered, but not melt the plastic ties. I use a 100 watt soldering gun, and work FAST. Heat sinks will buy you a little time, but will also increase the size of soldering gun you need. I say 100 watts is a minimum to be able to safely make a soldering connection. There's no such thing as getting it barely hot enough to solder. Barely hot enough means a cold solder joint. 4th, Use the right kind of solder. A thin wire solder will heat up and melt easier. A lead-free solder will be stiffer, and require a higher melting point. A silver solder is the best, but requires the most heat. Seldom is the strength of the solder an issue in what we do. 5th, wipe the area clean while the solder is still hot and soft. It'll save a lot of manual work and will leave a very clean and nice product when you're done. These steps are the same for soldering copper pipe as it is for soldering rails or electrical wires, or even copper plate. I hope this is worth more than 2 cents to someone out there? Mark
Thanks all. I will take everyones input into consideration when I finally decide how to solder my track.
