I am atempting to solder my Aristo brass track but having problems. I am using rosin solder with a micro torch and flux. I am trying to solder copper jumpers but I seem to be having trouble getting the solder to melt. The track is new and I am cleaning the sides to a shine. Dirt isnot an issue. I am doing it in my garage so weather is not a factor. I read everything on how to do it and I am struggling with getting the solder to melt. I am waiting a while to get the rail hot enough but it just seems not to be working. What am I doing wrong? I am also using the screws aristo provides with the track. You think I can get away with just using the screws and making sure they are tight every so often or can I run the jumper wire through the screw holes. Would that give me a good connection. Rail joints are out of the question as well as battery cant afford it at the moment. Thanks
Shawn Viggiano said:Dunno about the soldering issue. I find the screws are fiddly, but fine once you get them in. Drop a tiny bit of LocTite on the threads if you're worried about them coming loose.
I am atempting to solder my Aristo brass track but having problems. I am using rosin solder with a micro torch and flux. I am trying to solder copper jumpers but I seem to be having trouble getting the solder to melt. The track is new and I am cleaning the sides to a shine. Dirt isnot an issue. I am doing it in my garage so weather is not a factor. I read everything on how to do it and I am struggling with getting the solder to melt. I am waiting a while to get the rail hot enough but it just seems not to be working. What am I doing wrong? I am also using the screws aristo provides with the track. You think I can get away with just using the screws and making sure they are tight every so often or can I run the jumper wire through the screw holes. Would that give me a good connection. Rail joints are out of the question as well as battery cant afford it at the moment. Thanks
Shawn, usually the problem if the solder is not melting is that it is not getting hot enough. I have not solder track but I have solder many other projects. The problem may be that the track is acting as a heat sink, meaning that the heat is drawn away from the point you are trying to solder and dissipated through the rest of the rail.
Usually I use a heavy duty solder gun that I have for projects that require a little more heat. I use a Weller dual wattage solder gun (240/325 watts). I have had it for years. There are smaller ones that almost look the same but the solder tip size is smaller. If the material you are trying to solder is hot enough and clean the solder should just flow onto the surface once hot enough. One other thing that sometimes helps is to use some liquid flux on the surface before soldering. The flux keeps any oxidation from occurring during the soldering process and actually helps to some degree to conduct the heat from the solder gun tip to the item being soldered. I don’t know how it would react with a torch. The one thing that is a hassle with solder flux is you should clean it off after your soldering is complete. It tends to be sticky and could cause problems with your train making proper contact with the rails.
The other problem is that to get it hot enough you may start to melt plastic that is attached to the rail. That is one reason for having a larger soldering gun or iron is so that you can get it hot enough before touching it to the surface you want to solder and once you do there is enough mass in the soldering tip to conduct the heat to the project before all the heat is sucked out of the tip. Once the gun or iron is hot enough, touch it to the material to be soldered and complete the task a quickly as possible to minimize the time that heat is applied. This keeps the heat in a localized area rather than trying to heat the entire object to the melting temperature of solder. The solder I use is 60/40 Tin/Lead.
Mike
<Dunno about the soldering issue. I find the screws are fiddly, but fine once you get them in. Drop a tiny bit of LocTite on the threads if you’re worried about them coming loose.>
Dave,
Up here in the NW, it has been know, due to freeze/thaw and expansion/contraction that Aristooo track will actually break at the screwing location.
Also makes it hard to remove any track for maintenance.
Just our NW observations…
jb
Shawn, I use Aristo and USA track. I put some electic grease in the joints and use the screws. It has worked well for me. I use track power as well and the only problem I have had is ground heaving making the track uneven. I will be fixing that this spring.
Shawn, are you using the flame, or do you have an attachment that has a soldering iron tip on it?
If you are trying to do it with a flame, well, the short answer is forget it. You would end up melting the ties with the flame “overspray”, and the bare flame overworks your flux and burns it, etc.
Get a good sized tip on your torch, get it well tinned, get good flux, and put it on, do not rely on flux in the solder, make everything nice and shiny clean before soldering, like using a small wire brush in your dremel.
To do this right, you need a lot of heat and to transfer it quickly. That usually means a nice “mass” on the soldering iron tip.
Regards, Greg
What I do is:
Drill a small hole in the foot of the profile, thread the wire through that, solder! The smaller cross section will need a lot less heat than heating up the whole rail.
Works like a charm fo me!
If you are trying to do it with a flame, well, the short answer is forget it. You would end up melting the ties with flame “overspray”, and the bare flame overworks your flux and burns it, etc.
I agree with Greg,
I think your burning your flux off . Have you tried a resistance rig? I haven't either but would like to know if it works. Massive amounts of heat only at the point you want it to be at, and only for a split seecond.
SmokeboxJohn Bouck said:
Dave,
Up here in the NW, it has been know, due to freeze/thaw and expansion/contraction that Aristooo track will actually break at the screwing location.
Also makes it hard to remove any track for maintenance.
Just our NW observations…
jb
Wow!
Grew up in New York, so I know about cold, but had no interest in running trains outdoors then. Now that I’m running trains in Perth, where it never gets to freezing, I’d forgotten what the cold can do.
For connecting feed wires, I took brass joiners off, shined up the underside and soldered the wire to the joiner. Was easy with a 100w gun and some resin flux.
I had never soldered jumpers before. Had read about it and it sounded hard. I used the drill a hole method and my big electric gun and some flux, worked great! Melted real fast. I have code 250 NS. Jerry
I eneded up using the screws on the bottom of the aristo track. The ones that hold the ties to the the rails. I just made a small loop at each end of my jumper wire. Then I put the loop between the bottom of the rail and the plastic tie. then I screwed the screw back on. Works perfect and no soldering. When the track is down you dont even see the wire underneath. Thanks