Jol Wilkinson Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 A soldering iron stand with wet sponge is a must, not only to keep the tip clean but to keep burn marks off the carpet!!! That I should dare to disagree with Coach I used to use the damp sponge technique but since buying one of those soldering iron stand/cleaners with the brass "scrub bud" (from C&L) I now wouldn't use anything else. It is much more effective than a sponge, with either my 25W Antex or 50W Antex TCS. Jol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 That I should dare to disagree with Coach Whether you agree or dissagree doesn't matter. We just use different tecniques thats all. I cannot say my bits last to any degree but then I am not very kind to them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions on Soldiering irons, seems Rapid Electronics do the Antex XS25 for £13, so affordable. What flux/solder is best for brass? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 What flux/solder is best for brass? That's almost as open a question as what kit I prefer 178 solder but I do use a range which helps when you have bits soldered on and you wish to solder other bits close by. I also use a lot of solder cream (also comes in various temperature flavours) it comes in a syringe and you can place very precise amounts of solder where you want it. Remember, if you use more solder than is needed for the job you only end up with more cleaning up afterwards. The brass components should be touching and you should only need enough (a micro layer) to make the join - you shouldn't need to flood fill any gaps (unless the etches don't match up or you have filed too much off them!. A soldered joint becomes weaker the more solder you use and more prone to failure. As for flux, I use Carr's Red for just about everything(brass, n/s, white metal), a phosphoric acid base. I personally do not like the paste fluxes they always seem to require more cleaning up. Don't forget to clean up (wash away any residue flux) after finishing a day's work - the acid will continue to corrode. Resin cored solder is for electrical work. Lead free solder is good only for the bin. Also don't forget low-melt 70' - is not really solder - it is not for brass to brass and only for white-metal - it will not bond to brass unless you tin the brass first with normal solder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Do we have to have the solder debate again? Discussing beginners kits was fine but the recommendations for soldering iron, flux and solder (25w antex, 145/188 from Eileens, 9% phosphoric acid flux for me) have been done to death on previous threads that should be findable from google. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Boucher Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Mike, Thanks for the suggestion, looking at the pages you linked to, seems I might need to get another soldering iron as I though I had a different one to the one I have (18W), suspect I need a higher power one for brass? As others have said, yes, you should get a larger iron. One thing I was told with soldering is that you want to get the heat from the iron transferred to the part quickly. You can get in, solder the new part on, and get the iron out of there before you start unsoldering parts nearby. The bigger the iron, the quicker heat transfers, plain and simple. I use the 80W because I found my 30W didn't have a large enough tip for the heat transfer on the larger parts, and just got used to using the 80W for just about everything. There were some smaller detail parts I used the 30W for, but I liked the 80W in general. Those Connoisseur kits look nice, but it really depends on what my budget is at times, so OO might end up being more budget friendly. They are definitely nice kits, and I've never heard a bad word about Jim. All my dealings with him have been great. Well, as far as locos are concerned, you've probably got me there. But there would be nothing wrong with developing some skills on a 7mm kit, and then leave it as a mantelpiece. You might find you like the larger scale when all is said and done. You also might find that a larger kit is easier to learn on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted March 29, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 29, 2011 A red letter day! I've just managed, for the first time (at the age of 56), to solder some whitemetal castings onto a brass underframe of a Comet Mark 1 coach. Many thanks to all the people on this forum for the advice and encouragement. By the way, it was done with an 18W Antex in a stand with a damp sponge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 A red letter day! I've just managed, for the first time (at the age of 56) Just goes to show that age is no barrier and you don't absolutely need a temperature controlled iron. Well done - it wasn't that difficult now was it? I think half the problem is overcoming the "Oh no, white metal melts" syndrome - something that is really only true with very big irons or very small parts! Are there any pictures? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted March 30, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 30, 2011 Are there any pictures? Hold your horses there. I've only put 8 trusses on so far (on the coach, that is phnarr phnarr). I might get more done at the weekend, then I might see whether or not it's worthy of a snap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I might get more done at the weekend, then I might see whether or not it's worthy of a snap. Always worthy of a "snap" for RMWeb Forums - it doesn't have to be "Gallery" approved material. Just good to know all is going well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skaran Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Just in case you didn't notice Five79 are dropping their etched brass range. Anyone know where I can get 4mm GCR Fish Vans from? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwealleans Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I'm afraid they were the only game in town. Robin Peover hasn't produced his bogie fish van kit for some time. The long wheelbase van is still in the Falcon range, whenever Dart Castings reintroduce it. They also list a 10T open sided fish van in the range, but I have no idea what that is. I don't know what happened to the cast one Danny Pinnock used to do but as he's back in 4mm in a small way you could contact him and ask. If there are any other options I've missed I'd be glad to hear about them too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YesTor Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Do we have to have the solder debate again? Discussing beginners kits was fine but the recommendations for soldering iron, flux and solder (25w antex, 145/188 from Eileens, 9% phosphoric acid flux for me) have been done to death on previous threads that should be findable from google. It may be tiresome for you, but I am finding this topic quite useful and informative; and if I'm not mistaken isn't that the purpose of the forum? Remember, we are all at different levels of experience and do not all seek the same information at the same time, or in the same place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Just in case you didn't notice Five79 are dropping their etched brass range. Anyone know where I can get 4mm GCR Fish Vans from? Mousa Models Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skaran Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 The Mousa range looks like they have a pretty good selection of GCR stock available. Have to start saving. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katier Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 And just to vary the iron debate, I am currently making my first etched kit with a Gas soldering iron and seems to be doing fine. The heat coming off it can be a pain at times but I much prefer being 'wireless' to being wired for delicate work.. I keep finding the wire pulls the iron where I don't want it. While this is my first etched kit, I've done a lot of detailed electronic work in the past on PCB's which at times is worst that a 3mm shot-down kit!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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