Fast Tracks

Hi Ken,

Ditto on the previous comments.

When having difficulty soldering rail to PC board ties, the culprit is almost always dirty surfaces.

I would suggest having a look at the soldering video on the site, which can be found here....

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/documents.php

The video you want is AN01.

I address this very issue, and show how to solve it.

You may also want to watch the PC board tie prep video as well, UG09. I point out some steps there that will also aid in getting a good solder joint.

_________________
Cheers!

Tim Warris
Fast Tracks
http://www.fast-tracks.net
service@fast-tracks.net

Thanks!!!!!!

Question about the video. In the video Acid Core (sp?) Flux is used. Should I also use acid core solder? OR is the Solder Rosin Core?

Thanks

Ken L.

Rosin core is fine. The most important thing about the solder is the diameter. It should be .015" or smaller which will make it much easier to use.

Well...almost......

I still don't know what I am doing wrong. I watched the video, and I have everything as instructed, including a brand new pencil end type tip for the weller soldering iron. I have No 95. Lead Free Tinning Flux which I was told was Acid Core Flux. I'm using the .015 dia solder that came with the kit. I have brand new cleaned PC Board Ties and brand new Code 70 ME Non-Weathered Rail. I believe I am following the instructions by applying flux to both the rail and tie, but I can't get the iron to heat the rail and/or tie enough to melt the solder! What could I still be doing wrong!! HELP!

Thanks.

Ken L.

What do you have the dial on the front of your soldering station set at?? Is the tip screwed on completely with no gap?? If you wet the sponge, does it hiss when you touch it with the iron?? If the cord for the soldering iron plugs into the box, is it loose?? Is this a brand new soldering station??

What do you have the dial on the front of your soldering station set at??

5


Is the tip screwed on completely with no gap??

The tip slides on and is held in by a "set screw" and it is in correctly according to the manufacturer's instructions

If you wet the sponge, does it hiss when you touch it with the iron??

Yes

If the cord for the soldering iron plugs into the box, is it loose??

There is no plug. It is permamently connected.


Is this a brand new soldering station??

The station is about 4 years old, HOWEVER has only been used twice before for less than an hour each time, and has been in stored in my Electrical Tools - Tool Box when not used.


thanks.

Ken L.

Just as a check of your equipment - try soldering clean pieces of scrap rail and pcb tie on a piece of wood, not in the fixture. Use flux just as you would in the fixture. If this works, you may be heat sinking from the rail base to the fixture. If this is so, you may want to increase the heat setting of your station a little at a time to see if this works. Occasionally, I will get heat sinking this way, using code 70 rail in a code 83 fixture. I briefly touch the iron to the joint after taking the TO out of the fixture and placing it on wood. It heats up extremely quickly this way, compared to in the fixture. The joint will not move if you use some care and a little downward pressure on the joint - I use the allen key that came with the point tool so I do not burn my fingers because of the quick and high heat in the rail. Just stay away from the frog points.

Good luck - I know you will find a way that works for you.

Another thought - in your first post for this article you mentioned that you were heating the rail without touching the iron to the solder. This may not work, you probably will have to do as the video shows and touch the solder to the iron while holding it on the rail AND pcb tie at the same time. If the flux works good, the solder will be drawn all the way under the rail to the other side. Some solder will also flow up onto the railbase next to the iron tip.

I have an American Beauty soldering station I use part of the time. It is a 250 watt max supply, I set it to about 40 watts and get good results.

Thanks for the feedback...

I was always taught never heat the solder rather let the materials heat the solder...i've never understood exactly why I was taught that, but was told if I just heat the solder, I will have a poor joint.

Thanks again.

Ken L.

It is true that in general you should let the materials you are soldering melt the solder, however when working with the aluminum Fast Tracks jigs this may not be possible due to the heat sink nature of the setup. Aluminum is a very good conductor of heat thus you need to help it along a little by applying the solder to the rail and pc board simultaneously with the iron tip. In my earlier post I indicated that applying a tiny bit of solder to the tip and then touching the joint will help the heat transfer. Also, a liberal amount of flux helps the heat transfer too. Don't worry about using too much flux since you will be washing the entire turnout when it's complete.

I have found the Weller ST6 tip to work very well. I would assume the ST7 tip recommended by Fast Tracks is just as good if not better. I tried an ST8 tip which is longer and thinner than the ST6 but found it took longer to heat the joint. It worked fine but took more time and skill.

FWIW, I'm using 25 Watt Weller WP25 iron with ST6 tip. I am also using acid core paste flux with the 0.015 solder supplied with the turnout jig along with ME Code 83 rail.

Rick

To Rick and anyone else who might be able to help:

More soldering problems...

Since it looks like you have the exact setup that I do, Weller iron with an ST6 tip, maybe you could help me out? I follow all of the tips in the Fast Tracks soldering video and I use the fine solder they provide as well. I tin a new tip, use it to make solder joints w/ flux, constantly clean it by wiping it on paper towel or dipping in flux and then wiping clean. This works out pretty well for about an hour of soldering. It seems like after a turnout or two, the tip will no longer melt solder and I can't clean it up. The tip looks charred and is impossible to clean with flux.

Any clues as to what is going on? I'm sure you're supposed to get more life out of these things.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks.

Aaron

aaronh,

The soldering iron tip is becoming oxidized. I have found that the small tips oxidize very quickly as compared to the larger ones. Usually dunking the tip in acid flux will remove the oxidation but not always. I keep a can of tip tinner and cleaning compound close by to occasionally clean the tip. Go to Radio Shack and ask for catalog number is 64-020.

Rick

Rick is correct. Over time the tip can become oxidized. Leaving the iron turned on while not using it will accelerate this process. One way to limit this is to coat the tip with some solder whenever you are not using it. Even for a moment.

Avoid cleaning the tip just before you set it down. Instead coat the tip with some solder whenever you leave it idling. The solder will protect the tip this way. When you pick up the iron to use it again, clean the tip and you are set to go.

Of course, if you leave the iron idle for any length of time, you should turn it off.