Still thinking I was spending too much time trying to make points fit good, which they did with about 5 minutes of hand fitting, I decided to experiment. I made a set of points on the #8 point form tool and tried them in a #6 turnout I was working on. I cut the rail about 1/2 inch long just in case they didn't. The points fit almost perfectly, with minimal hand reworking. They also look like they should, no small bend to feel or see and smooth flow with a railcar. Any comments anyone? I am still trying to learn what to do and what not to do.
A side note: How many of you have burned your fingers trying to hold the rail in place, or at least got very uncomfortable while the solder freezes? You might want to try this - get a banjo finger pick (the metal kind) and form it to fit whichever finger you use to hold the rail in place when soldering. It will give you many more seconds to hold the rail where it belongs. The pick is easy to remove when necessary. A little practice makes the pick easy to use but be aware that you can place more pressure than needed if you are not careful.
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