Low Melt Soldering
Low Temp. Soldering | |||||||
Presentation by Russell Jones | |||||||
Why low melt? With the common use of pewter ( formly whitemetal) being used | |||||||
for a lot of NZR model railway kits, it becomes the logical construction technique | |||||||
for assembly. Not only does it create sturdy and secure joins, it also fillets gaps | |||||||
and can be adjusted if necessary, and is faster than waiting for glue to dry. | |||||||
The fear that most modelers seem to have about soldering, is that of suffering a | |||||||
kit meltdown (puddle effect). Well, this information, shows that with the avaliable | |||||||
tools and simple procedures, you to can enjoy simple and quick model construction | |||||||
that will last and last. | |||||||
Materials and Tools. | |||||||
Temp. controlled iron (25 - 40 watt) Be aware most controlled units don't go low enough | |||||||
12v Soldering iron controlled by your train controller | |||||||
Low melt solder 70 degree | |||||||
Flux - dilutered rust-kill acid (phosphoric acid) and applicator brush | |||||||
Knife, files, sandpapers. | |||||||
Jigs, right angle, clamping and holding devices | |||||||
Pliers, tweezers, side cutters, drills etc | |||||||
Summary of Main Points of Technique. | |||||||
Create a clean, fresh surface to be joined, using knife, files or sandpaper. | |||||||
Dry fit parts to ensure a good fit. | |||||||
Apply flux to the joint with a small brush. | |||||||
Bring melted solder to the joint, on the soldering iron. | |||||||
Tack the joint first. Let it cool, and check the alignment. | |||||||
Apply more solder and slide the iron along the joint as necessary. Listen to the sizzle. | |||||||
If the sizzle stops, the flux has evapourated and direct full heat is applied to the work | |||||||
Low temp. soldering will gap fill nicely, but don't over do it. | |||||||
When soldering pewter to brass, sand brass surface then tin the brass. | |||||||
Apply the pewter part to the brass, as per above technique | |||||||
Wash your work due to the acid in leftover flux. | |||||||