Solder and supplies for turnout construction

[Scottl]

Thanks all.  The Fast Tracks videos were very helpful too, and I can get the ME rail from them.  I can't find a way to get Supersafe flux across the border...

[BCR 570]

But, that's just me and my 30+ years of experience hand-building hundreds of turnouts and miles (scale) of hand-laid track speaking.  Go ahead and use acid flux and pay the price later.  Better Supersafe than sorry.

I have to agree with David.  I have not had any problems with it, and the first track I built is now more than five years old.  I use the flux very sparingly and if the soldering iron is hot enough, most if not all is evaporated during the soldering process, and whatever residue remains is neutralized during cleanup after assembling the track.  I have not tried the aforementioned Supersafe, but in order to do so it would have to be available here in Canada.

Tim

[bill pearce]

The standard around where I live has always been Tix Flux, but it is very acidic and can cause problems. Depending on evaporation is a bad plan, as all that evaporates is water, and that leaves a dry acid residue, wichi lays around awaiting a spike in humidity. I generally use paste flux form an electronics supply store, as flux for electronics has no acid.. Kester has always been good. If all else fails, try Radio Shark.

[DKS]

Depending on evaporation is a bad plan, as all that evaporates is water, and that leaves a dry acid residue, wichi lays around awaiting a spike in humidity.

It's not so much relying on evaporation; a better way to put it is that, when used very sparingly with a good hot iron, the flux generally all reacts. And I always clean up afterward. The advantage of the water-based flux is that the residue is water-soluble, and cleans up readily; paste fluxes often leave greasy residues that must be cleaned with some sort of solvent, which is why joints made with paste are more prone to trouble unless one is very diligent about cleaning thoroughly with solvents, and that's not always convenient.

[robert3985]

Just for sh*ts and giggles, I went back to the H & N site to see if they ship internationally.  Yup.  Getting #30 Supersafe Flux into Canada should not be a problem, unless Canada has some 'specially difficult flux-import laws in place.

When I started building turnouts in the late 70's/early 80's (code 70) I was very happy with the generic acid flux I got at Ernst (remember them?).  The joints really soldered great!  Since I was aware that I should wash and neutralize the flux residue, I did that, washing every turnout I built with hot water and a toothbrush, which was easy to do since they were code 70 and built on the bench.

It took about five years before the white stuff started to appear on the turnouts.  It was a reaction between the flux, ballast and plastic ties I slid on the rails when building my turnouts.  The flux residue was eating the plastic, and turning them into a very light brown powder. This surprised me for two reasons: First, I thought engineering plastic would be impervious to acid, and Second, I washed and scrubbed my turnouts really well before installing them.

So...in order to save my turnouts (all 37 of them on two Ntrak modules), I bathed them a solution of hot water and baking soda.  The result was lots of fizzing and foaming, and I thought I'd neutralized the problem.

Unfortunately, about a year later, the problem returned, but this time, it was my solder joints that were going.

I ended up having to trash those two modules, which was after only about seven years.

A good friend of mine, Pete Hurtado, who had a little business building N-scale overhead catenary going, saw what my problem was at the last show I attended with those modules, and had me come to his booth where he was soldering up catenary between customers.  He introduced me to Supersafe #30, and had a bottle of it to sell me, along with the H & N silver and tin solder.

Thanks to Pete, I didn't have to experiment around with finding a flux that had a low enough acid concentration in it (or not) so that five or ten years down the road, I would finally be able to say I was either successful or not successful.

Even better, the Supersafe flux worked better than any acid flux I'd ever used.

Every solder joint I've made with Supersafe #30 Gel or watery, has remained strong and bright for 30 something years. 

Just because I've had a really bad experience with my solder joints all those years ago, I still wash my bench-built turnouts, but I don't wash my track joiners when I solder them in-place,  or my joints when I'm modifying or repairing damaged turnouts already installed on the layout. 

H & N has a note on their website about whether to wash model train track solder joints...and the answer is "no".  No washing.  No worry.  My experience supports that 100%.

Use what you want, but if you don't want to have to neutralize, wash, and worry...then use Supersafe #30 Gel or Watery.  You will not regret your decision.

[LN2800]

I used radio shack .032" rosin core solder and their paste flux for my fast tracks jig-assisted turnouts.  I like the viscosity of the RS paste flux, and once heated it flows nicely. Cleanup with rubbing alcohol.