My son gave me a birthday gift of a Weller WEP 70 soldering tool. What temperature should I set if for soldering 3 rail to a feeder? And is the temperature different for copper wire to copper wire?
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I always start hot and then back down once the solder starts to melt - but since yours has a specific temperature, From the web: 60/40 solder, which is 60% tin and 40% lead, melts over a range of temperatures, starting at around 361°F (183°C) and becoming a liquid at around 375.8°F (191°C)
I do PCB soldering at 500F (260C), but most of my wiring is done between 550F and 600F. For heavy wiring, etc. I may boost the heat to 650-700F. For track I use my Weller 100/140W gun. I use 63/37 rosin core solder exclusively, and I always buy the Kester brand.
John eluded to using a more powerful solder gun for direct track connections. The track acts like a huge heat sink so you have throw heat to it. And if you don't, you'll possibly run into other issues with heat transfer to the surrounding ties, connections, etc. Especially if they are plastic, such as Atlas or MTH track.
You may want to do a search of the forum on how to prep the track and the wire for soldering to track. There is a lot of good advice there. The key will be in the prep.
Personally, I'd use the larger wattage soldering gun.
