Soldering Advice Desperately Needed . . . . I have no soldering gene

I solder like I weld, Hot and fast. I used the hot trigger on a 200-260w gun. I use heatsinks a lot; Spring clip clamps with the rubber tips removed & Stainless tools. Foil masking near plastic. Tin both. I don't tin a lot of things, but I've learned it usually works out better on track. I tin the wire too, then tip on wire, try my best to not let the rail's puddle's edges totally liquify again. A 2x4x6 scrap in any position as a wrist rest if I get shaky.

  don't breath the fumes direct if you can help it    I installed station evacuation systems for a number of companies. I never looked into the gases as a tech, but I know welding fluxes are full of nasties and I couldn't see spending all that cash on an unwarranted evacuation system on the little start up companies if soldering fumes were totally harmless. Let some of that smoke really hit your eye good and see how you feel about breathing it too

(I do like taste of fresh ground steel in the air though. {no you don't smell it})

There is nothing quite like being able to say . . .

YES, I did it. Alllllllllright ! 

The Forumites do it again.

I properly tinned the new iron, drilled a hole in the rail, inserted 14 gauge stranded wire and soldered to the hole and the bottom of the rail. Not yet good enough to just screw the wire without soldering but I am using thick wire.

So many thanks to all of you. Wow, I was very discouraged and now I am not.

Beers on me !!

Scrappy

aussteve posted:

Tin/lead is a eutectic solder, meaning it only has one melting point and no plastic region to deal with.  63/37  tin/lead is the most desirable, but 60/40 works well also.  

Actually, only 63/37 is an eutectic solder, the 60/40 has a melting range of around 5C. 

Where was that cool graph when I needed it.

cjack posted:

The Sn60Pb40 roll of solder, I have, is marked #66/44, I've seen the 63/37 on the Kester website.  Interesting.  Thank you, Mike CT.

They some managed to stuff 110% of the materials into the solder, or was the guy making the labels math challenged?

Good Lord. And all I do is go and buy 60/40 solder. Chart? What chart.

Dick

Whiskey, please.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

They some managed to stuff 110% of the materials into the solder, or was the guy making the labels math challenged?

http://www.techni-tool.com/488SO162

I AM , no kidding, soldering something right now, except for glued to TV. I stink at soldering, but do it anyway, and am kitbashing the metal sides of a Walthers pass. car kit. I solder in the baggage doors on these and cut and splice them, this for a steam coach. This is a posting l should print out and post over my workbench. I am sure l do most of it wrong, but find my gun worthless compared to even the small, slim iron.