Soldering tubular track pins permanently?

Rather than soldering the pins, I'd simply solder a small wire jumper across the joints and leave it at that.  If you use rosin core solder, you won't have acid eating anything.  I typically clean the rosin off with Isopropyl Alcohol in any case, but that's mostly for appearance.

No track pins? I've cut the heads from finishing nails, and used them.

I agree with John on using jumpers, I have used them.

But I find that just selling up several power feeds works just as well.

Hmm thanks gunrunnerjohn, I didn’t think of that, but I could do that. I think I’m going to do that now. Thanks again!

Well I have the track pins that came with the track but they are really loose and I don't know if the nails would fit any better.

If you have the pins, new ones aren't going to fit any tighter.

There are several threads going on how to tighten track pins, and reform the open ends of the rails.

When I don't have track pliers handy, I slip a pair of needle nose pliers under the round part, and pinch the bottom curved part of the rails against the pin, I pinch low enough down so as force is applied, the plier slips off the round part, down to the web.

On the end without pins, I put a pin in temporarily while reforming the rail.

Thanks C.W. Burfle, I forgot about those pliers and I was going to buy some with my last train order.

I'm afraid that some of the pins and not all are the hollow ones and that's why I ordered the pins in the fist place. If replacing the pins aren't going to make much of a difference without crimping the rails, then I probably don't have much of a choice right now but to solder on jumpers..

If your just trying to keep the track sections together, tie them together with bread ties. Works great for temporary layouts like under the tree.

If you don't have a pair of needle nose pliers, any hardware store, or even Walmarts should have them.

I do have pliers and I was just out in the garage looking for wire crimping tools. It turns out that the one I have has flat crimps instead of the round. I also just check the price on those pliers and they are expensive so I may make my own out of some cheap pliers.

I would never use an acid flux for anything intended to carry electricity. Rosin core solder should be used for electrical work, and soldering track joints is actually electrical in nature.

Jim

JohnnyB,

  I have done  alot of soldering to tubular track.  As others have said, rosin core is the way to go.  I've never had any issues with corrosion, etc.

Before I got a pair of track crimping pliers, I'd just take my needle nose and push together the rail under the pin, after the pin is in.

I also have soldered a lot of tubular track with Rosin core and no issues. Some pieces were soldered more than twenty years ago. 

Bob

If you crimp the rails with out the pins in them first, the pins will fit tighter. With tight fitting pins in clean track, you may not need to solder the track at all.

Larry

OK I now understand how the needle nose pliers work. I was pressing the flat part of the track on the bottom and it would just pop back to the way it was, Now I'm squeezing between the flat bottom and the round top and it is tightening up the hole. In fact I may have made a couple a little too tight because I can't get the pins in, but I'll get it eventually.

As I posted earlier, put the pins in before you squeeze.

After a while you'll get a feel for what you are doing, and can leave the pins out for a tighter fit.

Ok thanks everybody, this works really well and I can't believe that I'm just now learning about this after all these years. Wow!

These are so tight right now that I don't believe I will need to solider the track after all.

Thanks again

My technique for forming the rail tubing to grip and hold a track pin is to use a pair of diagonal cutters.

First - I gently squeeze the cutter blades at the transition of the flat area and the tubular portion until the two flat areas meet.

Next - Place the cutter blades on on each side of the tubular portion at approximately 45° and give a very gentle squeeze to provide a slight indentation in the rail approximately ¼¨ from the end of the rail.

Finally gently tap the track pin in place. 

As a side note I suggest that you reform the open end (without the crimp). You'll find that you will have a much better electrical continuity without the necessity of soldering jumper wires to the rails.

My proof of the pudding: in 1977 we set up, at a local Mall, a is a large Standard gauge layout 36' x 30' and with one lock-on, we tested the electrical continuity by running a #10 around the loop at a constant voltage without any speed variations being detected. All the track was treated to the above process and the gauge of each piece was checked.

Ron M

I was doing a little searching earlier on soldering before I posted this thread and saw something about greasing the pins with something. I just skimmed over it looking for stuff on soldering, but now I'm wondering what that was about. Is there something that I can use to increase conductivity? 

You need to start with clean pins and track, free from dirt and rust. Then you can apply a product such as this to keep the connections from oxidizing.

Larry

I am amazed at how frequently acid core solder is mentioned on the forum. I can think of no reason that acid core solder should be used in this hobby.

I have a small set of what I call "end nippers" for crimping track.

Doug,

You are right in the context of electrical work which is 99% of most people's use of soldering in this hobby.

But, acid flux is indispensable when it comes to assembling brass kits, repairing seams that have let loose on old tinplate engine or rolling stock shells, and the occasional mechanical repair such as joining metal parts on animations, etc.

But, keep it far away from anything electrical.

Jim

Well I don’t have any acid core solder and not even sure where to buy it, but I do remember in school many years ago that it was used in the sheet metal business.

I have done a little plumbing in my past and they didn’t even use core type solder. They used some sort of paste, but it was a Lead-Free Paste Flux and I’m pretty sure it doesn’t have acid.

Once soldered those pins wont matter. You need a soldering wand/gun with a decent amount of output. It takes a bit to get the rail hot enough to stop "balling". Dirt, wrong solder can cause that too. Short piece 1/4"-1/2" of wire set in the corner between flat and uprights of the track is all you need.