Cleaning solder off

[JimG]

I've just been salvaging some Code 80 FB rail from an S scale dog track I made many years ago. I'm intending using the rail again on another piece of S scale track. The original track had the rails soldered to PCB sleepers so there was a fair bit of solder left on the rails after separating them from the sleepers. I like using clean rail when tracklaying since blobs of old solder always seem to fall in the wrong places and you waste a fair bit of time doing the cleaning while tracklaying.

So I set about to clean the rail with the soldering iron and my solder sucker - my usual de-soldering tool. However, the solder sucker doesn't get the rail really clean and I started searching around for an alternative that would be practical for cleaning up ten yards of rail. Then my eyes fell on my glass fibre stick which was going to be used to polish the rail after de-soldering. It is glass and won't melt at solder temperatures, so worth a try - and it works really well. I find that it works best when I put the tip of the soldering iron on the solder to be removed and place the glass fibre brush next to it. Then when the solder melts, I wipe the brush quickly across the solder, moving the soldering iron tip in the process. I am using a 12mm diameter bundle of fine glass fibres - I don't know if the coarser, narrower diameter ones will work as well.

I haven't ever seen this method suggested anywhere . I think it will work best on relatively flat surfaces where you have got room to sweep the brush across the solder. For nooks and crannies, I suspect that a solder sucker or copper braid will probably be better.

Jim.

 

[Simon Dunkley]

You can also do this with (purple) Scotchbrite. Use as described to get most off, then rubbed along the rail give it a final clean.

Benefit: no bits of glass in your fingers.

 

[Locomodels]

So I set about to clean the rail with the soldering iron and my solder sucker - my usual de-soldering tool.




Jim,

I am a fan of using flames. In the past I have held the item vertically with pliers, applied the flame and wiped down the surface with a rag. It is possible to do quite a long length in a few minutes. The solder in effect tins the surface as you wipe it down, and gravity helps too. I have to admit never having done it to rail as I use plastic chairs, not solder. However it has worked successfully for me on various shapes and even etched parts when I got it really wrong

 

[Simon Dunkley]

I have to admit never having done it to rail as I use plastic chairs, not solder.

When Jim started the dog bone, such things as plastic chairs were in the future...

 

[JimG]

When Jim started the dog bone, such things as plastic chairs were in the future...

That makes it sound like the start of time. BTW, I've still got the eight segments of the dog track which make up the circle - the bits I've stripped down were the two temporary straight sections I made to make the circle into an oval for the S Scale Autumn meetings at the time.

Jim.

 

[JimG]

So I set about to clean the rail with the soldering iron and my solder sucker - my usual de-soldering tool.




Jim,

I am a fan of using flames. In the past I have held the item vertically with pliers, applied the flame and wiped down the surface with a rag. It is possible to do quite a long length in a few minutes. The solder in effect tins the surface as you wipe it down, and gravity helps too. I have to admit never having done it to rail as I use plastic chairs, not solder. However it has worked successfully for me on various shapes and even etched parts when I got it really wrong

Paul,

At the moment I'm a bit reluctant to use flame to de-solder non-ferrous materials. I recently had to unsolder the lost wax cast brass spoke centres from steel tyres in a set of S scale driving wheels I am making. I had forgotten to cut down the width of the rim on the brass centres and I aimed to take them apart and re-machine the centres. I used my small torch to heat the wheels and I had to use a bit of force to press the centres back out of the tyres. All seemed to go well and I did the additional machining and re-fitted the centres to the tyres, then started to turn down and profile the steel tyres, and started getting a whole load of problems with the wheels going out of square. It was only after fighting the problem for quite a while, that I found out that the brass centres were extremely soft and the wheels could be distorted with not too much effort. The lost wax brass was quite soft to start with and my heating had annealed it even softer. I'm still trying to work out how to work harden the spoke centres, but I've got another set of castings in any case.

Jim.

 

[Locomodels]

Paul,

At the moment I'm a bit reluctant to use flame to de-solder non-ferrous materials.
Jim.

I can understand your reluctance after your previous experience. However the rail is probably extruded and an entirely different proposition to a casting. Anyway you will need a lot less heat for solder removal. The casting should regain hardness as it ages and cycles daily temperature changes, though don't hold your breath waiting for it, it takes some time. I always describe cast brass as 'puddingy' as it is never as crisp as extruded brass. I also dislike drilling it with small drills as the swarf does not break like delta brass and can, if one is not careful, grab the drill and break it.

 

[JimG]

I can understand your reluctance after your previous experience. However the rail is probably extruded and an entirely different proposition to a casting.

Paul,

The rail I'm now cleaning is from a very much earlier N gauge layout and is early Peco Code 80FB and it feels quite soft compared to present day drawn rail. I know that it kinks very easily when handling and I wonder if more heat from flame might make it even softer. However, I'm use my glass fibre brush method on a flat worktop so can avoid kinking this rail.

Jim.

 

[Locomodels]

Paul,

The rail I'm now cleaning is from a very much earlier N gauge layout and is early Peco Code 80FB and it feels quite soft compared to present day drawn rail. I know that it kinks very easily when handling and I wonder if more heat from flame might make it even softer. However, I'm use my glass fibre brush method on a flat worktop so can avoid kinking this rail.

Jim.

Jim,

I am not familiar with this type of rail, it does sound somewhat delicate so your cautious approach is probably well justified. I have just turned my flame out.