Topic Tag: Flux

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    • Soldering Essentials for Chassis Building – What You Need 40/60W Soldering Iron Your largest and most important expense for building any piano wire/brass chassis will be your soldering iron. You will need at least a 40W or preferably a 60W soldering iron with a suitable chisel tip, ideally ¼” (but this is a matter of preference). Other smaller tips on lower power irons (20/30W) are perfect for soldering lead wires. There are several manufacturers of suitable soldering irons - Ungar and Cooper/Weller – among others. Make sure you also have an appropriate stand to hold your iron when hot. Better stands come with a tray to hold a replaceable (and less abrasive) damp sponge used to regularly clean your tip. Tinning Compound New tips may need to be ‘tinned’ prior to first use and whenever required thereafter. Your tip should always look shiny, like melted solder – otherwise it will not work. Simply apply the tinning compound to your hot iron tip then apply your solder. Clean the tip on your damp sponge and repeat until the whole tip is completely tinned. Solder A rosin core solder containing 60% lead and 40% tin will work very well for both chassis building and lead/electronic joints. Thickness of the solder is a matter of preference. ‘Silver’ solder requires a lot more heat and although it creates stronger joints this is unnecessary for 1/32 10-20v slot car chassis. Flux and Pre-Cleaning You must use flux when soldering your chassis. While rosin flux is fine for soldering simple electrical joints you will need acid flux when soldering chassis joints. The purpose of the flux is to clean the surfaces so that flowing solder actually penetrates the metal thereby forming a strong joint or chemical bond. Flux also prevents oxidation during the soldering process. If your pieces have corrosion, oil, or any other surface imperfection you must also remove that before beginning the soldering process. Sanding and/or scrubbing may be necessary to adequately clean your pieces. ScotchBrite works nicely as do household cleansing powders such as Ajax or Comet. Acid flux comes in either a paste or in liquid form and while both can be used liquid acid flux is best. If using paste, apply sparingly with a toothpick. If using liquid, apply sparingly with a small paint brush. Brands such as Lucky Bob’s Liquid Acid Flux comes with a convenient applicator. A small bottle of liquid acid flux will last you years. Post Cleaning Immediately after using acid flux you will need to clean your chassis. Acid flux will corrode all steel pieces or piano wire if it is not removed. Prepare a ‘bath’ for your chassis (and any other items such as jig supports, etc. that come into contact with the flux) again using a household cleansing powder mixed with water to neutralize the acid. Scrub thoroughly with a toothbrush. Soldering Surfaces & Jigs You will need a flat preferably heat resistant surface on which to solder your chassis pieces, such as a ceramic or porcelain tile or a marble or granite slab. Do not use anything metal. Measure and mark suitably spaced lines or use graph paper to assist with alignment of your chassis pieces. Better yet, make or obtain a ‘jig’ using pre-drilled holes with pins to easily align your chassis pieces. A great purpose built jig is made by Precision Slot Cars such as the 1/32 Scratch Builder jig for both 2mm and 3/32 axles which comes with wheel/axle blocks, guide, axle and chassis pins. The time you will save by using it is well worth the cost. Make sure to get extra wheel/axle blocks to accommodate all possible R32 wheel diameters. Pliers/Cutters A good sturdy set of linesman’s pliers which can both snip and bend piano wire is essential. You can even cut brass strip. Also helpful to hold small pieces when using a cutting/rotary tool. Rotary Tool A variable speed rotary tool with cutting wheels, grinding and polishing attachments will let you cut and prep piano wire, brass and brass tube. Drill with Assortment of Bits Use on a wood block to drill holes in your brass pieces for chassis mounting screws and/or guides, sizing dependant on specific parts. You should mark your hole using a mallet and punch first but be careful not to bend your brass piece. It is best to make all holes in every piece prior to soldering. Sandpaper You will want to have a range of sandpaper grits to help prep and polish your metal pieces. Files Filing sides corners and holes to prep pieces and remove excess solder. Both a flat and round file are good to have for these tasks. Optional Tools A sturdy bench vice or wire bending tool will help with bending wire and to create more complex bends. A ‘nibbler’ makes cutting into brass strip or plate easier, especially when building either a brass pan or torsion plate chassis. A drill press and machine clamp will help you drill more accurate holes. Thank you to Al Penrose and Chris Walker for their help and for sharing their vast soldering experience and knowledge.

      Started by: Arthur in: Workbench Essentials

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