How hot should my 35 watt soldering iron be? How can I measure the temperature? I made sure the element was screwed in all the way. (I think it is not hot enough.)
Well- you could try dropping it on your lap - you'll soon know if it is hot enough <BG> Seriously - what are you trying to solder - if it is two wires it may be fine, if it is a brass body shell - forget it! Does it melt the solder? Shortliner(Jack)away up here in the Highlands
What are you soldering? Is the object not heating up enough, so the solder will flow properly? Boxcab E50
The temp has to be high enough to melt solder, obviously. This is around 375 degrees F but there are different solders sold that melt at higher or lower tempreture. However the mass of the tip has to be large enough so as to retain sufficent heat after it is applied to the objects to be soldered. So, a 35w iron with a very small pointed tip will not contain enough heat to solder anything larger than a couple small wires. While an iron of the same wattage but containing a small chisle tip (greater mass)might have sufficent mass to solder a rail and wire. This all assumes sufficent time has elapsed for the tip to reach its maximum temp.
Flash: I use soldering temperatures in the 700 +degrees F. You want a hot iron to give you a strong soldered joint that is done quickly. I use a very fine electronics tip. The kind that's used for component boards. Bigger isn't better for soldering in N scale. The 375 degrees mentioned above IMHO is too low and won't give you a good soldered joint. If you're soldering feeders to track use alligator clips on either side of the joint as a "heat sink." That will prevent the plastic ties from melting. I have a Hako soldering unit. The temperature of the unit can be set so it gives me a digital read-out of the temperature. I use this extensively when I'm putting in decoders in N scale loco's, track feeders or any soldered connection. Stay cool and run steam....
I agree that 350 degrees F is too low for most solding jobs. Hotter IS better. But I was tyring to show that the mass of the tip plays a big part in solding to large objects. I use a solding station and select a temp usually in the 700 degee range but there are times when I lower the temp. I have interchanable tips and that sometimes determine which temp I use. I do have some low temp solder that works well at the 350 F. I generally use typical .032 rosin for most of my work.
I use electronics solder that has rosin incorporated in the solder. It's particularly helpful when soldering wirint to decoders, resistors, etc. etc. Stay cool and run steam....
I am not at home right now so I don't have details of the iron or solder. I am soldering two .010 brass wires together at right angles. The solder does not seem to be hot enough to flow. In one case, the two wires just broke apart, so I thought that was a cold joint. When I get home,I will give more details and try again. I do have some good electronics stores that can supply the items that I need.
Flash, When you touch some solder to a CLEAN tip on an iron, the solder should instantly turn to a water thin consistency. If it melts slowly, starting at first to turn to a mayonnaise or sour cream thickness before liquefying completely, your iron is not hot enough. Allow your iron to warm up at least 5 minutes before use. Make sure the tip is tight in the end of the iron. The expanding and contracting from the heating and cooling can cause them to loosen frequently. Make sure the brass is clean. Use some acetone or alcohol to clean any oil film off of it before soldering. Use some good flux on the wire before heating it, don't depend on just the rosin core in the solder. Bare brass tarnishes rapidly when heated and the flux will prevent that from happening, giving you a better connection than the rosin alone.
Nelson B: Thanks. I do know that the brass was old and severely tarnished. Also, this is a new iron. Maybe a lose tip, but I did check that. I will clean it and check again, probably Thursday or Friday.
That is likely the reason for your trouble. If the brass wire is really tarnished, you can clean it up pretty easy by mounting it in a pin vise (to give you a good grip on it) and twisting it in a folded sheet of 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. It takes a little practice to get a feel for how hard to squeeze the sandpaper on the wire, too hard and you will twist the wire. That will polish the tarnish off and has a side benefit of making paint stick better.
Nelson- Could he get by, if using a liquid flux? Or would that not be enough? I use it when building my catenary poles. Seems to do the job. Boxcab E50
Ken, If the brass is reasonably clean, the flux works well and will clean a light amount of tarnish off. In my first reply that is the procedure I recommended also, but then he said the wire was severely tarnished, and I have found the flux insufficient at removing very heavy oxidation and the solder will just bead up on it like trying to solder stainless steel, thus the recommendation to clean it up with the sandpaper. Plus, while it may be overkill, I usually even give new shiny wire a swipe in the sandpaper just for the superior paint adhesion.
