Brass or nickel silver for soldering?

[Sarah Winfield]

Unfortunately the connection I soldered between the switch rail and the running rail on my second-hand points isn't what I thought it was. Consequently they have rusted.

I shall now buy some 0.015" brass or nickel strip. Which would be the better choice please?

I have soldered both in the past without too much trouble.

Thank you,

SW

 

[Rhinochugger]

Nickel silver is probably better if you can get it in strip - it doesn't dissipate the heat as quickly as brass (brass is too good a conductor of heat) so NS is far easier to solder, particularly if you use 145 degree solder and liquid flux.

This little beastie is a Nickel Silver etch from Worsely Works - currently languishing without a chassis while I undertake major 'improvements'

(just an excuse for a gratuitous picture)

 

[G-force1]

Either will do! Brass shim is probably a lot easier to get hold of locally. Can a short length of copper wire not be substituted, insulated or otherwise?

 

[Sarah Winfield]

It's the connection between the moving switch rail and the fixed rail. And the switch rail slides over it.

SW

 

[Rhinochugger]

It's the connection between the moving switch rail and the fixed rail. And the switch rail slides over it.

SW

What about taking a jumper cable from the pivot point of the moving blade with the screw going through a little ring tag (solder tag) ?

 

[G-force1]

A longish loop of multi-strand will probably flex enough.

 

[Sarah Winfield]

I take it from what you are implying that the two rails can be permanently electrically bonded?

Please advise.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I take it from what you are implying that the two rails can be permanently electrically bonded?

Please advise.

Yep, it doesn't need to be a make / break as it has a plastic (dead) frog.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Brass will be much easier to solder...

Nickel silver will be a bit more difficult

Nickel is not a good choice, even more difficult to solder..

(notice that Nickel and Nickel Silver are NOT the same material... and see that one person above may have confused them, and so may the person selling the product to you, so SAFE advice is get brass, virtually no one confuses it)

Greg

 

[Sarah Winfield]

Thank you for all your replies.

SW

 

[dunnyrail]

I take it from what you are implying that the two rails can be permanently electrically bonded?

Please advise.

I take it from what you are implying that the two rails can be permanently electrically bonded?

Please advise.

If you look carefully at the metal that you are trying to replace on a good point you would notice that the two rails will (should if not mucky) always be in contact with each other no matter which direction the tracks are pointing.

 

[Rhinochugger]

(notice that Nickel and Nickel Silver are NOT the same material... and see that one person above may have confused them,

Greg

Guilty as charged

although I haven't seen nickel in a form suitable for modeling - that doesn't mean it ain't there

 

[dunnyrail]

For what Sarah is trying to do you can get NS in very small section, however what she is really trying to do is get electrical connectivity and only Bonding willl do that reliably on R1 points.