spitfire said:
It's a Weller 25 watt kit with 4 tips (pencil and chisel). Will this be adequate for soldering rails together?
Also, what kind of solder and flux should I get?
Thanks in advance!!!
Val
25 watts is a bit light, but you'll have to try it. I think your going to find that you have to hold the tip on the joint longer to get the solder to flow. And Fred is right, after you use the iron for a while, the tip will oxidize and sieze to the rest of the iron and becomes a bear to change. I am fortunate to have a couple of temperature controlled irons that we used in our electronics business when we had it. Some have a dial to change the temperature, others like some Wellers, have tips that determine the temperature. Unfortunately, these types of irons are not cheap, but they last and last. I'm still using one that we bought 30 years ago. We did have to change the tips occasionally though.
As for solder, as others have said, a 60/40 (lead/tin) is the best all-around choice, with a rosin flux core. I think .063 diameter is common. I use .040 only because it was what we used in electronics and I still have a couple of rolls. Using liquid flux is also a necessity on some surfaces that have corrosion or oxidation. Even bare copper is hard to solder to, and the flux in the solder usually isn't enough to make the solder adhear and flow properly. Remember that the joint should be cleaned up using something like acatone to remove the flux residue after soldering. The joint not only looks better, but the flux remains sticky and will attract dirt and dust.
There is a recent thread on the AMR technical forum dealing with solder and soldering techniques. You might want to take a look.