I have used de-soldering braid in the past, without much success. It is supposed to "soak up" molten solder rather like blotting paper, so removing it from the joint. But it is not 100% effective, and I haven't used it for years. I assume you are wanting to part some rails? I just heat up the joint and pull them apart when the solder melts, then clean up the solder with cloth whilst it is still molten. This leaves a lovely finely tinned surface if you want to re-solder again. Hope that helps. let us know how you get on.
First off,thanx for the quick response, but the problem is, I've tried this method, but by the time I heat the joint, put the iron back in the stand, the solder has cooled enough so that I can't pull it apart. I've also tried a desoldering iron, with no luck.
Try holding one of the rails with needlenose pliers about an inch back from the joint, then heating the joint with the iron. When the solder melts, remove the iron and immediately wiggle the pliers continuously until the solder cools. This way you have created a "cold-solder" joint which should come apart. Clean up excess solder with the wicking later. This may take a little practice to find the correct location for the pliers and the amount of wiggle, depending on the wattage of your iron.
Talking of iron wattage, I use quite a large one, as I find that ties are much less likely to melt if the heat gets on and off quickly. If a small iron is used, it takes longer to heat the joint, and allows heat to travel further along the rails.
When soldering/desoldering rails it is also a good idea to use a heat sink so that the heat stays localized and will not melt the ties. Russ
Instead of desoldering, what I like to do is take a motor tool (aka Dremel) with a cutting disk and just make a cut at the joint. After the track pieces are apart I can then remove the rail joiner without much heat being applied. When I put everything back together I insert a piece of plastic in the joint to take up the gap (assuming you aren't installing a new piece of track) and glue it in place with ACC glue. I don't rely on rail joiners for electrical power, I have feeders to every piece of track for DCC, so having the plastic filler doesn't cause any problems.
If you just have to work alone, try this: Where one end of a section of track is already loose, and you are de-soldering the other end, so that the track section will be free to move away from the fixed track..... Use an old screen door spring or other not too strong a spring. Make a hook fastened to one end, that can hook on the tie strip out of the way somewhere along the piece of track you wish to remove. Make sure the track is not fastened to the roadbed, so is loose to move. Stretch the spring and hold it in place with a wood screw through the spring loop at the other end. Screw the wood screw beside the tie strip, not between any ties, so the strip can slide as the spring collapses. Only stretch the spring about 2 inches. (You may have to experiment with this to find out how much tension to use. I have had to strech it 4" in some instances.) Your joiners may have been crimpted before soldering. Place a small piece of aluminum bar stock (3/4"x 1/8" x 3/4") across both rails covering the joint to be de-soldered. Use a large soldering iron, placed in the center of this aluminum to apply the heat for melting. Aluminum will not stick to the solder, and carries heat very well. Take your time, and when the solder gets hot enough the spring will pull both rails out of the joiners at the same time, but will only go a couple of inches. It may startle you the first time that it snaps! I have also used two soldering irons at the same time, but it was difficult to hold both irons on the joints at the same time. The aluminum block controls any of this since the heat migrates rather quickly all over the block evenly. Another advantage, is the heat is warming the rails from the top down, so the tie strip does not get as hot for as long as when the iron is placed down on the joiner to begin with. There have been a few times when one rail will come loose and the other rail simply slips along the tie strip. I clamped the loose rail and repeated the de-soldering by hooking the spring to the rail. The spring does not bend the rails, like you do when trying to pull by hand, so is an advantage that way too. As always, wear goggles for safety. I unzipped over 20 sections one afternoon using the aluminum block, the spring, a dry wall screw, and a pair of pliers (to handle the hot aluminum block) and a screwdriver. My advice is to practice on a couple of sections of old track on a board first, to see what to expect, and how to do it easily, then go to the layout. Once you find out how to do it, it is like riding a bicycle after that. Work safe, this is not for children, its hot!
I have to agree with Watash on this one. I do not ever reheat a joint with the iron tip against the rail. This will damage the ties rather quickly.... I used the aluminum block trick for quite some time... Its the easiest way to pull rail joints apart after soldiering...And does not effect the plastic ties and rail gauging.... My long lost old friend (that passed away last June taught me that same trick) Charles Wiltrout (Huck) Rest in Peace!
The main problem when working alone is that only one joint will release while the other rail joint remains solid. With one track usually still glued or spiked down to the roadbed, you create a difficult situation. One hand has to hold the iron, while the other pulls on one of the rails. When the hot rail joint releases, it allows that rail to pull back, which suddenly bends the rail that is still soldered and spiked solid. That is why it is best to either use two irons, or the aluminum bar, and have a helper if possible to pull the loosened track away. I have also slipped a putty knife under the joiners to act as a heat sink if there is room between the tie strip ends. I have one that is only 1/2" wide that serves very well when I have cheap plastic tie strips to deal with. The older wood or fiber ties are not affected. Now days the nickle silver rails cut easier than the older brass rails, and it is almost easier to simply cut the rails with a Xuron nipper on either side of the rail joiners, then remove the joiner over at the work bench where it is more convenient. There is no damage to the tie strip, and if you really need to save the joiners, clamp one rail in your vise, pull on the other piece with needle nose pliers, and heat the joiner. Then pull the joiner off the remaining rail piece while it is still clamped up. Save the joiner/rail sections as you go, then remove all the joiners at one setup. Now you have a variety of methods to work from, that should cover most situations.
Is it regular practice to solder rail joiners? I very rarely do so. To ensure electrical continuity alog the rails, I solder jumper wires to the rail at intervals, so if and when I need to make alterations to the track, the sections come apart very easily and the rail joiners are in good condition for re-use. The joiners therefore are purely there to align the rail ends and not neccessarily to conduct current.
I'm a fan of soldering rails, especially when laying flextrack on curves. Nickel Silver (NiAg?) rail is a decent conductor and soldering will improve the connection between sections. In my expierience it's a good idea to add a drop for every section of rail, but not an absolute necessity. The best way I've found to desolder rail joiners is to use a 40 Watt Iron and heat the joint until you can slide the joiner. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers I then slide the joiner over until it is completly on one of the two rails and repeat for the other rail. you can lift either section out and if you need to get the joiners completly off, you just heat and slide off. I think the key here is a big iron and a clean tip. My Weller 40 watter melts the solder faster than the heat can condct through the rail and start melting ties.
I agree on the 40 watt iron. Smaller ones take too long to melt the solder, and the rail heats up enough to melt the ties. (I have even used a 75 watt iron, when the 40 was not to hand)
Question - Does the size of the iron (or at least the "business end" of it) get bigger as the wattage goes up? And if it does, can't it cause problems like getting the tip of the iron where you need to without hitting surrounding plastic parts, or getting in the way of seeing what you're doing, etc?
Yes and No. The standard tip on my 40 watter is a chesil tip made from 3/16" or 1/4" material, which is somewhat larger than the standard 23 or 30 watt tips. Even though it is bigger, I haven't had any problem with getting it in to places where I need it. The chesil tip is also handy because it applies heat along a line, not just at a point.
I use a 40 watt iron also. I filed the tip down so that it was just big enough to do the job. Get in there and put the iron on the solder joint, not on the rail above it. Get in and get out. Use heat sinks when ever you are putting heat on the rail. It might not look like you are melting ties, but you could be melting the little tabs that are holding the rail in guage. Use copper clips if you can, if not try a pair of hemostats on the rail. If nothing else use a wet, wadded up piece of paper towel and jam it onto the rail. Use two pieces, one on either side of where you applying the heat. Maybe be a little wet, but it will dry, and is a whole lot better than replacing the melted ties.
size of the tip does not neccesarily increase with wattage... up to a point. If you have a large tip, simply file an extra one down to the size you want. If you do a lot of soldering, let me suggest a resistance soldering unit. If I had to pick one tool that has increased my productivity by a factor of 10, the resistance soldering station is it! It works somewhat like welding but it's still soldering. The tweezers stay cold until current is applied, then 2-3 sec later the solder has melted. Take your foot off the pedal and the tweezers are cold. Best invention I've seen in a long time. I drop power feeders every 10 feet or so, I'm using code 70 track, and I'm very close to the ties. I almost never melt a tie. I also join code 70 to code 100 and that works like a charm. The only drawbacks to the 'station' are, that it takes longer to set up than to do the work, and the transformer weighs a couple of pounds. But it does have a 5 ft or so cable to that makes it easier. Good Luck!
