I've been a qualified electronics engineer for 30 years now and one thing I've learnt is that to use the correct type of soldering iron (or gun) for the material or item being soldered. For soldering heavy guage cable, coax cable or track rails then I use a 100 Watt or 120 Watt soldering gun. In applications where there is a hazard or close by plastic being melted or damaged than instant spot heat to the solder area is a must. The 100 Watt solder gun will spot solder the wire to the track rail without melting the plastic. For other applications such as electronics then a low power 25 Watt iron will do the job, though I prefer higher power for heat sensitive PCB tracks to avoid lifting. Another is that Fluxite and leaded solder is a must. Dipping any wire joint in Fluxite before soldering (or any other item needing soldering) will make life so much easier. For soldering into the side of a length of wire first strip the insulation from the main length at the splice point. Then push a small screw driver or knife blade between the wire strands to open up a keyhole. Then push the stripped joining wire through the hole and pull the main wire tight to close the keyhole. Wrap the strands of the joining wire around the closed keyhole in the main wire and solder. Keyhole splice finished.
Tinned wires/Rail and iron and Flux, perfect. Never done end to end joints, did not think it would be mechanically strong enough, been wrong before, and again it seems! Thanks
Just found your videos John and I'm so glad I did. This soldering one in particular is superb. You tell it exactly how it is and give a simple, honest and clear assessment of what tools and materials are needed from many years of experience. Thanks for a great tutorial.
When I first started to solder, it would not work and I took the iron back to the shop as I thought it was faulty. The experienced shopkeeper said to keep practicing, just like you did when you were learning to drive. It worked. As you said John, keep the iron clean. This is a very good video. Barry.Devon.
Hi John only just found your channel and chose this to watch first,,,, (I wish I had found it a year ago) what a wonderful video,,, you dead right you can not pass on experience but by heck you do the next best thing and pass on a wealth of relevant,,,, whys,,,,,where fores ,,, and how to's ,,,,, all logical and concise backed up with reasoning ,,, Ni how to is easy to do on camera but that has been a brilliant and hugely informative presentation,,,, Many many thanks Alan
That was great John, you have brought bake memories from my Tech School days, It all came back to me watching this, but I would have to practice more now though to solder end to end.. Great Tips John..
Hi Ian...I'm sure you'll make a cracking job of these droppers & N track now! Just remember it is a balance to get the joint flowing ASAP but also not to have to keep the iron on too long...the plastic on N gauge track will melt quite quickly if you're not careful. Thanks for the support. Cheers, John.
Hey Danny. It's good to hear from you & thanks for the nice comment. I have been very busy of late & have saved many videos to watch & comment-on which includes many of yours! They will all get watched & commented-on as soon as I can. All the best my Canadian friend, Regards, John.
Do you still do any of your fantastic work with the model trains John? I have been hoping to see what you have been doing with yourself of late. Whatever you are doing I hope you are well and thank you for the help you have given me. George Berrill
Thanks matey & I love the title you've given me but, I'm sure there's other long standing modelers that would be more deserving of it! Still makes me feel proud though. All the best, John.
Hi there sorry to bother you but when are going to do a vid on sevicing the ringfeild motor because I need advive on how to get my hst as good as she was brand new for the affect on a hst lol thankyou
Hi buddy....I promise I will do a video on servicing the Ringfield type motor ASAP....it's just that I'm very busy at the moment. Nevertheless....big thanks for your comments & support. Regards, John.
How do you link LEDs up to a train controller because I've found some 3mm 3v LEDs and want to hook it to a new train controller do I need to use resisters or what else Thanks Italkgadget
Hi buddy...sorry for the delay. OK, yes, you MUST use a ballast resistor on the 3v Led(s) you have. You can also buy them with built-in resistors like here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6v-9v-12v-DC-LIGHTING-1-2-3-6-9-LED-STRIPS-LIGHTS-MODEL-RAILWAY-HORNBY-OO-GAUGE-/151025926614?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&var=&hash=item2329d8c1d6 Hope that helps? Cheers, John.
I want to be as passionate about something as you are about soldering! :-D Great video, really helped me (was recommended by SamsTrains) What do you have on your workbench? Is it just a normal towel?
I don't know what's happened here Alex but I am using a wet sponge on the iron stand. I show & explain this a few times in the vid so don't know how you missed that? Nevertheless big thanks for the comment. Cheers, John.
Yeah see that was the problem right away. Cheap soldering iron... Was a gift about 5 years ago and it's let me down repeatedly, on the prowl for a better one (once I have some spare cash)
It's been said in the comments many times before but thanks for the excellent soldering vid. My skills have just improved beyond belief 👌
I've been a qualified electronics engineer for 30 years now and one thing I've learnt is that to use the correct type of soldering iron (or gun) for the material or item being soldered.
For soldering heavy guage cable, coax cable or track rails then I use a 100 Watt or 120 Watt soldering gun. In applications where there is a hazard or close by plastic being melted or damaged than instant spot heat to the solder area is a must.
The 100 Watt solder gun will spot solder the wire to the track rail without melting the plastic.
For other applications such as electronics then a low power 25 Watt iron will do the job, though I prefer higher power for heat sensitive PCB tracks to avoid lifting.
Another is that Fluxite and leaded solder is a must. Dipping any wire joint in Fluxite before soldering (or any other item needing soldering) will make life so much easier.
For soldering into the side of a length of wire first strip the insulation from the main length at the splice point. Then push a small screw driver or knife blade between the wire strands to open up a keyhole. Then push the stripped joining wire through the hole and pull the main wire tight to close the keyhole. Wrap the strands of the joining wire around the closed keyhole in the main wire and solder.
Keyhole splice finished.
Tinned wires/Rail and iron and Flux, perfect.
Never done end to end joints, did not think it would be mechanically strong enough, been wrong before, and again it seems!
Thanks
Just found your videos John and I'm so glad I did. This soldering one in particular is superb. You tell it exactly how it is and give a simple, honest and clear assessment of what tools and materials are needed from many years of experience. Thanks for a great tutorial.
No problem! Glad to have been of help. Thanks for the great comment. All the best, John.
John you are amazing I will try your soldering end to end simple but effective ideas
When I first started to solder, it would not work and I took the iron back to the shop as I thought it was faulty. The experienced shopkeeper said to keep practicing, just like you did when you were learning to drive. It worked. As you said John, keep the iron clean. This is a very good video.
Barry.Devon.
John your videos are a god send so helpful! I would be a Doughnut without them.
Alan.
Thanks Alan....love the whimsical comment! Cheers, John.
Hi John only just found your channel and chose this to watch first,,,, (I wish I had found it a year ago) what a wonderful video,,, you dead right you can not pass on experience but by heck you do the next best thing and pass on a wealth of relevant,,,, whys,,,,,where fores ,,, and how to's ,,,,, all logical and concise backed up with reasoning ,,, Ni how to is easy to do on camera but that has been a brilliant and hugely informative presentation,,,, Many many thanks Alan
Thanks Alan.....glad to have been of help. All the best, John.
Very helpful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
That was great John, you have brought bake memories from my Tech School days, It all came back to me watching this, but I would have to practice more now though to solder end to end.. Great Tips John..
Thanks buddy....appreciated as always. Best, John.
Thanks for the soldering tips was very helpfull .
Great tutorials on solder, thanks for sharing
Thanks John, it covered everything I needed to know. I'll be looking for a soldering iron and solder remover now! Alaric
No worries Alaric....glad to have helped, cheers, John.
26:00 What's a scrydroover? Only pulling your leg John. This is easily the best demonstration on soldering on TH-cam. Thanks!
superb vid mate
very clear and concise
thanks
mick
mrweaverman1 Thanks for the kind comment Mick. I always try my best to help other people! All the vey best buddy, John.
ONE OF YOUR BEST JOHN ....very good tips from a pro .....jim
Thanks as always Jim. Still tons more ideas to come over time. Regards, John.
John,
Magic with the soldering iron. Cool
Thanks Dave & I'm going to have to start charging you for using my sayings....cool! Best regards, John.
Great tutorial, I am about to solder for the first time, I have to solder dropper wires onto N Gauge track. This has helped greatly.
Ian
Hi Ian...I'm sure you'll make a cracking job of these droppers & N track now! Just remember it is a balance to get the joint flowing ASAP but also not to have to keep the iron on too long...the plastic on N gauge track will melt quite quickly if you're not careful. Thanks for the support. Cheers, John.
Hello John,
I did not know that lead free solder existed. Lead can still work wonders. Your getting very good with these how to videos.
Hey Danny. It's good to hear from you & thanks for the nice comment. I have been very busy of late & have saved many videos to watch & comment-on which includes many of yours! They will all get watched & commented-on as soon as I can. All the best my Canadian friend, Regards, John.
thank you so much as i am just starting this was so good to watch helped me so much
+Matthew hillman Glad to have been of service Matt. All the best, John.
A super "How to Vid" I am glad I found your channel. Denis
Thank you Dennis....its what I'm here for. Regards, John.
Very helpful to those who are learning to solder!, A very good vid John :)
Steve
Thanks Steve....I've been meaning to do this vid for a long time...it was always in my mind that it could be helpful to many people. Best, John.
Do you still do any of your fantastic work with the model trains John? I have been hoping to see what you have been doing with yourself of late. Whatever you are doing I hope you are well and thank you for the help you have given me. George Berrill
Thanks for the kind words Stuart. Cheers, John.
Great info!
You and me both John. Spot on!
Two of a kind then eh! Thanks for your comment. Cheers, John.
As always great vids John , The Godfather of model Rail ( regards John middle name ) keep up the good work .
Thanks matey & I love the title you've given me but, I'm sure there's other long standing modelers that would be more deserving of it! Still makes me feel proud though. All the best, John.
Great lesson!
pjmack15 Thanks buddy....appreciated. Regards, John.
Hi John great video as always,which silver solder do you use . cheers Richard
Thank you. Very helpful. Geoff. W.
very helpful
nce ne John ive been soldering badly with a good iron for ages.
Great tutorial!
Thanks buddy, cheers, John.
In reply to TrueBlogge777. Thanks matey...glad the video helped you! All the best, John.
Hi there sorry to bother you but when are going to do a vid on sevicing the ringfeild motor because I need advive on how to get my hst as good as she was brand new for the affect on a hst lol thankyou
Hi buddy....I promise I will do a video on servicing the Ringfield type motor ASAP....it's just that I'm very busy at the moment. Nevertheless....big thanks for your comments & support. Regards, John.
How do you link LEDs up to a train controller because I've found some 3mm 3v LEDs and want to hook it to a new train controller do I need to use resisters or what else
Thanks
Italkgadget
Hi buddy...sorry for the delay. OK, yes, you MUST use a ballast resistor on the 3v Led(s) you have. You can also buy them with built-in resistors like here: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6v-9v-12v-DC-LIGHTING-1-2-3-6-9-LED-STRIPS-LIGHTS-MODEL-RAILWAY-HORNBY-OO-GAUGE-/151025926614?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&var=&hash=item2329d8c1d6
Hope that helps? Cheers, John.
Are you ok John.,, Haven't seen a new vid for months
I want to be as passionate about something as you are about soldering! :-D Great video, really helped me (was recommended by SamsTrains)
What do you have on your workbench? Is it just a normal towel?
A bit of wet sponge or cork should do the job to clean it a bit better than water
I don't know what's happened here Alex but I am using a wet sponge on the iron stand. I show & explain this a few times in the vid so don't know how you missed that? Nevertheless big thanks for the comment. Cheers, John.
Yeah see that was the problem right away. Cheap soldering iron... Was a gift about 5 years ago and it's let me down repeatedly, on the prowl for a better one (once I have some spare cash)
If it's crap, then say it's crap - don't mince your words John.