Soldering is often the most effective way of connecting two metals to give good physical bonding and electrical contact. Solder bonds well to many metals, and particularly well to copper.
The amount of heat generated by a soldering iron is usually expressed in watts, with most irons used in modelling and electronics being in the range of 12 to 25 watts. It must be remembered that a 25 Watt iron will not run hotter than a 12 Watt iron, but it will have more power available to quickly replace heat drained from the iron during soldering. The larger the components being soldered, the more heat necessary and the higher the power (watts) required. As too much heat can damage the components being joined it is important, within reason, to match the size of the job with the size of the iron.
Soldering irons will last longer with proper care:
We sell a range of bits/tips to suit different makes of irons and come in various sizes to suit a wide range of applications, from the more finer bits to solder electrical components to the larger bits where you require more heat transfer for those bigger jobs.
Carrs Low Temperature Solder 70 (C1001) This is the standard industry Low temperature solder for the assembly of whitemetal
castings. The solder melts at 70C but when fully fused with whitemetal it re melts at a
higher temperature. As this solder does not have good penetration qualities, when soldering
whitemetal to brass or nickel silver, you should tin the brass with a 138 or 145 C Solder
before soldering the parts together. Whitemetal often contains a high proportion of
Antimony, which reacts badly with Zinc, a constituent of brass. (Antimony is an essential
ingredient of some low melting point solders. The drawback is that it makes joints brittle.
Tinning helps to avoid this problem.
This metal may be used for ballasting of plastic models and balsa flying models. You simply melt the solder in hot water and pour it into a convenient void - ideal for adding weight to locomotives, wagons and carriages. It should not melt or deform the plastic as long as you heat it in this way. The metal expands slightly on cooling which makes it very suitable for holding punches for multiple holes, and for holding awkward shapes while they are being worked on. Even plastic items may be embedded in it. It can also be used for making simple one-off castings. Use Plasticine as a mould.
What we call whitemetal is usually referred to as Low Temperature Alloys for Centrifugal Casting. The melting rage varies from 125 - 285 C, so you really should be able to undo a whitemetal kit by immersing it into a bath of very hot water.
Stock:
Available from shops: Bristol: 1, Cardiff: 3, Gloucester: 2, Sheffield: 1, Stroud: 1 (explain )
