{"id":890,"date":"2013-11-20T07:21:36","date_gmt":"2013-11-20T15:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/?page_id=890"},"modified":"2013-12-01T13:31:37","modified_gmt":"2013-12-01T21:31:37","slug":"soldering-tips-and-tricks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ricklawler-propaganda.com\/propaganda\/soldering-tips-and-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"Soldering – Tips and Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following tutorial was first published in Military Miniatures in Review, Issue 57. I hope that you find it helpful in your work.<\/p>\n

Us and Them<\/p>\n

When it comes to using photo etch even a quick survey of the landscape indicates that there seems to be distinct camps among modelers.\u00a0 For some, working with photo etch is the scourge of the modeling world, while others seem to embrace the delicate brass bits.\u00a0 Most, however, seem to fall somewhere in between the extremes; a sort of reluctant acceptance that at some point you will be using brass on your own kit.\u00a0 In my case, although I could see the potential of using the brass accessories, I was in the camp of reluctant user. \u00a0I could not seem to get over some of the technical hurdles.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>My first experiences using photo etch were quite timid, limited to with a few small items such as clasps, brackets, miscellaneous screens, or small box. Over time the bending and folding became easier for me and I could feel my confidence slowly increasing.\u00a0\u00a0 Soon, without hesitancy I was able to make simple folds and bends and even glue together a few minor photo etch assemblies.\u00a0 As I progressed,\u00a0 moving onto more complex items, \u00a0I quickly came to realize that relying on CA glue to hold together even the smallest photo etch parts had its limitations.\u00a0 These shortcomings would certainly make it more difficult or even prohibit me from taking my work to the next level and tackling some of the more complex projects available to modelers. It became apparent that if I was to truly embrace and integrate the potentials of photo etch into my projects I would need to learn how to come to grips with the soldering iron.\u00a0 Can you sense my apprehension?\u00a0 In my mind soldering photo etch was certainly the most advanced technique reserved only for the selected few who had traveled to the Crossroads.<\/p>\n

As with most of my modeling I learned through trial and error; working with photo etch and the use of soldering being no exception.\u00a0 There is a variety of quality soldering products available to the modeler, some with a few more features than others but they all share the same principal which is to provide sufficient heat in order to melt the solder resulting in a strong, durable join between two brass pieces.\u00a0 My tools are simple and basic:\u00a0 An inexpensive 40wattt iron, solder, flux, pliers, tweezers, single edge razor blades, sand paper, steel wool, and Small Shop folding tool.<\/p>\n

Just the Facts\u2026<\/p>\n

Before we get to the discussion lets review some of the terms and techniques that are used when soldering:<\/p>\n

Flux – In soldering flux serves a threefold purpose: it removes oxidation from the surfaces to be soldered; it seals out air thus preventing further oxidation, and improves the wetting characteristics of the liquid solder. \u00a0\u00a0Basically, wherever you place the flux is where the solder will melt; we can use this to our advantage to create nice, clean joins.<\/p>\n

Solder – Easy to find at most electronic, hardware and home improvement stores it is the material used to join two metallic surfaces together.\u00a0 In this article I\u2019ve used 60-40 rosin core solder.<\/p>\n

Tinning – The process of “pre” soldering your surfaces before making the actual join.<\/p>\n

Annealing – Heat treatment that alters the microstructure of a material causing changes in properties such as strength and hardness. \u00a0This technique is especially helpful when used to soften brass for ease of bending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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