13 replies to this topic

[Bill Breck]

Has anybody tried one of these? Seems like a lot of power at a reasonable price.

 

[slotcarone]

Many chassis builders are using the Hakko 601-2 adjustable temp iron. Even our local stained glass shop has stopped using the very heavy irons and are now using this Hakko. The -2 means it comes with the bigger tip for chassis building.

[Jim Difalco]

Yikes, that is probably too large for typical slot car soldering. 601-2 is the way to go. Trust me when I say that I have seen a lot of bad solder joints on controllers when they come in for repair. 63/37 solder helps in getting great solder joints. Never use silver on a controller. 

 

Solder prices are pretty high lately like most things. $28 was a good price, now things are over $40 for certain types of solder.

[Bill Breck]

Many chassis builders are using the Hakko 601-2 adjustable temp iron. Even our local stained glass shop has stopped using the very heavy irons and are now using this Hakko. The -2 means it comes with the bigger tip for chassis building.

 

I have the Hakko FX-888. Works pretty good for chassis but the input port for the separate handpiece on mine is starting to get flakey. I'll probably get the 601-2 when it stops working.

 

I was just wondering if anybody has used this in place of a torch. Hakko also makes a 150 watt version.

[Bill Breck]

Yikes, that is probably too large for typical slot car soldering. 601-2 is the way to go. Trust me when I say that I have seen a lot of bad solder joints on controllers when they come in for repair. 63/37 solder helps in getting great solder joints. Never use silver on a controller. 

 

Solder prices are pretty high lately like most things. $28 was a good price, now things are over $40 for certain types of solder.

 

It would be for chassis building and specifically as a substitute for a torch. It reminds me of the big Inland iron that people used to buy years ago.

[Bill from NH]

200 watts is what farmers used to repair leaky pails. Radiator repair shops might have sometimes used them, too. I've been an Ungar guy since the '70s. Twenty years ago I bought a slightly used 100W Inland from a friend getting out of slot racing. I've never even plugged it in. 

[slotcarone]

 

 

It would be for chassis building and specifically as a substitute for a torch. It reminds me of the big Inland iron that people used to buy years ago.

 

The Hakko is what you need for chassis building. Nothing bigger. Here's one of mine.

[Bill Breck]

The Hakko is what you need for chassis building. Nothing bigger. Here's one of mine.

 

As I said, I have no problem building chassis with my FX-888. I know some people use torches and I was wondering if they had tried it. 

 

It never hurts to ask about what other people are using. 

[slotcarone]

I personally have never seen anywhere while building a chassis that a torch was necessary or would make anything easier or better. It is all about transferring the heat to the solder and metal correctly.

[Bill from NH]

Pablo used to build chassis with a Radio Shack torch, but switched to a Hakko iron, a few years ago. IIRC, Russ Toy in CA built chassis with a torch. Maybe he still does. I own three different torches, but never needed the heat when chassis building. I used mostly Stay-Brite 4% silver solder. It took a couple races to break-in all the joints.

[slotcarone]

Pablo used to build chassis with a Radio Shack torch, but switched to a Hakko iron, a few years ago. IIRC, Russ Toy in CA built chassis with a torch. Maybe he still does. I own three different torches, but never needed the heat when chassis building. I used mostly Stay Brite 4% silver solder. It took a couple races to break-in all the joints.

 

Silver solder typically is too brittle. I have had great success using just 60/40 acid core Kester solder. I like the very thin .032" roll as this makes it much easier to get the exact right amount of solder on the joint with adding too much. Better to have not enough and easily add more than having too much. But everyone has their own method that works for them.

[Bill Seitz]

I've not handled this Hakko 557 soldering iron, but I inherited a 200W American Beauty iron from my grandfather. He used for applying lead to plumbing when that was in practice many years ago. If it's similar to the Hakko 557, it's much too heavy for slot car work. I now use the Hakko FX-601 which I believe is the iron everyone else is using. It's the Hakko model they recommend for stained glass work. I'm not sure the wattage of the heater, but I believe something around 60W, but this is adequate, and the iron heats to around 1000F. Tips up to 6mm wide are available. It still takes some dwell time on a big piece of brass like a nose piece and guide tongue, but it gets the job done and is easy to hold and maneuver around slot car chassis confines.

 

What is termed "silver solder" is typically a tin/silver alloy that's over 90% tin with a small amount of silver. There are several available alloys with different amounts of silver that generally melt around 421-450*. Lead-free electronics now uses a eutectic alloy of 96 tin / 3.5 silver / and .5 copper. Eutectic means that the solder melts and solidifies at the same temp point. Other alloys have a "paste" range where the solder isn't quite solid or liquid, and the larger the "paste" range of the alloy, the harder it is to get good joints. The 96/3.5 electronic solder is a couple thousand more tensile and yield strength than 60/40 tin/lead solder. I used to use 60/40, it was "the" electronics solder until the industry went lead-free, and I still have several rolls I use for electrical work. Unfortunately, chassis soldered with 60/40 tend to fracture joints on a good wall hit, so I've stopped using it for chassis. I use 96/4 which has a reasonable "paste" range of around 20* with a little bit more strength, and broken solder joints are now rare. Koford sells 95/5, and the tin/silver solders are available up to 93/7.

 

Solder is also only as good as the flux used with it. I've used both zinc chloride paste and hydrochloric acid liquid fluxes which work ok sometimes with brass and some steel. My source for the 96/4 solder also sells Superior brand fluxes and recommended Superior #78 gel flux for difficult to solder metals. Wow, absolutely the best flux I've ever used on slot cars. It will allow soldering stainless steel, something some "acid" fluxes don't do well or at all. Absolutely the only thing to use for soldering pinions to motor shafts - haven't spun one since.

[slotcarone]

For probably the first 15 years building Retro chassis I used a roll of solder I had for a long time as it worked well. Then it came time for new solder and there are more choices than potato chips. The Kester solder that I chose has been very good and the joints rarely if ever break, even it a wall shot. I think a lot has to do with of course how the joint was made but also the correct amount of solder needs to be used for the desired strength.

[Bill from NH]

Certus sold a ,032 chassis solder that was eutectic back in the '60s & '70s for $.59 a tube. In more modern times, the late Greg Landry of Zap Chassis in Houston used to claim that 63/37 solder was eutectic. He used a variety of different solders when chassis building, depending upon the materials used & what the parts were used for, particularly pillow blocks.

 

Radio Shack sold good 60/40 & a 2% silver solder. I never heard who they sourced it from.