DJH 9F 2-10-0

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Brian,

There's another solution to lagged pipes....lag them yourself. This is really not as stupid or as difficult as you may think.

Cut some masking tape into long 2mm wide strips and simply wrap it round some copper wire, overlapping by 1/2 each turn. Looks great and is both strong and flexible.

Richard
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Brian,

There's another solution to lagged pipes....lag them yourself.

Richard

Thanks Richard.

I'll add this to my box labelled "Techniques". But first I'll have a go in an idle (ho ho) moment.

I must admit to having thought about this and considered that it was probably impractical, but obviously not. But it begets another question. How does this work when bending and straightening, rebending etc? Surely the tape will ruck up and be damaged? Does the application of heat for the soldering application not cause the tape to burn? Having said this I appreciate that the answer may be to "lag" the copper after it's bent to shape and as a sub assembly when soldered up, but if you look at the complex bends in some of this pipework I'd have though that such a process would be impractical.

I'm interested in following this up, just concerned about the practicalities.

Brian
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Brian

Whether you lag before or after depends on the complexity of the shape and how much handling and rebending the wire will go through. I think with a more complex shape, I'd be inclined to lag afterwards. The bends aren't too much of a problem, and the soldering, providing you're quickly in and out is not a problem. Depending on circumstances and fit, you may be able to glue one or other of the ends....if that is not too heretical a suggestion.

Yours

Richard
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Heather built a JLTRT 5700 kit and "lagged" the steam heat pipe which runs along the hanging bar, I think that the lagging was tape.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Heather built a JLTRT 5700 kit and "lagged" the steam heat pipe which runs along the hanging bar, I think that the lagging was tape.

Ah. I knew I'd seen it somewhere but couldn't remember where. I'll have a look at that thread too.

Hi Brian

Whether you lag before or after depends on the complexity of the shape

Thanks again. I'll give it a try both before and after forming. I actually favour the hot iron and quick approach. I think it takes the parts by surprise and they don't have time to think about melting.

Brian
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
It was just your average grey masking tape, and was applied as a sort of experiment. It worked out so well, I kept it.

The hard part is getting the ends to stay attached. One wonders how the tape was attached at the ends on the real things.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Nothing goes green now, even unwashed for weeks later...

Thanks for the link, Mick. Now ordered.

If it doesn't work for me YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE!!!

Seriously, though, I've heard so many positive things about this flux that I should have trialed it ages ago. I guess there's a bit of inertia as far as I'm concerned because I get on with the paste flux OK, apart from the corrosion issues which are not a problem as long as you remember to wash the model after every session. And, of course, the Slaters wheels:)

Brian
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
I guess there's a bit of inertia as far as I'm concerned because I get on with the paste flux OK, apart from the corrosion issues which are not a problem as long as you remember to wash the model after every session. And, of course, the Slaters wheels:)

Brian,

If you would still like to use paste flux on occasion with no bad after effects then try Templer's Mild Telux. I've been using this for years and its residue doesn't oxidise after soldering - and doesn't rust Slater's wheels. :)

http://www.gwneale.co.uk/telux.html

I actually soldered up a brass underframe about fifteen years ago and intentionally left flux residue on the metal to see what happened over time, and nothing happened, and still hasn't, since I've still got the underframe around. :)

Jim.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the link, Mick. Now ordered.

If it doesn't work for me YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE!!!

Seriously, though, I've heard so many positive things about this flux that I should have trialed it ages ago. I guess there's a bit of inertia as far as I'm concerned because I get on with the paste flux OK, apart from the corrosion issues which are not a problem as long as you remember to wash the model after every session. And, of course, the Slaters wheels:)

Brian
Brian, if it doesn't suit your needs then I'll buy it off you plus postage, I'm thinking of getting a few bottles for 'storage' but mindful it may have a shelf life.
Brian,

If you would still like to use paste flux on occasion with no bad after effects then try Templer's Mild Telux. I've been using this for years and its residue doesn't oxidise after soldering - and doesn't rust Slater's wheels. :)

http://www.gwneale.co.uk/telux.html

I actually soldered up a brass underframe about fifteen years ago and intentionally left flux residue on the metal to see what happened over time, and nothing happened, and still hasn't, since I've still got the underframe around. :)

Jim.
Jim, that looks interesting, I did start out by using plumbing flux (little yellow tub) for many months and got on well with it, it was just a bit akward to spread it on the work and I found afterward that it often didn't flash off and you were left with a sticky jelly film at the edges where it hadn't got hot enough to run, it also tended to be less viscous than liquid fluxes and would often not run under joints so one side would work and the other would be a dry joint. Like you, never had any issues with corrosion, no matter how long you left it of what state it was in.
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
Richard it is a cream....so it says on the syringe, but it's more like a gritty tooth paste on close inspection, maybe it's gone off?

Mick,

Coming back to this after a day or two, I was nodding my head in agreement with you when I first read about your problems since I was going through the same problems soldering wheel bearings into carriers in my sprung "W" irons. I am using solder cream I got cheap off Ebay about a year ago and I suspect that the reason it was cheap was that it was on, or past, its storage limit.

I don't have a needle on the end of the syringe, but lift the cream off the syringe nozzle with a cocktail stick to apply it. At the beginning of the week, the cream ressembled your gritty toothpaste in consistency, but today, I've started using the cream again to do more bearings and it has now started working like a cream. In fact I can improve the consistency by puddling the cream on the end of the nozzle with the cocktail stick before applying it. I suspect that the cream had dried out in the end of the nozzle, and I'm now past the dried stuff and into the more creamy stuff with my usage.

My first syringe of solder cream came from Brian Lewis at C&L when it first appeared in the model railway world some years ago and Brian supplied a needle to go with the syringe. But I found the needle a waste of time since it blocked up with dried out cream unless I used it constantly.

Jim.
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Jim,

Fair point, I haven't used much at all so maybe it will be a better mix further in the tube, mine came from Eileens I think so should be reasonably fresh stock.

I've heard it benifits from being stored in the fridge, but that household appliance is banned for my use after a bottle of superglue fell over (accidentally knocked over by my 8yr old putting ice cream back) and leaked down all the door trays and stuck all the food to the trays :eek:

It's amazing how little superglue you need to really tick off SWMBO and cost yourself a small fortune in frozen food! ;)

I've allocated some 'me' time this weekend so will explore the inner depths of the solder cream tube and see whether it's consistancy inproves :thumbs:
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
I've heard it benifits from being stored in the fridge, but that household appliance is banned for my use after a bottle of superglue fell over (accidentally knocked over by my 8yr old putting ice cream back) and leaked down all the door trays and stuck all the food to the trays :eek:

Mick,

I store mine in the fridge and that is maybe the reason that mine is still workable after a year or so. I believe the recommended shelf life is something like six months and I have to confess that I was quite pleasantly surprised to find it workable after no use for several months - albeit thinking that the gritty toothpaste episode at the start of the week maybe indicated that it had gone too far and was useless.

I'm now the sole domestic authority, so I have no problems with storage facilities. :) But you might see if you can find a bottle with a wide neck and a screw on cap to put the syringe in before depositing in the fridge. You might just get away with that. :)

Jim.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Brian,

If you would still like to use paste flux on occasion with no bad after effects then try Templer's Mild Telux. I've been using this for years and its residue doesn't oxidise after soldering - and doesn't rust Slater's wheels. :)

http://www.gwneale.co.uk/telux.html

I actually soldered up a brass underframe about fifteen years ago and intentionally left flux residue on the metal to see what happened over time, and nothing happened, and still hasn't, since I've still got the underframe around. :)

Jim.

Thank you for the suggestion Jim. I'll give it a go.

Brian
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
Mick,

I store mine in the fridge and that is maybe the reason that mine is still workable after a year or so. I believe the recommended shelf life is something like six months

Hi Jim.

I find that a bit worrying! There's no way I'll use this up within 6 months! At £22 a shot that's an expensive bit of solder. Not sure I'll get domestic approval to use the fridge either, although I'll try putting it in to another container. Just makes it a faff if you need to get it to the workshop for a small bit of work.

Brian
 

mickoo

Western Thunderer
Hi Mick.

Thanks for your kind offer. I hope you realise that my comment was intended as a (poor) joke! Once I've tsted it I'll let you know how I get on.

Brian

Don't sweat it, I knew what you meant, I should of added a ;) at the end of my reply also :thumbs:
 
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