Resistance Soldering Units
- Thread starter alcazar
- Start date
Dave
Western Thunderer
It's from London Road Models, I think. I bought it from Hobby Holidays at Telford last year. Tips on using one? I have to say that you don't need any particular tips on how to use it. Honestly, it's really simple and you'll just pick it up and work it out for yourself as you go along. That's all I did anyway.
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Ressaldar
Western Thunderer
I generally use the lowest setting for detail work, middle for general work and the top for chunky work - all really straight forward, if your chosen setting does not do the job then move up a notch not forgetting that in most cases, you are taking your foot off of the pedal almost before you put it on the pedal. As usual with all types of soldering, keep everything clean and the jobs half done.
cheers
Mike
Dave
Western Thunderer
That looks like the same as came with mine and it still doesn't explain:
There are only 3 different settings as far as I can see, one for each of the red sockets.
adrian
Flying Squad
Just as long as people appreciate that an RSU isn't a universal panacea and guarantee good soldering.
At some point I really must post a response to Raymond's piece on soldering when I get time as there are a couple of points which I feel are not helpful. I'm uncomfortable when people start talking about the "black art of soldering". There is nothing mysterious about it and it is simple physics. His comments on making sure that the joint is clean and well prepared is good advice, but applies to RSUs or plain simple soldering irons. I'm sorry but when he starts putting stuff on steel plates (an excellent heat sink!) and using magnets it all strikes me as getting rather pretentious and superfluous. Just keep it clean and get the heat in the right place and you won't go far wrong, whether you use a RSU or not.
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
You're not the only one. I re-read it yesterday to see what he was getting at. What a load of Horlicks...
Steph
daifly
Western Thunderer
I hestitate to argue with you Adrian, but the magnets hold things square, tight and in exactly the correct place, and with magnets, a steel bed is the ONLY way. Heat sink? For the few seconds that you are pumping a lot of amps into a tiny spot, heat sinks don't impact on the result unless you are using too low a setting (see my diagram above!)
Regards
Dave
adrian
Flying Squad
That's fine I'm not looking for an argument, although a good healthy discussion is good for the hobby. I just don't want people to read that article and think that they have to get a half a dozen magnets, a steel plate and and RSU to be able to put an etched kit together because nothing could be further from the truth.
There are plenty of other things that can be used to hold things square, I use a mixture of a small 2 1/2" steel square and a few blocks of hardwood depending on what the situation requires. They all work fine for me, obviously other people have other solutions which work fine for them.
The "pumping of a lot of amps into a tiny spot" is another thing I have misgivings about. When I had an RSU it was supplied with a pencil tip, unfortunately this tended distort the brass due to the very localised heating. Yes you want plenty of heat into the joint quickly, but when it is very localised it can cause more problems with distortion. Also pump up the amps too much and you may get localised "de-zincification", brass being a copper-zinc alloy, localised high heat can leach out the zinc in the brass resulting in spot points where the brass weakens and appears porous. I filed the tip on my RSU to a chisel point to try and avoid the localised hot spots and get the heat distribution a bit more even. Still couldn't get on with it, all the wires were too much of a faff etc. so I sold it and went to an ERSA Solder station which I'm happy with. All credit to those that get on with an RSU, but to claim, as Raymond does, that "it is a technological improvement on a soldering iron" is in my opinion a rather pretentious statement to make.
There are plenty of other things that can be used to hold things square, I use a mixture of a small 2 1/2" steel square and a few blocks of hardwood depending on what the situation requires. They all work fine for me, obviously other people have other solutions which work fine for them.
The "pumping of a lot of amps into a tiny spot" is another thing I have misgivings about. When I had an RSU it was supplied with a pencil tip, unfortunately this tended distort the brass due to the very localised heating. Yes you want plenty of heat into the joint quickly, but when it is very localised it can cause more problems with distortion. Also pump up the amps too much and you may get localised "de-zincification", brass being a copper-zinc alloy, localised high heat can leach out the zinc in the brass resulting in spot points where the brass weakens and appears porous. I filed the tip on my RSU to a chisel point to try and avoid the localised hot spots and get the heat distribution a bit more even. Still couldn't get on with it, all the wires were too much of a faff etc. so I sold it and went to an ERSA Solder station which I'm happy with. All credit to those that get on with an RSU, but to claim, as Raymond does, that "it is a technological improvement on a soldering iron" is in my opinion a rather pretentious statement to make.
daifly
Western Thunderer
See post #21 above and guess where I got the info from! What I posted was my 'label' diagram which I printed and attached to my RSU - as Raymond did for his.
Cheers
Dave
Dikitriki
Flying Squad
I have to say that my experience mirrors Adrian's - I haven't used my RSU for years.
I once watched a RSU demonstration at an O Gauge Guild show. The chap was about to solder a tank loco tank side to the footplate, and I was curious as to how he would go about it. Sure enough, a blob of solder was RSUd to tack it all in place, and then it was seamed with an ordinary iron I didn't stay long.
Richard
I once watched a RSU demonstration at an O Gauge Guild show. The chap was about to solder a tank loco tank side to the footplate, and I was curious as to how he would go about it. Sure enough, a blob of solder was RSUd to tack it all in place, and then it was seamed with an ordinary iron
I didn't stay long.Richard
Dikitriki
Flying Squad
It does indeed. I've always been impressed with Dave's work, and the speed at which it is done. It just shows that there is more than one way of doing something, and whatever way works for you is the right way. Right, just off to put a huge copper rod in the fire to heat up
adrian
Flying Squad
Stick it on ebay - I did with mine and sold it for more than I paid for it!
As a bit of background, we (my Dad and I) first started looking at RSUs around about 1985 when a close friend turned up with one of the new Japanese brass loco's a 7mm Allegeny. It was beautiful to look at and trying to work out how it was constructed led us to NorthWest Shortlines, at the time our source for Sagami motors. They were producing these newfangled RSUs, and my Dad decided we ought to try to produce a UK version. We looked at the transformer required but nothing was available off the shelf with the required voltage tappings and the required amperage. So we commissioned a batch of transformers from a firm in Nottingham and built our own units. We couldn't find a suitable electrical foot switch so we used a pneumatic unit from RS. As far as I can remember we (Cherry Scale Models) got to market before London Road Models (1985). There was a fair bit of interest and I remember building quite a few batches of them but it never really took off. If you can source a suitable transformer then you can build your own without too much difficulty.
The one point I will concede as a plus point for RSUs is adding some of the fine detail to models. The one advantage of the unit is for small brass castings, you can use the RSU tip to hold the casting in place and then switch the unit on and then off. The tip holding the casting in place whilst it cools until the solder solidifies.
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
Adrian,
That's about the limit of what I do with mine - it's great for adding fine details onto large assemblies. I didn't use an earth table a la Walley, but had two return wires. One was attached to my bench vise and the other usually soldered inside the model I was working on. When I did use an earth table I tended to use aluminium foil.
I also tend to tin parts with my normal iron (and use 'normal' flux) and use the RSU just for joining the parts.
Not sure about the soldering of brass castings, the last time I tried that was with some small HO-scale steam fittings for a German loco, which resulted in a couple of melted castings. I don't doubt I'd get the hang of it eventually though.
Steph
That's about the limit of what I do with mine - it's great for adding fine details onto large assemblies. I didn't use an earth table a la Walley, but had two return wires. One was attached to my bench vise and the other usually soldered inside the model I was working on. When I did use an earth table I tended to use aluminium foil.
I also tend to tin parts with my normal iron (and use 'normal' flux) and use the RSU just for joining the parts.
Not sure about the soldering of brass castings, the last time I tried that was with some small HO-scale steam fittings for a German loco, which resulted in a couple of melted castings. I don't doubt I'd get the hang of it eventually though.
Steph