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Subject: 
Re: 7996 Metalized
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 4 Oct 2007 17:34:20 GMT
Viewed: 
6275 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Jordan Schwarz wrote:
   In lugnet.trains, Tommy Armstrong wrote:
   In lugnet.trains, Ludo Soete wrote:
   Hi,

SNIP Regards,

Ludo

Now that is what I call “out of the box” thinking.

Tommy Armstrong

I covered my 7996 with copper foil tape that I found at Hobby Lobby in their stained glass section. They offer several different widths, all about $5 a roll (which is about 30m of the tape - plenty to do 7996. I was concerned about tinning the copper because I thought that the soldering iron might melt things, but it sounds like that is not going to be an issue, from Ludo’s findings.

The copper tape for stained glass work does very well and conforms to surfaces especially well. I used the side of a pen as a burnishing tool to smooth out the surface of the tape after application. I found that the foiling process took quite a few hours. But for foiling a simpler track geometry, like a straight track, it would be pretty quick - 15 minutes or so.

Ludo - why did you use 60/40 lead solder specifically? Would lead-free solder work as well?

Why shoudn’t this work?

Lead-free solder needs a higher soldering iron temperture, keep this in mind, but it can be used.

Why i did use the 60/40 lead solder is that i don’t have lead-free solder at home yet.

Its intention was also to figure out if the copper foil would hold on the plastic rail and see if it was possible to use it.

The way i placed the wires between the different metallised pieces doesn’t make it possible to run 2 trains on each track with separate regulators.

Every rail is electrically connected together. See picture.



So i need to check where to cut the current so that it’s possible to run 2 trains with a separate regulator.

You have also to know that i tinned the copper foil *** before *** i applied it to the plastic rails, otherwise, you can melt the plastic rail if it becomes to hot, esspecially with lead-free solder!

I might considder to order a pre-tinned copper tape (foil) as sample and try this one too, no more problems with lead, and a smoother surface.

   (aside from being more expensive) Naturally I’d like to follow that approach if possible since LEGO bricks and children often come into contact.

You are absolutely right on this one!

Ludo

  
-Jordan



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: 7996 Metalized
 
Does anyone have a picture or so of the internals of points? I need to but the switch part of all four points to "turning" since I want to use memory wire on it. (17 years ago, 5-Oct-07, to lugnet.trains, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: 7996 Metalized
 
(...) I covered my 7996 with copper foil tape that I found at Hobby Lobby in their stained glass section. They offer several different widths, all about $5 a roll (which is about 30m of the tape - plenty to do 7996. I was concerned about tinning the (...) (17 years ago, 4-Oct-07, to lugnet.trains, FTX)

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