Carey --
ACC or epoxy will do fine, but please do not apply after painting. What you
will get is a glue bond between the part and the paint, so your bond to the
chassis will only be as strong as the bond between the paint and the chassis.
You ought to be able to solder brass detail parts to a brass frame -- my
preferred method. Instead of a resistance unit or a soldering gun, I use a
propane torch to solder small parts to large parts. There are two requirements
to achieve a good bond:
1. Use enough flux. I use Nokorrode brand, a strong acid flux. Rosin will do
poorly in this situation. You can of course use rosin core, but apply acid
flux
anyway.
2. Use a relatively small pointed flame (avoid the fan-flame attachment).
Direct the flame to the larger part while you hold the small part in place. Do
not apply the flame directly to the smaller part.
Here's what I do: First, tin the mating surface of the smaller part with a
soldering gun or iron. Then flux the larger part were the joint will be made.
Then hold the smaller part in place with a probe in one hand, and apply heat by
holding the torch in the other hand and directing the flame adjacent to, but
not
on, the smaller part. When the solder melts, withdraw the torch and hold the
probe in place until the joint sets up (the solder changes from shiny to dull).
If the solder fails to melt within ten or fifteen seconds, turn the flame up a
bit. Never use the torch full-blast.
These days I use 60-40 (or 63-37) solder exclusively. It has a specific meling
point. The old stand-by 50-50 solder has a higher melting temperature as well
as a range of temperatures within which the solder is slushy. The old-time
experts used 50-50 for large joints, then applied details with 60-40 because
its
lower melting point meant that the larger-part joints would not melt when
soldering the small parts. My own preference is to be quick so there's not a
large enough quantity of heat to disturb nearby soldered joints. If parts are
really close together, a dam made of water-soaked tissue or paper towel will
protect previously-soldered joints. It's always better to be fast with a hot
flame rather than slow with a cooler flme.
Finally, a mechanical joint is always better than using a probe to position
parts to be soldered. Example: If a part has a sprue or peg on the surface to
be soldered, drill a force-fit hole in the larger part. Flux the area and push
the smaller part's sprue into the hole. Then cut a small shaving of solder,
place it on the larger part such that it is touching the smaller part, and
apply
your flame to the larger part but on the opposite side of the smaller part from
the shaving. The heat will draw the solder into the joint as it melts. Solder
will always be drawn toward the flame.
Similarly, if you can screw a smaller part onto a larger one, do so before, or
instead of, soldering. In particular, the screwing should be done from the
inside of a boiler, then followed by flame-soldering from the inside of the
boiler. This keeps everything clean on the outside.
Dick Karnes
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