Poor contact between track sections

[vicsrc]

I am using older HO track that's about 40 years old and after a good cleaning I find that the connectors are quite loose causing poor contact between the track sections.
I didn't want to solder each section so I thought of away to make a semi permanent way to solve this problem.
I use wire glue to help solder solar cells together so why not paint the outside rail joiners with the wire glue to make the electrical connection?
Let me know your thoughts on this please.   

[richg]

Details on glue you used?

How are the results?
Locos run ok?

Rich

[vicsrc]

Its called wire glue
Its a water based glue with a concentrated amount of metal that makes a electrical connection
I havent tried it yet but will get back with results later.
Go to this ebay link

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.Xwire+glue&_nkw=wire+glue&_sacat=0&_from=R40

[richg]

Its called wire glue
Its a water based glue with a concentrated amount of metal that makes a electrical connection
I havent tried it yet but will get back with results later.
Go to this ebay link

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC1.A0.Xwire+glue&_nkw=wire+glue&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Ok. your message seemed to indicate did this already.

I am doing a Google search for a review of the stuff. I have hear report of some using similar stuff with poor results.
I have used silver based epoxy for PC board repairs but for electrical, I only solder. Been soldering since 1953.

Rich

[Doneldon]

vic-

Wire glue isn't physically strong enough to hold the rails motionless and it is only a fair conductor in the first place. I don't have any idea what resistance this glue has or how much power will be consumed when pushing power through many successive joints. Plus, unless you carefully clean the places on both rails where the glue will be applied, you'll be gluing to the non-conductive oxidation on the rails -- to which it might or might not stick -- which will defeat the purpose of using the glue in the first place. You'll lose your connection all together if the joint wiggles because either the glue will separate from the rail or rail joiner, or the glue itself will fracture. Such a defect might be pretty hard to spot. It might also become an intermittent conduction problem which would make it very hard to find which rail joint(s) is the bad one.

The manufacturer of the wire glue recommends coating it with super glue to strengthen and protect it. There still aren't any guaranties about how well or how long the conductivity will last. Given the questionable nature of this product, its high cost and the amount of time and effort needed to do at least two "coats," I can't see it as a viable option.

I believe you will do far better if you try to tighten the grip of the present rail joiners (not an easy thing to do) or if you completely replace the rail joiners. I'm sorry to say it but I believe your best alternative is cleaning the web surfaces on the outsides your rails and soldering a short strip of stranded wire across the joint. I'm afraid the conductive glue asks too much effort for too little reliability in this application. It's fine for other purposes.
                                                                                                                                                                                        -- D

[rogertra]

Poor contact caused by rail joiners is why we solder track together.

I use flex track and solder every other joint.  When it comes to the 36" lengths I  solder two lengths together and leave an unsoldered joint for expansion between the next length of track.  Ditto for shorter length but never letting the total length exceed that 6 foot maximum.  The exception being on curves, I never leave an unsoldered joint on curves.

As I use DCC, I also solder feeders to every length regardless of whether it's 6 feet long or a few inches long, every single section of track gets feeders, including unsoldered switches.

Using the above, you never run across, so to speak, an unpowered section of track.

[Doneldon]

Roger-

You solder even more than I do, and that's saying something. My rule is I have no piece of rail
more than one rail joiner from a feeder. That lets me go as much as 12 feet between feeders
although it almost never works out that way.
                                                                      -- D

[jward]

I don't know muxh about wire glue, but it seems to me you'd get better results by replacing the rail joiners with new nickel silver ones. they aren't expensive. if you really want to ensure good contact, use conductive grease in the rail joiners

[jbrock27]

Here's a question:  any reason not to use brass rail joiners with n/s track?  or for that matter, n/s rail joiners with brass track?  (as long as we are talking about using NEW, not used joiners).

[jward]

no reason at all, other than brass's oxidization problems. i've mixed them quite often over the years.

[jbrock27]

Thank you Jeff. 
If I were to use the brass joiners with n/s track, I would also be soldering the joiners with the expectation this would cut down the possibility of potential continuity problems in the future.