soldering rail joints

[macivor]

I  wonder if dielectric grease would double as flux.

[WoundedBear]

No.

Sid

[macivor]

thanks, Sid. 

[dutchbuilder]

When totally out of flux you can try a little bit of candle wax.
It work fine to keep the oxygen away from the soldering process and doesn't corrode the metal.

Ton

[macivor]

I have a mix of n/s rail and alloy rail, (black n gray roadbed).  from what I've learned from this board, I'll solder the alloy whenever possible and grease the n/s track, and use it in hard to reach areas.   

[rogertra]

On my currently building  Great Eastern Railway, I am using Atlas code 83 flextrack.  My usual practice is to solder every other pair of rail joiners together.  So I am working with six foot, or less, lengths of track.  This also makes laying smooth curves easier.  To each of these sections I run a pair of DCC feeders. This also allows for expansion joints.   Some of my sections of track are three inches or so long, usually between switches in industrial areas.  Even these small three inch sections feeders as do the stock and closure rails on all switches.

May sound like overkill but all that does away with dead spots.

Cheers

Roger T.

[macivor]

thanx for the good info!