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Handy tips

Mark French
 

Many thanks to Allan Gartner who sent some handy links to make my Peco Code 80 points DCC friendly.
I have completely butchered my first try, melting tracks and running amuck with my Dremel and nicking the stock rail while cut the frog.

Any tips to avoid messing up the next twelve would be appreciated. 
ie -
  • What type of tip to use on the soldering iron
  • What type of wire is best, solid or strand.
  • is it better to use a rail cutter rather than a Dremel.
  • What the best location to cut
Thanks Mark
Cheers Mark
Puckdropper
 

I like a 1/8 in chisel tip. It fits nicely in the web of the rail. However there are many tips that will work just fine. Your success will be more about technique than equipment.

Solid wire is nice in that it stays in place when you bend it. Stranded wire is more flexible, which can make it easier to pull. My preference is solid for feeders, but I've used stranded too. In the smaller sizes we use for feeders, installing it isn't very different.

The dremel makes a clean cut while a rail nipper leaves a smushed edge. This is where the tool can make a big difference, not all cutting disks respond well to rail. I like the larger fiberglass disks, they cut really nicely.

Puckdropper

On Tue, Dec 22, 2020 at 05:41 AM, Mark French wrote:


Many thanks to Allan Gartner who sent some handy links to make my Peco Code 80
points DCC friendly.
I have completely butchered my first try, melting tracks and running amuck
with my Dremel and nicking the stock rail while cut the frog.

Any tips to avoid messing up the next twelve would be appreciated.
ie -

* What type of tip to use on the soldering iron
* What type of wire is best, solid or strand.
* is it better to use a rail cutter rather than a Dremel.
* What the best location to cut

Thanks Mark
Cheers Mark
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