Brass O Scale Lobaugh Class B Climax kit

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I am definitely getting one of those honeycomb soldering blocks. Due to the size of the brass engine I'm working on, I'll probably be getting more than one.

Don't know if I mentioned it but I have a brass 0-6-0 kit to do after I finish the Climax. I think these soldering blocks would be a good investment.

Thanks, KJD. You've been a big help.
 
Interesting build. I used to do custom painting and repair of brass. Now I just do for myself. It got to be a case of the shoemaker's kids never having shoes! It also got to be a business, and as I was warned, and found out, the best way to ruin a perfectly good hobby is to turn it into a business. 😁

If I may suggest: While your torch work is fine, if you're going to do this sort of thing regularly, you might want to consider resistance soldering gear. American Beauty makes a nice 250 watt unit. I have both the tweezer and the single electrode piece. It's a great tool. I don't use it every day, but when I need it, nothing else will do.
 
Thanks, Espeefan. I have an American Beauty 250W Resistance Soldering Unit (RSU). The problem is that I only bought the tweezers, thinking I wouldn't need the electrode. I'm planning to buy the electrode. The soldering torch was something I already had so I tried it. Lessons are definitely being learned.

Once I get past the fixes I made to the frame, I will be using the RSU a lot.

I'm almost ready to attach the rear deck again. I just have to clean and polish the pieces before I solder them. I'll post pics when I get to that point.
 


fwhitmor said:
Thanks, Espeefan. I have an American Beauty 250W Resistance Soldering Unit (RSU). The problem is that I only bought the tweezers, thinking I wouldn't need the electrode. I'm planning to buy the electrode. The soldering torch was something I already had so I tried it. Lessons are definitely being learned.

Once I get past the fixes I made to the frame, I will be using the RSU a lot.

I'm almost ready to attach the rear deck again. I just have to clean and polish the pieces before I solder them. I'll post pics when I get to that point.
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I initially only bought the tweezers too. The electrode opened up many more uses! Buy extra graphite rods. Use a gentle touch and avoid the temptation to apply pressure. The rods are very delicate.
 
22-Underside of Frame & Deck.jpeg


I'm finally getting this thing under control. Here is the underside of the frame & deck.

23-Topside of Frame & Deck _plus details.jpeg


... and here is the top of the frame and deck with the details I have to add. Some will be soldered, some will be bolted. Not shown is the truss rods and grab bars that also have to be added. And I also have to restore the motor and drive chain, which is bolted on.

The part off to the side is a ladder and I cannot figure out where it goes... It doesn't match anything on the drawings. (already contacted Bob Stevenson for advice about it.)

Thanks for all the advice. I wouldn't have gotten this far without it.
 
Part of the process for prepping the parts for soldering is cleaning the bits of molding plaster from the brass parts.

I thought you all would be interested in how I plan on doing this.

Here's a link: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-do-you-dissolve-plaster-of-paris.467257/

I've already done this on the truck wheels. It works but you have to keep the water hot. The listed instructions say "WARM" water but don't define what Warm is. I'm going to get a small crock pot to soak the parts in with the baking soda. I will have to get a large crock pot later to pickle the parts before painting but don't have the room right now.

A side note on the truck wheels. The hot water loosened any insulation on the wheels but this cleared up once the parts dried out; everything tightened back up.
 
fwhitmor said:
View attachment 221465
This is where I started the process of adding the rear deck to the frame. I used the 'bits of solder in flux' method. My thought was to use silver solder (aka high temp solder) to add the deck, which would strengthen the joints for adding more details without having to worry about failed solder joints. Boy, was I wrong...

View attachment 221466
You will see here where the low-temp solder got soft before the high-temp solder was able to grab.

I have to clean ALL the old solder off, realign the pieces, then re-solder everything correctly.

View attachment 221467View attachment 221470
I believe the motor mount (right) caused tension creating the 'spring' effect when the low-temp solder got soft.

More adventures await... 8^/
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I use same kind of solder for everything. Some older guys swear by silver solder, but i didn't get into it. My guess is the main pieces, like the boiler could be soldered with silver and all the details with regular solder, to make sure everything stays intact. One method i use though to keep heat off the other soldered stuff is to apply one or two alligator clips. Some guys also use paper towels soaked in cold water to insulate other work from getting too much heat. Personally if i was building this up, i would set up the main frame and use butane mini torch. Then build a jig around it on wood, use mini nails to stick all the way around the frame to keep it in place and use the mini torch again to solder the decks on top of the frame. I use mini torch for big stuff like that anyway specifically because it creates a lot of heat in wide amount of space. Either way building a kit out of metal is a whole new form of art and I'll be watching your progress with interest.
 
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KriegslokBR52 said:
I use same kind of solder for everything. Some older guys swear by silver solder, but i didn't get into it. My guess is the main pieces, like the boiler could be soldered with silver and all the details with regular solder, to make sure everything stays intact. One method i use though to keep heat off the other soldered stuff is to apply one or two alligator clips. Some guys also use paper towels soaked in cold water to insulate other work from getting too much heat. Personally if i was building this up, i would set up the main frame and use butane mini torch. Then build a jig around it on wood, use mini nails to stick all the way around the frame to keep it in place and use the mini torch again to solder the decks on top of the frame. I use mini torch for big stuff like that anyway specifically because it creates a lot of heat in wide amount of space. Either way building a kit out of metal is a whole new form of art and I'll be watching your progress with interest.
Click to expand...
Actually, watching your thread inspired me to get moving on my projects. 8^)
 
My next challenge... Attaching the Queen Posts and Truss Rods. This is going to be fiddly. 4 Queen Posts have to be soldered to the frame, equidistant from the trucks and square to each other.

24-Queen Posts -A.jpeg


Here is the 1st one in place. I will be sweat soldering them on.

24-Queen Posts -B.jpeg


A Close-up of the Queen Post in place, before soldering.

24-Queen Posts -C.jpeg


And a close-up of the actual Queen Post.

After they're in place, I have to solder a brass wire longitudinally along the top of the Queen Post to simulate the Truss Rod. Due to the small size and close soldering, I'll use every bit of the advice I've received so far.

Also, I'm wondering if I should simulate the Turnbuckle somehow, or if it's even prototypical on this engine. I'm leaning towards 'yes'.
 


25-Queen Posts in Place.jpeg

All 4 Queen Posts are in place and I tried to solder the Truss Rods while they were vertical. I used tape and clothespins to hold the wire on the edge of the Queen Posts. No Joy!

26-Frame on Side.jpeg

So I turned everything on it's side. Looks like it should work but I have to clean and polish everything before I try again.
 
27-Truss Rod 1.jpeg

28-Truss Rod 2.jpeg

Soldering this part had limited success. The joint with the Queen Posts was relatively easy with the RSU.

29-Truss Rod 3.jpeg

The Truss Rod ends are a different matter. IMO, I have a heat transfer problem. I think all of the metal near the joint is wicking away the heat before the solder can melt. I tried my RSU and flame before I gave up for the day. Next attempt will be a soldering gun.

As always, I have to clean the part - without breaking it - before I can make another soldering attempt.
 
30-Ugly Joint!.jpeg


Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!

I have tried torches, a 200W Soldering Iron, a soldering Gun, and my RSU. Definitely No Joy! I've got to fix this before moving on...

My RSU currently only has the Tweezers. My next step will be to move getting the RSU probe.
 
You are probably just pointing the torch in the wrong spot. If i was doing this, i would place the whole assembly upside down. As the matter of fact, you can watch old movies of men building real steam locomotive and you will see that the work to be welded was also placed in different positions to expedite the process and make it easier. I would use a mini torch on this part, and point the flame at the inside of main frame piece facing out, this would heat more of the frame and at the same time residual heat would heat much smaller truss rod. I would also do away with the huge steel pieces with holes, because they draw a lot of heat away from the main frame as you are trying to heat that up. You have to use your imagination on how the flame will travel and heat the work.
 
Thanks, Kriegslok.

I did point the torch at the frame but did not consider the 3-2-1 block I used for stabilization might also be acting as a heat sink. I'll re-try that as soon as I can.
 
In addition to all the other fun I'm having, I discovered my butane torch has a leak. I'm looking around for an update. Any suggestions?
 


KriegslokBR52 said:
Just what ever is available at the local Lowes, usually Benzomatic.
Click to expand...
That's what broke. And I'm going there today.

As a side quest, I'm looking into how expensive a jeweler's torch (with hoses and tanks) might be. Found a few in a decent price range but none with good reviews. I think I'm turning into a tool junkie. 8^)
 
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