Help Help Help! never ever done this before!

[rangi]

Today I have been handed a circa 1950s Tin Toy Truck, recently bought in action by a relative! It needs a front bumper.

Yes I can fashion a new Bumper, yes I can "age" it, however although I have been promised to get all the kit required to solder the bleddy thing on, I haven't a clue how to do it.

I have been backed into a corner for this! "darlin" when shown the truck ,

"Oh John will do that for you, he'll need a soldering iron, he's restored, and repaired several tin plate toys in his collection!"

So now she's dug the hole, can you give me a few tips, how to avoid Fubars? , common errors? Not saying a step by step tuition just a couple of tips, to make things easy. Never soldered before!

 

[daveandsan]

Don’t hold the soldering iron like this.

 

[Fletton]

in this instance.... You tube will be your friend

 

[Wack]

in this instance.... You tube will be your friend

I hope his has better results than the video I watched on how to change a broken screen on a Samsung S5
They missed the step out where a Samsung engineer steps in with a million pound screen fitting machine because I followed every step to the letter , only mine went from working but smashed to utterly knackered

 

[Ukeman]

What does the young lady use for flux? Flench letters, maybe.

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[Langtoftlad]

Don’t hold the soldering iron like this.

View attachment 432701

Graduate from the Sadiq Khan school of PR Photography.

 

[wigster]

Say i would repair it but it would ruin its resale value anytime after ?

 

[SIFTA SAM]

Sounds like a 'blowlamp and trowel' job to me.

 

[Bustup15]

Send it to The Workshop (BBC)

 

[Fletton]

I hope his has better results than the video I watched on how to change a broken screen on a Samsung S5
They missed the step out where a Samsung engineer steps in with a million pound screen fitting machine because I followed every step to the letter , only mine went from working but smashed to utterly knackered

Replaced iPhone screen successfully.. with the fingerprint recognition hardware..

One just has to watch a number of videos and use common sense as to
who's genuine and who's amateur..

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[movan]

Send it to The Workshop (BBC)

Joking aside... You could have a point. I have two friends who were approached by them re items of interest. Brilliant idea.

 

[autorouter]

The purpose of flux is to clean off all the crud and break down the oxidation layer to expose the bare metal. Then the solder can 'wet' the metal surface and stick to it.

With large metal surfaces your biggest problem will be applying enough heat to melt the solder, without burning off all the flux. Depending on the size of the metal parts, you may be better using a small blowtorch rather than an electrical soldering iron. Or maybe assist it with a good hot air gun. And keep in mind the solderer's mantra: Whatever the problem, the answer is more flux.

Another trick is to 'tin' the relevant joining bits (= apply a layer of flux/solder and heat until the solder wets the metal, then let it cool). Having done that to both joining surfaces, you can just heat up the two bits to remelt the solder to join them together, adding a bit of solder if necessary.

 

[rangi]

Say i would repair it but it would ruin its resale value anytime after ?

Already told him that when he said he wanted a full restoration. He paid £55 for it at an auction in Plymouth

SIFTA SAM it's a bit too delicate for that treatment Good suggestion though


autorouter That's excellent Mr a, just the thing I was looking for, many thanks

 

[SIFTA SAM]

Already told him that when he said he wanted a full restoration. He paid £55 for it at an auction in Plymouth

SIFTA SAM it's a bit too delicate for that treatment Good suggestion though


autorouter That's excellent Mr a, just the thing I was looking for, many thanks

Soldering is like many other 'skills', where years of experience makes it look easy.

 

[tribalbrit]

I have soldered hundreds of dropper wires to my model railway but would be a bit careful of this one.
Could you not glue it on, epoxy putty is good for metal to metal.

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[Golden Graham !]

Maybe I'm taking this too seriously ! But, you do know that blowlamps also remove paint very quickly ?

 

[The Wino]

I think the main thing is making sure both bits are really clean before trying to solder them. If they are painted the epoxy might be a better bet.

 

[meanders]

I have been soldering electronics for too many years and I would politely decline if its worth anything. Remember it's tin plate.. so probably steel underneath, so you need lots of heat at the joint which will take paint off very quickly.

Glue, screw or brass rivets would be my choice.

 

[The Wino]

Just a thought but will fitting a new front bumper reduce the value no matter how well it's made?. I would ask the owner first if they have thought about it.

 

[M-J]

There is a chap on YouTube that restores toy metal cars of all ages, probably worth a watch to see what he does for this type of repair.

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