Gabriel Benzur’s

Brass Rails and Boat

 

completed gun deck rail

 

Gabriel’s Method

“I use an Ungar 45 watt iron with a fine tip, with the smallest diameter solder I could find. A lower wattage iron takes forever to heat the parts, and a higher wattage iron is too hot. The key is to have all the parts very clean, and use a good flux. In addition, I sand the rods with 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper and clean them with lacquer thinner before I start. It is pretty important to tin the tip, and wipe it on a wet sponge after you solder each piece. I also use a spring operated desolderer in case I put on too much solder. The soldering stuff is all available at either RadioShack or another electronics store.”