mjb920 wrote:

Thanks for all the advice - Mapp, wet rag, heat sink. I e-mailed the
valve manufacturer and they said to use nothing but propane and to heat
the pipe and not the fitting. That didn't sound right.


Mapp gas is not that different from propane other than it
burns hotter, allowing you to heat up the valve faster. They
mean that you should not use an oxygen acetylene torch. As
for heating the pipe, I started to mention that before, but
didn't want you to get the wrong idea. Usually I will heat
only the valve and let the transferred heat warm up the pipe,
since the copper will heat up faster. In this case, I do heat
the pipe, but only in addition to the valve. I point my torch
at the point where the pipe and valve intersect in an attempt
to get both pipe and valve heated quickly. The pipe being
heated will transfer the heat to the inside surface of the
valve socket (copper being a great conductor of heat). Apply
the solder and remove the heat as fast as possible. This is
where experience really comes into play. Heat it up just
enough for the solder to flow, but not enough to damage the
valve. It is tricky.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX