"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , "toller"
wrote:

Movement during cooling? My understanding is that the solder is either
liquid (when it can be moved) or solid (where it can't be moved). The
transformation was quick enough that movement was not an issue; at least
in
small pipe not exposed to high forces. If any of the solder is solid
enough
to be be damaged by movement, it has already become strong enough to
prevent
that movement.

Am I misinformed?

Yes, you are. The transition from liquid to solid is neither as rapid nor
as
clear-cut as you think. Alloys generally don't have a crisp melting or
freezing point; instead, they liquefy or solidify over a range of several
degrees. There is also a range of temperatures below the melting point in
which the metal is plastic, that is, easily deformable. If a solder joint
is
mechanically stressed before the solder has cooled below the plasticity
temperature range, it will be considerably weakened and may fail.


We talking seconds or minutes?
I don't think I have ever moved a pipe after soldering, but I have turned
the water on a few minutes afterwards. Event hen, since there was a faucet
open downstream, there wouldn't have been much force on the joint.

Speaking of which, if the water pressure is 60PSI, does that mean the
maximum pressure on the joint is 22 pounds? Would there be less with taps
open?