Doug Miller wrote:
In article , tt (Charles Bishop) wrote:


I've always heated both the fitting and the pipe, gently and evenly.
Testing the tip of solder on the junction every so often until it melts
then soldering the connection.

Should i not be heating the pipe at all? I thought it was best if both
were at temp.


You should apply heat only to the fitting; the pipe will get hot enough
anyway through contact with the fitting. If the pipe is heated directly, it
can expand far enough to prevent sufficient solder from flowing into the
joint, producing a weak joint.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

A few opinions on sweating pipes, I do this for a living. Even went to
school for it.
Use the hottest torch you can get, my favorite for soft solder is a
Turbo Torch using Mapp gas. Then use the hottest part of the flame, in
this case about 1/2" past the inner cone. You will do less damage to the
surrounding area with a hot torch. Get in there get it hot and get out.
Clean everything including the solder. Apply a paste flux sparingly to
the outside of the pipe, first 1/8" inside of the fitting, and a little
on the solder. Secure the pipe to avoid movement.
Rule of thumb, with normal 1/8" solder you will use the same length of
solder as the circumference of the pipe. Make a bend in the solder at
that point.
Protect any heat sensitive parts with wet rags. Preheat the pipe
concentrating at edge of the fitting and keep the torch moving. When the
pipe is hot enough to melt the solder move the torch on too the
fitting. That is the big secret, solder will flow towards the heat. This
is especially important on vertical joints.
Practice on some scrap pipe, with a little technique you can literally
pump solder uphill through the joint and into the inside of the pipe.
I test all my soft joints at 200 psi and my silver (solder) braze ones
at 400 psi, I don't have leaks.
Dave