Awl--

Yeah, awesome plumbing threads. Very helpful!

Still antsy about sweating ball valves, but not *as* antsy!

About heat:

O/A will certainly heat up a pipe in a hurry, but man, that sort of gives me
the willies, even tho I got the O/A B-tank set up, tips, etc.
But then you gotta lug around the oxygen, all the gauges...

My suggestion, esp. to the propane users doing more than an occasional sink,
is an acetylene B-tank w/ a Goss or prestolyte air/acetylene kit, for about
$100. You can get various tips, and it's just plain simple, convenient,
much easier to handle than O/A, and plenty hot. The handle is also easier
to use than a propane tank, imo.
And, f'sure much more economical than propane, and, according to some in the
other threads, kinder to ball valves, etc.

Bigger stuff, like 1 1/2 or 2" copper, you might want a turbotorch/B-tank
set up, but that's up around $200.

3" might warrant real O/A--altho there might be some turbo-torch setups for
this--I mighta even used one, way back!

B-tank/air-acetylene would be good for people like Ignoramus, serious about
setting up shop, likely to do more plumbing in the future than he thinks...
like me! A sink here, a sink there would be fine w/ the propane ditty.

The Goss manual has an interesting little factoid:
the "gap" required for sweating/brazing fittings is .003!! Howzat for
specificity??!! And indeed, never really thought about it, but copper
pipe/fittings really are a good fit! Proly tighter than .003, feels like
..001, altho there are probably plenty of low/high spots.

I think I'm now a pro-dope/thread man.... But what a mess!
Tinning flux is really neat. I think I'm a convert.
Thanks.
----------------------------
Mr. P.V.'d
formerly Droll Troll