Proctologically Violated©® wrote:
Awl--

For 1/2" to 1 1/4" copper pipe fittings.

Possible to desolder *and* be able to re-use them??
Worth the trouble for the various fittings, T's, unions, etc? 1 1/4 unions
are expensive!

Any special techniques beyond heating/wiping, heating/wiping? Wipe w/
cloth, steel wool? With, w/o flux?
I think I've done, mebbe once, and it was a pita!

I've done that many times. (If you asked SWMBO she would say of me, "Can
you spell c-h-e-a-p?")

On several occasions I found it extremely difficult to get the joints
apart, after they were heated to well above the melting point of soft
solder. Twisting a fitting while pulling on it to try and get it to come
off would produce a squeek like the door hinges from "Inner Sanctum".

I asked metallurgist about that and he told me it was due to the
formation of intermetallic compounds over time, which had a higher
melting point than solder.

Jeff


--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"