Soldering

[Geordie Spark]

The soldering doesn't need to be watertight but I do want to get a near perfect visual finish.

*edit* I'll take a few pics of the finished product and post them in a few mins.

Are you building yourself a Moonshine Still there Marvo?

Quite honestly, those joints are not that bad for end feed fittings - a lot better than I've seen made by British Gas and Local Authority blokes.

I always wire wool the ends of the pipes and inside the fitting, then apply flux sparingly to the pipe only - NEVER inside the fitting - then push the pipe into the fitting and twist it around a bit to make a ring of flux at the mouth of the fitting.

Make a bend in your solder wire 15mm from the end for 15mm pipe, 22mm from the end for 22mm pipe - this is the amount of solder you need to feed into the joint.

Warm the joint gently with your gas torch at the middle point and move the flame all around the joint to heat it uniformly.

When the flux goes clear, take the flame away and feed the solder into the joint.

Allow to cool a bit, and while still warm, wipe with a damp rag to remove excess flux. Polish with steel wool if you want to.

The trick is to use a gentle flame, apply it uniformly and do not overheat the joint.

Hope this helps !!

 

[Geordie Spark]

Fill them near level by running the solder around the pipe then wipe with a plumbers wiping cloth. Amazon have them.

Plumbers wiping cloth??

You posh bugger ...... I just used to use me Y Fronts !!

 

[Geordie Spark]

Thats good. Now I see why you want it neat . Practice is the key , if you don't do much it is frustrating , but it all falls into place lol.

............... or falls to pieces.

Seriously though - that soldering would put a good number of plumbers to shame.

 

[Marvo]

Thanks Geordie, high praise indeed. My soldering is okay when I'm on a bench with good light, plenty of space and at the right angle but even the small solder stains stand out like a sore thumb in this application. I'm going to try running it on a polisher tomorrow and see if one of the compounds we have will remove it. I just hate polishing though, it makes a mess of the whole workshop and takes hours to clean up afterwards.

 

[Sharpend]

Apply the heat 1/4" or so away from joint, this then improves the draw of the solder into the joint. Use solder sparingly, as soon as it starts to melt pull away , you'll be surprised how little you need for a good join. Whilst still hot use Geordies Y fronts to wipe join.

 

[Geordie Spark]

If you want to be REALLY neat, try using Silver Solder (not the soft solder that plumbers use) it leaves a nice gold coloured finish, and is the stuff I used to use in my original trade (Scientific Instrument Maker) and is used by jewelers.

It has a higher melting point than the soft solder, but the same torch that you've been using will be able to handle it.

 

[tidyboiler]

Plumbers wiping cloth??

You posh bugger ...... I just used to use me Y Fronts !!

Waddya mean..... used to? :ciappa:

 

[Marvo]

Well thanks for the advice Geordie, I managed a couple of hours to play around this afternoon so I bought some fittings, a small nozzle for my oxy-acetylene kit and a couple of different blowtorches and these were the results;











Definitely an improvement, I might make the grade as a plumber yet

Thanks again.

 

[KAS1]

Nice work....

 

[ruston]

Shade better than perfect, lovely job with the copper too.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Well thanks for the advice Geordie, I managed a couple of hours to play around this afternoon so I bought some fittings, a small nozzle for my oxy-acetylene kit and a couple of different blowtorches and these were the results;

View attachment 19849

View attachment 19850

View attachment 19851

View attachment 19852

View attachment 19853

Definitely an improvement, I might make the grade as a plumber yet

Thanks again.

Oh yes!!

VERY well done Marvo .... that's how it's done - I'm well impressed with that!!

 

[shanky887614]

Oh yes!!

VERY well done Marvo .... that's how it's done - I'm well impressed with that!!

better than any plumber ive ever seen and i was forced to do plumbing at college!!!

 

[Marvo]

Well thanks for the compliments. I was happy with the result, I think they'll look the part after a quick run on the polisher.


Does anyone have any idea what you pay wholesale price in the UK for a 54mm copcal stop-end cap and a 54mm-15mm straight coupling please? (Same as the fittings shown above). I just purchased the last couple of dozen fittings in the country today and my order time on new stock is 2-3 months

 

[Richard Burns]

Well done Marvo, that is amazing, I did not realise it was possible!
Sorry do not know about copper pipe/fitting costs here.

 

[tidyboiler]

Ooooh perhaps you could weld some of my jewellery Marvo......... you know... a cobblers shoes are never heeled. :43: