Phew!

[Tim Lamb]

Hurrying to lay in some *first fix* plumbing before gluing the floor, I was in two minds about testing for leaks! What can go wrong with a 15mm copper, well cleaned and fluxed Yorkshire straight connection? Well, the suspect joint was actually in a sleeve roughly in the middle of a pair of floor joists and only found with a liberal dose of dilute Fairy! Hmm.. The current offering from Screwfix don't show much of a visible solder ring.....

While we are on the subject... my current gas blowtorch is probably too small for 28mm pipe. Does anyone have a recommendation for a better one using a readily available gas canister?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Rothenburg do a rather good one, but using special cartridges.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

When I was a lad, we always put a bit of extra solder on the joint when the solder in the Yorkshire fitting ran. Just to be sure.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

If there is no solder showing clearly and continuously around all ends (use a mirror and torch) no point in even testing it. Do it again. Hope you aren't paying extra for solder ring fittings.

A second one the same, if you like it? My ancient Camping Gaz one just about copes with 28mm.

[Mark]

Just my opinion but you need to be really careful using the higher power MAP blowtorch on 15 and 22mm fittings its very easy to overheat the fitting and burn the flux and end up with a useless joint why not get one of these and a small 3.9kg Propane Gas Cylinder

-

[alan_m]

I'm doing some plumbing using a Surefire2 and MAP

The torch is adjusted to _MINIMUM_ flame for 15mm and 22mm solder ring fittings and so will cope with 28mm with ease.

With MAPP the torch lights instantly on the piezo ignition and works at any angle. This means that I can always put the torch down without a flame.

[Roger Hayter]

As did I. Unfortunately it doesn't seem possible to produce a visible fillet with the lead free solder - this was always reassuring with tin-lead solder, now I always pressure check mine for 24 hours in case of a little track of flux through the joint.

[Tim Lamb]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

They are roughly twice as much as end feed but even a farmer on a pension can afford ?0.32 ea. for a joint that only requires one hand.

Umm.. I wasn't thinking yorkshire for the 28mm and I'll be up a step ladder trying to avoid scorching the ceiling!

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Mark writes

Looks suitable for flat roofing:-)

This is my last plumbing job!

Somewhere I have seen an attachment which can be placed behind the joint to trap the flame and protect nearby vulnerable stuff.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

It was well over 40 years ago when I was installing central heating. Metric size was coming in as I was getting out. Pressure testing was unheard of then. All I can say that is that the extra bit of solder from a coil of solder worked. Dunno about the joints under the floor boards. I was and still am 6' tall and was not going to crawl under the floor boards again to check. The blow lamp was a big blaster from a big gas bottle. A bit of asbestos prevented the skirting boards from being burnt. Well, actually it didn't.

[Tim Lamb]

Hmm.. Looks a tad overkill for my job. Toolstation do a turbo torch and supply propane in a 400g cylinder which comes to a bit over ?50.00 delivered.

>

[T i m]

The thing is ... they (I have one) make doing any such job so much easier, like playing a quality instrument over a cheap one.

And with things like soldering there is a bit of craft involved (where using a decent tool is a good thing and makes the task easier ... and in the case of working with a live flame, possibly safer)?

And when they are selling off your tools will be worth little, versus the Superfire II. ;-)

So, you aren't really talking about the £55 (£15 for the bottle) from Amazon or the £66 all in and delivered from eBay (eg 172242135947) but just the extra ~16 quid (over the SF offering that you may or many not to be able to get parts for or service on?) to get something 'known' and being 'da dogs'. ;-)

"Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM."

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You can buy heat resistant blankets to protect surrounding stuff. Or spare ceramic tiles. Which may split.

[Dave Liquorice]

The dark, woven, 9" or so square, heat resistant mats (glass fibre? carbon fibre?) are very good. heat does get through, eventually. Spaced away from the pipe and surface being protected you should be OK over a painted surface provided you don't really fup up doing the joint. Plain timber not a problem.

[tabbypurr]

If you've got nothing with you, you can top & tail 2 food cans, slit & flatten them and put wet cardboard between them. Re-wet for each joint.

NT

[John Rumm]

I replaced my Bernzomatic quickfire recently[1] with a Rothenberger Super Fire-2.

Been very pleased with it. Even on propane (it will also run MAPP) it has plenty of power (you need to throttle it back for 15mm joints). Very nice you use. Pull the trigger and it lights and runs at the preset output. No flare, no warm up, just straight into it. Let go and it stops immediately - so you can just let go and not need to think where you are putting it etc.

(got mine for about £60 on ebay)

[1] The igniter was getting sticky and quite tricky to use, plus it did not have quite enough output at times.

[FMurtz]

Which is why we use 2% hard silver solder in australia,(or used to, now often as not they use various plastic pipes and crimp or push fit fittings)(which fail more often) I have never had a hard silver solder joint fail.

[harry]

Makes more sense to have two normal blow torches. Ideally identical.

[Tim Lamb]

OK! Just remember I'm the guy who bought a diesel Fiesta!

Nice to think it can be added to my effects auction!

[alan_m]

Which these days catch fire, smoke and set off smoke detectors :)

The words "heat resistant" rather than "flame resistant" seem to be more appropriate to the item I purchased from Screwfix/Toolsatan a few months back. It does however protect wood etc. behind the work-piece.