Brazing

wflather

Can copper plumbing be brazed using MAPP gas? Is this diffucult? What materials would I need?

Kritz_3

Brazing copper plumbing

Yes it can, you will need a turbo(or swirl type) torch head. Use a silver content of 5% or more. You will be ok up to 1 inch as long as
it is done indoors. In the cold you won't have a chance.
You can get a high output large bore turbo torch from a plumbing supply house that will let you do larger diameter tubing, but the small hand held tank type is quite limiting.

What type of system is this being used for (domestic,hydronic,refrg)?

Ray M_2

Brazeing

Why do you need to braze the tubing? For a/c refer jobs we braze,but we apply a small amount of nitogen gas through the tubing to prevent oxidation. Brazeing also annelles the tubing and makes it weak. A good solder is the best choice for other than a/c refer work.

LOL

Ray M

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

hot_rod

Soldering, architectural joints, etc

This Blockade solde has a bit lower melt point than the silfos types of solder. It puddles and works nicely even with a wide flame turbo torch tip. A small oxy/actylene brazing torch, with a fine pin point flame works even better.

After a little file and emery cloth work it can be polished nicely.

To mount your towel bar, consider a FIP - pex lug ell. This is a Vanguard brand. Then get a mip X compression adapter like pictured. (sorry I don't have a 1/2" adapter to show) This would allow you to see only the compression nut protruding from the sheetrocked wall. Easy to connect and disconnect, and it could be plated or painted, or powder coated.

Then run pex lines back to you heat source.

hot rod

wflather

Thanks

Looks like a doable solution. Would the blockade solder have a high enough melting point to withstand the powder coat baking process?

wflather

Why-

I am making a hydronic towel warmer from 3/4" copper pipe to be hooked into the DHW system. I hope to have it powder coated to dress it up. HotRod pointed out that the temperatures used to bake the powder coat on can exceed the melting point of regular plumbing solder (~415F right?).

Seemed to me that brazing could solve that problem for me if it can be done with a Lowe's-variety MAPP torch with a swirl type torch head and re-modellers experience sweating pipes. Lowes also has BernzOMatic Copper Phosphorus brazing rods that the package says are suitable for joining copper to copper and copper to brass or bronze plumbing jobs without flux. Working temperature is 1310 F to 1475 F.

Kritz_3

towel warmer

It should do the trick, have fun and post a photo when you are done
with it. You could try your hand at fillet brazing some steel pipe and
sending it out to get chromed. Doing some mitered corners and some bird mouth crossbars, sounds like fun I might just have to make one myself!!!