Gentlemen, Throw away your torches!!

Mark Eatherton1

Noticed an add for an electric soldering iron in my favorite magazine.

http://www.netbridgeonline.com/index.php/view/prod/id/piplto

What thinks ye? The price looks right, but the wattage seems redicuolusly low. 600 watts divided by 120 volts equals 5 amps. The tool looks great, but if I've got guys standing around waiting 5 minutes for the joint to hit flow point, where's the savings?

ANyone use these? Looks British.

Always looking for a more efficient, reliable way to do bizness.

ME

EBEBRATT_3

Like PRO Press they may have there application in places where it is unwise to use an open flame. Computer rooms, labs etc some companies are reluctant to issue "hot works permits" due to insurance regulations. Sometimes it takes longer to get a hot works permit than it does to do the job

bob young

fire

those gadgets were around since the early sixties. excellent for hobbiests etc. men use fire and zippo lighters! lol

Maine doug_9

After warning the

plumber to not use the torch in the computer printer room, they went ahead anyway. The alarm went off, the computer class abandoned ship, the fire trucks arrived, the rest of the building wanted to know what was going on. We charged the torch guy for the lost time and false alarm.

Mark Eatherton1

I seriously doubt...

that using an electric torch would have prevented the same problem. Most joints out gas when heated and thats enough to set off a smoke alarm. I'll usually "bag" any detector heads in the immediate vacinity of my hot work. Just don't forget to pull the bag when you're done.

ME

Leo G_99

To heck with the extension cord !!!

> Noticed an add for an electric soldering iron in

> my favorite magazine.

> http://www.netbridgeonline.com/index.php/view/prod

> /id/piplto

>

> What thinks ye? The price looks

> right, but the wattage seems redicuolusly low.

> 600 watts divided by 120 volts equals 5 amps. The

> tool looks great, but if I've got guys standing

> around waiting 5 minutes for the joint to hit

> flow point, where's the savings?

>

> ANyone use

> these? Looks British.

>

> Always looking for a

> more efficient, reliable way to do bizness.

>

> ME

Leo G_99

To heck with the extension cord !!!

just get a tube of copper epoxy!!! States on the tube that the joints are stronger then solder joints. the box has been on the wholesalers counter for about 8 months and no one has had the ba//s to try it yet!! :O~

I have been playing with the idea of running a small baseboard system in my garage, and ifnwhen I does, I'm gonna give this stuff a try. Could be good for near boiler piping!

Leo G

Bill Nye_2

Been there

I had to work in some critical areas, computers, medical,pharmacy. I had one where the firemarshall threatened to throw me in jail if I set of the detectors one more time.

The alarm guy gets $300 to come out and disable [less than 5 minutes] the alarm, and then come back to turn it on [another 5 min.] City financial offices. The fire marshall wanted to hold me liable all of the time the alarm was disabled.

What I did after the first couple of times, I didn't call the alarm guy, I cut a plastic container so it fit snug around the sensor against the ceiling. I then cut a piece of copper tubing that fit floor to ceiling to hold plastic container in place. Then the best part, I use my sootvac to capture the smoke from the flux. Worked real well, saved us from calling the alarm guy twice a day.

S Ebels

Brings up a good point.

How toxic are the vapors from flux and solder? Are there any published stats on this anywhere other than worthless MSD sheets. "Vapors harmful, use proper ventilation".......

We did a job this past summer that finally made me take the Pro-Press plunge. Approximately 2,200' of 1 1/2" copper hung in underground tunnels that ranged from 170' to 300'long. This had to be done while the building was in use so we couldn't just blow air into the tunnels (underground duct) and let the fumes permeate the building.

I don't think we'll ever go back to large scale use of soldered joints.

Jimmy Gillies

Mark.

All I'll say is, we still us a gas torch.
Our's is at the back of stores with a coat of dust on it.
Regards.
Jimmy Gillies Scotland.

Mark Eatherton1

Thanks Jimmie....

I suspected there was a reason the deal seemed too good to be true. I've seen hair dryers with more oompf...

ME

mp1969

Throw away torches?

Just as threaders are being phased out with flexible gas lines etc so may go the soldering methods. As stated by others there will be times and spec's where copper with conventionable methods will still be used (especially in repair/replacememnt work.) I believe Ridgid has had an electric heating method for soldering for quite some time.
The time factor limits the use of electric soldering.
At this stage of my career I too look for new and better ways, however I wait for others to be the guinea pigs and I judge the installations before I buy into new techniques or products.
Since most large projects and even housing push mechanics past there work proven time saving methods are always looked at and sometimes utilized!

Great post!

MP 1969

Geno_15

I'm wait'n

> Just as threaders are being phased out with

> flexible gas lines etc so may go the soldering

> methods. As stated by others there will be times

> and spec's where copper with conventionable

> methods will still be used (especially in

> repair/replacememnt work.) I believe Ridgid has

> had an electric heating method for soldering for

> quite some time. The time factor limits the use

> of electric soldering. At this stage of my

> career I too look for new and better ways,

> however I wait for others to be the guinea pigs

> and I judge the installations before I buy into

> new techniques or products. Since most large

> projects and even housing push mechanics past

> there work proven time saving methods are always

> looked at and sometimes utilized!

>

> Great

> post!

>

> MP 1969

Geno_15

I'm wait'n

for Phasers myself.

Kyle Kubs - Benchmark Home Inspections

Childhood memories

I've used one similar to that many times. Mine plugs into a big ol transformer though (don't even know the amperage) Used it when I was a kid and my father had a business rebuilding electric motors. I can't even remember what they were anymore but once in a while he would get one that had the coils made from a flat copper about 1/16th x 3/8th and I would use that to solder/braze the coil leads together. That puppy would have em cherry red inside of four seconds. Still makes just as much smoke as anything, just does it without an open flame. Good for tight/combustible spaces. I'll have the look and see how many watts or amps it pulls