I'm looking to run some new larger pipes for a bathroom shower remodel and decided now's a good time to try to learn copper pipe sweating. Would anyone be willing to judge my first 4 attempts?
For reference this was done horizontally on a dry pipe I purchased purely to practice on.
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In plumbing school we would flatten the cut joints with a hammer until it separated to see the solder coverage. But it looks good
Looks too hot by the discoloration. But not so hot that the flux was burned and turned to carbon.
Looks pretty good to me.
The bottom of the 90 on the right in that other pic is kinda ehhh but the soldered caps mostly look pretty good like I could place my confidence in most of them.
Edit: I said "most", I'll say all. Keep it up.
The elbow was my first attempt at multiple connections in one go, and the one you mention was the first of the two soldered. So I suspect it got a little extra heat which caused the solder to bubble a little. Still held up to full hose pressure but wasn’t as smooth as the caps were.
More practice needed for sure, but overall doable. I’m finding the hardest part is hitting the right temperature without going over.
It looked great until you cut it in half
Plumbers today do not solder , It is becoming a lost art . What you are doing is 👏. It looks great from my end . Keep up the good work.
Sure, most homes opt for PEX because of cost, but we're in a UPC area, so even when the house is PEX, we still solder on the water heater and shower valves. Plus we braze in copper gas lines all the time. I rarely go a week without busting out one of my torches
Fucking awesome
As a DIY'er who prefers copper solder, if you're working with open vertical pipes, shove some white bread up there to prevent water percolating down. Start the first faucet above the line to let it clog the screen, if it is. Steam will kill a joint before the solder solidifies.
If you're near something delicate, like polyiso, wrap the pipe away from the joint toward the heat-intolerant material with a wet paper towel to limit heat transfer.
Make sure those pipes are clean. I soldered in a mixing valve one time with pipe insulation residue. Couldn't return downstairs for a day.
Looks pretty good. But it’s worth noting that as the size of the pipe goes up, the difficulty goes up. 1”+ is a BITCH with just a single blue bottle torch.
Noted. I have the yellow bottle stuff, but will also practice on the larger size. The line I want to branch off of is 3/4ths.
3/4 will be fine. It’s once you get an 1”+ where you have to start heating the pipe from more than one point
That yellow MAPP gas bottle is good for soldering up to 1-1/2" easy. I wouldn't like to braze anything with it, but I have done it in the past with success, even on 1". Takes forever, and a lot of finesse, but it does work, just wouldn't suggest it
So long as you can see solder all the way around. Doesn't matter what it looks like otherwise. In commercial soldering we don't give a shit, it's not on display, you make sure it's not going to leak.
Except for when it is very much on display. I've worked in a few places where it's shined up and run along a dark wall.
It’s hard to say. I need about 12-18 more pictures from different angles.
On a more serious note the best way to find out would be to build something out of copper that you can pressurize. It does look good and clean though.
Rseding91 [OP] 5 points · Sep 2026
I'll have to setup the stage lighting and get the slow-motion camera out. It might be a while!
Right. I want to do that - but didn't want to buy a bunch of fittings only to realize it was beyond me and end up throwing them out. My plan is to get a garden hose <> plumbing fitting, make something out of 3/4ths pipe and connect the entire thing to the outside spigot. From some searching it seems there are adapters that will take my 3/4ths garden threads to 3/4ths plumbing threads, and 3/4ths plumbing to soldered 3/4ths. I haven't found a straight 3/4ths garden thread -> 3/4ths soldered plumbing (so far).
Back to the store!
Pipe_Memes 4 points · Sep 2026
I think you have a good handle on it. If you can consistently make joints like that then you probably don’t need to worry too much about leaks.
Rseding91 [OP] 2 points · Sep 2026
Success! Although 2 of my vertical attempts were a failure. One due to over-heating and one because I didn't keep the torch on the fitting as I applied the solder. Addressing both of those, the remaining attempts were successful.
https://preview.redd.it/87tdiytxbjrh1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=236fa1a3293abaa3f307dff969617fbd40a2286e
Dug_n_the_Dogs 1 points · Sep 2026
Yeah! These look a lot better temperature wise.
SnooComics8739 2 points · Sep 2026
Buy yourself a 1/2" tee, (4) 1/2" 90s and a 1/2" x 3/4" male adapter make a loop with a test that is the best practice then put your hose on it
SlimPickens0 2 points · Sep 2026
Get a test gauge, has a schrader valve for an air compressor on one end, 3/4 NPT threads on the other. Usually has a 0-100psi gauge on it, around 20 bucks. Add a 3/4 male adapter to the end of your project, screw the gauge on and fill it up with air. That's how we test our water and gas lines on new homes before the service is in. Test water lines to 100psi, gas to 40
merlinious0 3 points · Sep 2026
Gonna need an x ray and ultrasonic report