[QUOTE=jbrewer;138549]what kind of sized heated copper would you use to have enough thermal mass to solder a tank? Do you heat it with gas, or...?
John (who has some old vintage soldering "coppers")[/QUOTE
The bigger one is maybe 1-1/2 sq 2-3" long I heat it with Nat gas burner I built for it, but you can use any heat source,-- propane torch, oxy/acc,
blow torch, plumbers furnace etc.
I would think a at least a 1x1" would work, they have numbers a #1 or 2 will work well, but most old ones the numbers are long gone from drawing them out, as they wear.
The bigger ones hold the heat longer.
When heating them, don't go to hot or you will loose the "tin" on the tip. if you do, just plunge it in paste or acid and quickly re tin with solder, it's important to keep the "tin on the tip as this is where the heat transfer takes place!
It takes practice but once learned it is really easy to use.
Now if you are sweating copper plumbing a instant-lite propane torch is the way to go.
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