How weird is this? Pipe soldering clamps

[frenchie]

Just got my catalog from Garret Wade... weird new tool this month.

Anybody ever seen this before?

http://www.garrettwade.com/jump.jsp?...&itemID=112376

I'm thinking of the many conversations we've had about sweating pipe in difficult-to-reach spots, worries about scorching or starting a fire...

Then again, I've seen GW carry some pretty silly stuff.

[GrumpyPlumber]

Excellent idea, but I'd bet money it takes too long to heat.

[master plumber mark]

We had something like that laying around
the office years ago, I remember fooling with
one when I was a kid....

like Grumpy stated it takes too long to evenley
heat up the pipe....

[GrumpyPlumber]

I prefer Mapp, but most like Acetylene in the event there's wet pipe.
No doubt that thing wouldn't handle it.

[cwhyu2]

Yet to burn down a house using open flame.I would keep ext and spray
bottle of water close at hand.Looks interesting though.

[patrick88]

Yet to burn down a house using open flame.I would keep ext and spray
bottle of water close at hand.Looks interesting though.

I use Acetylene have used Mapp in the past. I take extreme precautions when it comes to fire in or around walls.

[Furd]

Nothing new about that tool, they have been around for more than 50 years.

I've never used one and I think that there are probably few places where I would use one but it might be useful in close-quarters for repair work.

[hj]

1. I have had one for years,The clamps are bulky so it is not really suitable for closely spaced pipes or tight spaces.
2. The instructions say to clamp around the pipe and let the heat flow to the fitting. It should be, "clamp around the fitting and apply the solder when it is hot".
3. Just another item to find space for in the truck and maybe really only needed a couple of time a year, if that. I guess not seen or used mine for decades. (I think my son borrowed it).
4. It will heat the joint quickly, but if you have to replace the jaws for each size tubing, it eliminates any efficiencies.

[frenchie]

Seemed pretty silly to me, too - I was sharing more for laughs than anything else. A scrap of drywall protects framing just fine, IME, for the ~10 seconds it takes to heat a fitting.

Although I was open to someone telling me "they're great"... you never know... it looked like overpriced gadgetry. GW does a lot of that.

I've never worked with acetylene, what's that like? I did graduate from propane to MAPP a few years back, under my plumber's advice - soooo much faster!

[GrumpyPlumber]

Mapp is a mixture of acetylene and propane.
Propane just doesn't cut it on wet pipes.
Personally I found that acetylene does, but often roasts the flux inside the hub in the process.
You get a feel for that, learn to back the acetylene away before overheating it.
I just like Mapp because the tanks as light as propane so I can lug it along with other tools and my bucket...less trips.