Use mapp gas with the appropriate swirl head when soldering. It will get hotter but you won't have to keep the flame on the pipe as long but the copper will stay hot enough to melt the solder for a longer period

Perhaps this may help;
The secret of soldering is cleaning, fluxing and heat.

Take plumbers sand cloth and shine the pipe back a few inches and with a cleaning brush shine the inside of the fitting.
Now paint both pipe and fitting with NoCorrode Solder paste and join the pipes.
Fire up the torch using a medium tip and apply heat to the BOTTOM of the largest fitting while holding the tip of your solder on TOP.
When the solder begins to melt on top run the tip of the solder around the joint. Capillary action will suck the solder into the joint as you run the solder around the joint. Run the solder around several times and let it set it. You have just completed your solder job. Hope this helps and thank you for rating my reply. Tom

I have a similar problem and don't have time to become adept at soldering right now. This pipe is lateral and exposed. It can be fixed right some other time. Can I just do a compression fitting for now? I've used them in the past and it seems it held for quite a while until I could repair it properly, maybe 6 months later. Thank you.

If I understand you correctly you are trying to cap a lateral and exposed copper pipe I would suggest to get a sharkbite end cap and install it see the image below, Thanks.

John

Can I just do a compression fitting for now? Sure you can. However it will only be a temporary repair. Good luck, Tom

Old plumbers will tell you that old copper will not take solder. I imagine that old copper has become contaminated over the years and cleanilness is next to godliness,so no matter how much you sandcloth the end you can not get it clean.

Hey Grizzpa

Sorry, but you are not correct on this! Old copper can be cleaned and soldered almost as easily and reliably as new copper... just requires a little extra work with the sandcloth is all... ;)

Old or new plumbers would never argue on this fact!

Mark

Hey grizzpa!
I'm a old plumber,( they don't get much older then me) broke in back in the galvanized stage but when we began to pipe with copper I found the part of plumbing I liked the best. And I ran a lot of it over the years. Mark's right and you're wrong.
There's absolutely no difference between copper that's been in the rack for a length of time or copper fresh off the factory. Both shine up and solder the same. You and the "old plumber", that gave you such good information , should both enroll in Plumbing 101. Cheers Tom

Before we started renovating, the house was broken into and all copper pipe was stollen. Shut water off. Can the copper ends be bent trifold in the spare time so we can at least get water to the kitchen without having to sader or cap right now. We are waiting for insurance

Hi Robbynne

See post #24 above... talks about SHARKBITE (gatorbite is another similar fitting) fittings that simply push onto the pipe ends. This will be far faster and easier then "tryfolding" anything... ;) They are available at all home improvement stores nowadays!

Mark