Plumbing · Copper and joining · virtual skills lab
Cut it, clean it, flux it,
sweat it.
A shop work order: cut one 14-1/4 in stub from 24 in stock of 3/4 in Type L copper and sweat a wrot coupling onto the cut end. Every step a first-year plumber has to get right is here, from clearing flammables off the bench to wiping the joint warm.
- 33graded steps
- ~20minutes
- 80score to pass

The job
What you do in this lab
- Put on PPE, read the work order and clear the flammables off the pipe table.
- Measure and mark the cut, set the tubing cutter on the mark and feed it lightly round the tube.
- Ream the inside, deburr the outside and clean both surfaces to bright copper.
- Flux the tube and the fitting socket, then seat the coupling to its stop.
- Shield behind the joint, check the extinguisher, light the torch and heat the fitting, not the tube.
- Pull the flame clear, feed the solder round the seam, wipe the joint and inspect the fillet.
Skills practiced
What it builds
- Measuring and cutting copper
- Reaming and deburring
- Surface preparation and fluxing
- Torch safety
- Soldering a full fillet
- Joint inspection
Every action is scored as you work. Wrong tools, skipped safety steps and wrong readings cost points, and the questions along the way ask why, not just what.
How to play
Browser or headset
In a browser
Open the lab on a laptop or desktop in Chrome, Edge or Safari. Look around with the mouse and click to act. On a touchscreen tablet the lab switches to touch controls. The lab is a large download, so give it a moment on the first load.
In VR
On a Meta Quest, open the Quest browser and go to titanlearning.com/vr/sweat-a-copper-joint. Choose Play it in your browser, then Open in VR inside the lab, then Enter VR in the tab that opens. Use the controllers, or put them down and point and pinch with your hands.
For schools
Train on labs like this every week
This lab is one of the virtual skills labs built into Titan Learning programs. Learners practice the work between lessons, and instructors see every attempt and score. A headset is optional.


