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Hi Simon. I would caution you on soldering OR brazing pipe connections on
an air system.
Compression fittings are a standard used in industry. If you have a
soldered/brazed connection that starts to leak, you can't fix it. With a
compression fitting, usually a small tweak with a wrench will stop or at least
slow the leak so you can surface and perform a real fix.
On places where a manifold or some other device must be fabricated with
multiple connections, a stainless steel tube with threaded fittings works well
and is fairly easy to make.
Copper is pretty soft, and is never used on scuba equipment. A steel
system made from auto brake line material might work, but corrosion may make it
unreliable. The best choice is stainless for the small lines, with associated
stainless " swage-lock " compression fittings. These parts are easily found, and
although a little more expensive, much more reliable.
If you wanted to save some money, you could use standard schedule 40
steel pipe, and protect it with a good epoxy paint. It comes in sizes down to
3/8 inch and is strong enough to take the pressure.
Many guys use brass ball valves, and maybe you could use brass pipe. Not
quite as strong as steel, but better at corrosion. You'd need to get the
pressure specs on it and see if it works.
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