cool

If you're trying to solder a bunch of small pieces of copper and/or brass together, you want to have a really big electric soldering iron and an electric solder melting pot. Copper in particular, conducts heat very rapidly, making it so you need a lot more heat than you would otherwise. It also means that you have to let the pieces cool a bit before you do subsequent joints or the whole thing gets hot enough to fall apart.

Check with a heating and A/C place to find the big soldering iron and solder melting pot. While you're at it, pick up some Johnson's liquid flux - it's the best for this sort of work.

Good luck with it and post a picture of the finished piece!

Rich