There is no danger of damaging the pipe or fittings however I would offer one bit of caution. There is no doubt a minor film of soldering flux on the pipe and fittings at the solder joints. While your paint will adhere fine to the copper, it may not adhere to the areas where the flux film remains. Before you begin painting scrub the pipe and fittings about 1" on either side of the solder joint with a good detergent.

A little bit of laundry detergent mixed in water and scrubbed on with an old tooth brush will work fine. Wipe dry with a clean cloth or paper towels then let it air dry overnight before you begin painting.

Thanks lazypup- I figure that the flux residual is likely doing more harm anyway!!

I have NO intention of taking it off and needing to rework that pipe anyway, but I suppose that emery paper would get the paint off it needed in the future ;-)

Appreciate the reassurance and tips!

I have made repairs on many copper pipes that have been painted. Hit the paint a moment with the torch then emery and voila, your ready to solder again. No worries!

"Before you begin painting scrub the pipe and fittings about 1" on either side of the solder joint with a good detergent."

I would scrub any place you want to paint.

Even oil and grease from hands can cause problems for paint adhering to metal surfaces.

They need to be very clean for a long lasting paint job.