i bought one of their brake pipe flaring devices today, quite a nice thing for the price. However, the hole on the silver clamping bar (*tech term*) that says 3/16 is nowhere near tight enough to grip 3/16 copper pipe. But the 5/32 (next one down) is too small. So is the device wrong, the pipe wrong, or is it just me? i know some people have used this tool so hopefully someone will know from experience whats up...

the 5/32 made an OK crimp, but it was a little uneven cos obviously the clamp wasnt a good fit round it.

any ideas?

and i know, a tape measure would help, but i though id make sure i had the right end of the stick first...

It worked for me.

does it actually clamp the pipe securely, but the pipe gets pushed thro the hole under the forming action?

If it does, you are using it wrong!

will provide more info if needed....


atb

steve

Mine works o.k. as well, I've been using it for years and haven't had any problems. If you use the wrong size your flare will be too small. If it doesn't work take it back and ask them to swap it for you. If you follow the instructions and use a spot of white brake grease or brake fluid on the die it might work better.

If its the one on the blue plastic case i've had no problems with it,a tip i got from this forum was to put a bit of grease on the die before forming the flare.
If you get an uneven flare you probably have too much pipe sticking out of clamp,and yes i had a prob with the clamp at first but a bit of practice (about 2 dozen little bits of copper pipe all over the garage floor)i had it cracked.

mines got a red case. Perhaps thats it then


Its important to file (taper) the outside of the tube a bit as the instructions say. I didnt use lube.

You clamp the pipe in the clamp (!) so that it pokes out by the amount of the step on the die thingy. Put the spigot of the die in the pipe, then crush it all down.

Thats a single flare. For a double flare, screw the wedge into the single flare.

My first one didnt have instructions, and it looked like you used the die second! If you do this you get crap results and the pipe pushes thro the clamp.

atb

steve

this could be my problem then, i have a blue cased one with no instructions. With the clamp tightly done up it is still possible to push the 3/16 pipe into the 3/16 hole. infact, its not even a matter of pushing it, it could fall thru without touching the sides! so thats problem number one.

so what is a double flare used for? when i wedged the pipe into the 5/16 holes, i used the 3/16 die and made an ok attempt. i didnt file anything or use any lubrication.

plus, the 'pin' on the 3/16 die isnt a tight fit inside the copper tube. im gonna check its the right pipe first i think...

thanks for the help so far guys. any more appreciated!

The 5/8" hole is the massive one at the end Joel, the grips are offset with their size to the right of them. When you tighten up the wingnuts do the one nearest first. I've scanned the destructions in so you can follow them yourself. Happy flaring.

[Edited on 16/3/04 by Peteff]
Rescued attachment brakeflarer.jpg

oops, i meant the 5/32 hole anyway! maybe you're right, i'll have a check to see that i read it right!

i read up from google about male and female flairs, so thats a good start. Did a couple of practice ones too, in the tight hole, they came out reasonable for first attempt. Hardest bit seems to be getting the shards out of the middle of the tube, but with a bit of effort they come out.

thanks for scanning that pete, that sorts a few more loose ends!!!

[Edited on 16/3/04 by JoelP]

One I did a while back....

Sorry it's soooooo big, but at least it is a small file size and loads quickly I guess...



pipe flares

[Edited on 16/3/04 by Alan B]

Look at the bottom of the page on this link

FLARES

(BTW, this is the flaring tool I've got - cheap, easy and it works!)

David

pete had it right, i was in the right hole all along but the numbers are off center! and it was 5/8 the other one!

had some alright results out of it now, so i think im on top of things at last! til it comes to bleeding it... got a mate coming to do that!

dont leave any of the swarf in the pipe - I used a needle file to clear it - swarf might damage hydraulic seals.

Get a special tube cutter to make sure you get the ends square. I have seen em for about 3 quid in DIY stores.

atb

steve

You did say 5/32" in the first post, I was just quoting that the 5/8" hole is leftmost and the 3/16" was the one next to it. Glad you are getting the hang of it. I must have done literally hundreds with mine over the years for myself and lots of others without any problems. Keep practising and if you can, use a tube cutter like plumbers with the reamer on the back. Only about £5 and worth it to simplify things.