Brake line flaring tool

[bbcmudtruck]

I am going to build my own brake lines using Nickel/Copper alloy brake lines. I will be using either AAS or Poly Armour. From everything I've read, its pliable, easy to work with and will not corrode. My truck is down to the frame as a roller right now and I want to go ahead and build the brake lines while I have easy access. I've done a ton of research on flaring tools and ultimately have come up with the flaring tool from Eastwood is one of the best. However at a cost of $200 bucks, I was hoping I could find a good alternative at half or less the cost. To those of you who have worked with the Nickel/Copper lines, is there a more affordable flaring tool that works? I don't want to run out and buy a cheaper parts store tool, as that idea almost never works! I should also mention before someone says, "just buy a complete line set" that I want to route my lines in a much neater and organized fashion. Thanks!!

[95 S_Trucker]

There a lots of good flaring tools that are relatively inexpensive

This has more than enough to get you by:

http://www.amazon.com/OTC-4503-Stinger-Double-Flar...

This one is just a standard flare tool, and will work fine for what you want to do:

http://www.amazon.com/OTC-4503-Stinger-Double-Flar...

I have an $65 blue point flare tool that I used for years. It works great. I recently upgraded to a hydraulic flare tool. but that's over your price range.

[enaberif]

Princess Auto/Harbour Freight.. $50-60.

Works fine.

[bbcmudtruck]

Thanks for the help fellas! As soon as I posted this question, I checked on ebay to see if I could find a good snap on or mac flaring tool. While I was browsing, I came across a Craftsman 45 degree double flaring tool new in the box for a buy it now price of $59.99 with a best offer option. I shot the guy $40 bucks and he counter offered with $46. They sell for $70 bucks from Sears and have excellent reviews. If this doesn't work, I'll bite the bullet and get the Eastwood flaring tool as suggested. Anyone here have experience with the Craftsman set? Also, I'll need a good bending tool, everyone seems to agree that the Eastman bending pliers are good, is there anything else you would recommend? Thanks for the help!

[dirtyjim]

I have several flare tool including the $200 eastwood tool. the eastwood tool aint cheap but is well worth it. it can also do bubble flares, if you decide to do your own fuel lines.
regardless of the tool used prepping the end of the line before you flare it is more important than the brand of tool used.

[ssxty8]

Originally Posted by dirtyjim

if you decide to do your own fuel lines.
regardless of the tool used prepping the end of the line before you flare it is more important than the brand of tool used.

eye 2nd dat.

[Sean1985]

I just went through this. Bought the eastwood tool after the fact. A lot less headaches. It takes all the guess work out of flaring.

[cableguy0]

Remember you get what you pay for and its usually cheaper to spend more in the first place. I have this Mastercool MSC71475 Universal Hydraulic Flaring... set. It will flare any line perfectly and does every flare you will ever need. I spin wrenches for a living though and don't screw around when it comes to buying tools. It doesn't pay off when things don't work as they should.

[bbcmudtruck]

Thanks for the guidance! I'm going to be flaring the NICOP tubing, so hopefully the ole Craftsman is up to the task. I'll do as recommended and prep the tube before making the flare. If I can't get it to work, I'll pony up the money for the Eastman tool. I ordered all of my brake line and fittings yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to start routing the lines next week. I appreciate the help!

[cableguy0]

Just remember if one your flares fail you have no brakes.

[bbcmudtruck]

Yep, I fully understand that. I take my time when I build stuff and I also have a bit of OCD. I have a very hard time calling something done that isn't perfect. I'll take extra care in preparing the tubing before I flare it and see how it turns out. Once all the stuff gets here, I'll practice making some before I start bending lines. I also planned on posting some pictures here to ask opinions before I commit to anything. Thanks Cableguy!

[cableguy0]

No problem. The biggest thing to watch for is a crooked flare or the tubing cracking when you press it the second time to create the double flare. Once you get the feel for it you will be fine. Its just the figuring it out part that can be a problem since brakes are kind of important lol.

[_Ogre]

with the brake line that your using any cheap flare kit will work
most parts stores have loaner kits you can use, though nice to have one in your box

if you were using stainless then the hydraulic flare tool is best

[95 S_Trucker]

Originally Posted by cableguy0

Remember you get what you pay for and its usually cheaper to spend more in the first place. I have this Mastercool MSC71475 Universal Hydraulic Flaring Tool Set - Hand Tool Sets - Amazon.com set. It will flare any line perfectly and does every flare you will ever need. I spin wrenches for a living though and don't screw around when it comes to buying tools. It doesn't pay off when things don't work as they should.

That's the one I upgraded to. It works great.

Where do you work btw? I run my own shop 3 miles south of Lancaster.

[bbcmudtruck]

That's partially why I chose to go with the NICOP tubing Ogre! I spent several hours searching the internet studying brake lines and flaring tools. The NICOP tubing was consistent with the words easy and forgiving in the search bars hahah. I was in town yesterday and stopped by the local O'Riellys and checked out what brake tubing they had in stock. I also checked to see if they flared brake lines in house. The good news is that they carry Poly Armour tubing, but the bad news is that they do not flare tubing. The manager that runs our O'Riellys is an old school mechanic and really knows his stuff. (I know that's rare when it comes to parts stores haha) He basically told me the same thing. The NICOP tubing will be good to go and flaring shouldn't be a problem. One bummer was the fact that they sell 25ft rolls for $8 bucks less than what I bought mine for. I'm going to spend the morning searching the forum for ideas on how to route and hide the brake lines. If anyone has any links, that would be much appreciated!

[ssxty8]

Wherever you route them, keep them well affixed to avoid movement, insulated from friction (metal to metal contact), so they don't get damaged. IMO is not how nice they look, it's how safelly they're located.
just my $0.02

[bbcmudtruck]

Well I got all of my brake line and flaring tools in the mail today. I've made about 40 practice flares and have been getting my flaring education this evening. The first few flares I tried, I prepped the tube extremely well by making sure it was completely flat, de-burring the inside as well as giving the outside a slight bevel. I also used brake fluid to lubricate the arbor. I couldn't get the flares to turn out worth a dam with this process. So I tried a piece without any prep at all and it turned out great. Tried it again and had the same result, great! From what I can tell, this Ni/Cop tubing is so soft, that filing the outside edge as well as beveling the inside edge weakens it to a point that it won't flare correctly. This stuff is super soft compared to steel tubing. One thing I think would help though, is if the little nipple that goes down inside the tube was closer to the actual inside diameter of the tube. Other than that, I've been able to duplicate great looking flares time after time. I don't know whether they will seal up or not at this point, but the look really good hahaha.

[cableguy0]

Originally Posted by bbcmudtruck

Well I got all of my brake line and flaring tools in the mail today. I've made about 40 practice flares and have been getting my flaring education this evening. The first few flares I tried, I prepped the tube extremely well by making sure it was completely flat, de-burring the inside as well as giving the outside a slight bevel. I also used brake fluid to lubricate the arbor. I couldn't get the flares to turn out worth a dam with this process. So I tried a piece without any prep at all and it turned out great. Tried it again and had the same result, great! From what I can tell, this Ni/Cop tubing is so soft, that filing the outside edge as well as beveling the inside edge weakens it to a point that it won't flare correctly. This stuff is super soft compared to steel tubing. One thing I think would help though, is if the little nipple that goes down inside the tube was closer to the actual inside diameter of the tube. Other than that, I've been able to duplicate great looking flares time after time. I don't know whether they will seal up or not at this point, but the look really good hahaha.

Usually if they look right they are fine. A bad flare sticks out like a sore thumb. Every now and again you make what looks like a perfect flare that just wont seal for whatever reason. Its usually toward the end of the day on a Friday when your under the gun to finish the job for the customer.

[motornut]

Having my own flair kit is great,(think mines a Unitool) but when the line is done, I blow air threw it make sure all metal bits are out

[bbcmudtruck]

Another update on the Craftsman flaring tool and the Ni/cop tubing. After practicing several flares and figuring out that reaming the inside of the tube resulted in bad flares, I came to the conclusion that reaming the inside of the tube was somehow weakening the tubing and resulting in a bad flare. After some more practice and studying, I now think that the flares do not turn out good after reaming is because the nipple on the dye is smaller than the inside diameter of the tube. If I don't ream the tube after cutting it, the inside diameter is somewhat tapered and smaller, allowing the die to stay centered while compressing it. Rather than immediately give up, I ordered up a few replacement dies from different companies, in hopes that one of them will have a slightly larger nipple. I ordered a die from Eastwood as well as one from Rigid. I will report back with results. Thanks for all of your help and tips so far!

[bbcmudtruck]

I went to town and picked up a 8" piece of brake tube from O'Rielly's yesterday to see if maybe my flares would turn out better with a different brand. The brand from O'Riellys is called Edelmann easy bend and has green rust protective coating. This stuff flares so much better than the AAS copper alloy tubing I got from Amazon and I'm really leaning towards using this stuff instead. It is still a copper alloy material, however it isn't quite as soft and pliable as the AAS line. The only thing that bugs me about the Edelmann line is that it has a seam, where as the AAS line does not. Here is picture of a flare I made using the Edelmann line from Oriellys. How does this look to you guys?

[enaberif]

Flare looks good to me. Nice and even all around the edges and should seal up quite nicely.

[_Ogre]

when doing your own flares they typically do not look like a oem flare that was done with a whole lot better set of dies
personally i think you are over pressing the flare to make it look oem, over pressing will cause problems with cracking and leaks
all you need is a seat that will seal to your fittings, the seat can be half the area that you have shown

[bbcmudtruck]

Ok, I'll make a few more and not press it down as much. I'll post back with results. Thanks!

[cdowns]

That picture of your flair looks so-so to me with all sorts of nicks and scrapes around the edges

if you ask me buting an eastwood tool is just askin for trouble// if you want a good heavy duty flair tool go to a local plumber supply or if you have an ac supplier in the neighborhood and get a proffessional flairing tool not the homehandyman crap from eastwood