Re: Tips on double flaring brake lines?

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 4 May 2005, Bob Johnston wrote:

> I'm having trouble getting a seal on my double flared
> 3/16" brake lines. I filed and chamferred inside and
> outside of tube etc. Flare looks good, but leaks under
> pressure. I did search and saw some of the cheaper
> double flaring kits can put flare off center.
> Wondering if any list members had success with the
> lower end double flaring tool, and how they did it?

Funy you should mention this, I've been doing a lot of flaring
with my cheap double-flare kit and thinking of buying a better
one.

I found that mine, comes in a red plastic hinged box, even
Eastwood sells 'em, the double-bar type with two wing nuts to
tighten it, the two bars must be made exactly parallel -- by hand
-- before you tighten it.  I do it by feel, there's a lot of slop.
If these are not exactly parallel, when you attach the
screw-driven flaring tool it will cock to one side and the flare
will be off-center.

YOu can see the off-center flare looking down the end of the tube.

These cheap tools suck. I bought mine probably the same way
everyone else does; it's $30, and I only need it once every few
years. Mine's even a little bowed. It takes a bunch of effort to
make perfect flares when the tool gets a little old.

I really need to find a better one!