Shellology:
I,like you and the rest of us here had trouble at first. My problem was not putting a death grip on the flaring tool when tightening down on the tube. Don't be afraid of busting knuckles or breaking a sweat on this deal.
As the old adage goes, "when first you don't succeed, try and try again."
BTW if it gets too much and time is short you can get multiple lengths of brake line at your FLAPS.
