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| | | | Joined: Jan 2014 Posts: 3,683 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2014 Posts: 3,683 | I have an old Mac double flare kit that has served me well making brake lines and even 5/16 fuel line. Nothing fancy, but seems well made relative to the cheapo ones I’ve seen.
Trying to double flare some 3/8 last night and again today. Can’t do it to SAVE. MY. LIFE. Tried everything I can think of to get it wicked tight. Went and bought some NiCopp thinking that would make life easy. Line slips on the first operation (using the little die) no matter what.
Very angry. Walking away for a while.
1951 3100
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,778 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,778 | Use a C clamp on the flaring blocks to be sure you get a good grip on the tubing. I've had to do that when double flaring 3/8" and 1/2" steel tubing at times.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
| | | | | Joined: May 2015 Posts: 11,052 Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums | | Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums Joined: May 2015 Posts: 11,052 | If it's the type that uses two beams clamped together with wing nuts, that can be problematic, as the larger lines take more pressure. In the bigger sizes, they only really work well for pure copper lines, but you don't want to use that for brake lines.
If you want to be frustrated, try working with 1/2" steel tubing like is used for the oil pickup lines on our engines. I fought with converting to a higher capacity oil pump and the tubing to connect it to the pickup screen for quite a while until I got it. I had to fabricate a tool to make the bends. Fortunately it used compression ferrules instead of flare connections.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truckFollow this saga in Project JournalPhotos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2014 Posts: 3,683 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2014 Posts: 3,683 | Saw one suggestion online to file/sand the the two beams on the surfaces that touch each other. Remove a bit of material so that they don’t meet all the way up.
1951 3100
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,252 "Hey! I sound like Darth Vader!! | | "Hey! I sound like Darth Vader!! Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 4,252 | Along with the other suggestions, some oil between the swedge and tube will help. | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,778 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,778 | Kevin, I've found that cupro-nickel tubing has plenty of pressure capacity, so using steel at the oil pump is sort of a moot point. C-N is a LOT easier to bend and flare.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
| | | | | Joined: May 2015 Posts: 11,052 Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums | | Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums Joined: May 2015 Posts: 11,052 | Jerry, I don't disagree that CuNi has the pressure capacity needed, but I repurposed the existing steel tubing from a couple engines I had on hand for replumbing the upgraded oil pump. I would have had to go buy CuNi tubing. As a matter of fact, even copper tubing has the pressure capability for the oil system, which operates a LOT lower pressure than a brake system.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truckFollow this saga in Project JournalPhotos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2014 Posts: 3,683 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2014 Posts: 3,683 | Along with the other suggestions, some oil between the swedge and tube will help. Did that, and so many other little things trying to make it work.
1951 3100
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