On Sat, 25 Oct 1997, Wood, Jeff wrote:
> The problem I've had in the past is that the brake line is hard to
> collapse. What about heating the area to soften it, then make your
> flare?
A friend of mine (actualle, the previous previous owner of the TR4)
suggested to get the pipe hot just before flaring it. I think the spec
was "just below cherry red". Metalworking guys will know better than I.
I just left about 6" too much pipe onto my bends so I could give it 3 or 4
more tries if I goofed it.
My worst problem was inconsistent downward force by the tool-- ie, the die
that forms the 'bubble' wouldn't turn and the bubble would be shifted
off-center, causing a thin wall on one side and thick on the other.
I dropped a bit of thin oil on the brake line before flaring it, and made
SURE that the die would turn!
I also had the misfortune to break the center pin on the die. The
replacement one I bought was too thick to use. I started the flare with
the old (broken) one and finished with the new one, then doubled it out
with the cone.
The brake line must also be reamed (get a proper reamer) before flaring,
if you use a rotary pipe cutter. Hacksaw is not recommended. If you did
have to saw the hose, I guess you'd have to lap the end of the pipe flush
somehow (too much work-- get a pipe cutter!)
-Malcolm
|