Brake lines and flaring and double flaring

OK, so I was fixing my damaged hardline (it was actually fixed last Sunday but I took today to redo it so that I can avoid this problem in the future). In any case, I picked up @ Sears a performance double flaring tool and it doesn't work worth a damn: my double flares look like single flares. They hold, but they are not what they should be so:
1. Should I worry about them not being nice and neat double flares?
2. What flaring tool you guys recommend that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and it works good.
3. Where can I get a grip of the ends and a few couplers for cheap (spares for trail fixing and extending when things get ripped).

Kejtar said:

2. What flaring tool you guys recommend that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and it works good.

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No such thing as a double flaring tool that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but works well. Go to NAPA or Carquest and buy a good one. The cheap ones don't work.

The *ONLY* flare tool I've found that works is from J.C. Whitney (http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs...10101&productId=873&catalogId=10111&langId=-1) Last fall, it was on backorder. It's also supposedly available through Sears Industrial, I don't have that number yet.

I absolutely, positively hate the bar & yoke style flare tools.

ChiXJeff said:

The *ONLY* flare tool I've found that works is from J.C. Whitney (http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs...10101&productId=873&catalogId=10111&langId=-1) Last fall, it was on backorder. It's also supposedly available through Sears Industrial, I don't have that number yet.

I absolutely, positively hate the bar & yoke style flare tools.

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Hmm, going to have to look into that as the bar one was terrible!

Kejtar said:

Hmm, going to have to look into that as the bar one was terrible!

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Bar and yoke ones work all right IF (big if here) the bar is well made. The cheap ones don't hold well. I made up a usable kit with a relatively cheap set and the bar from a much better single-flare tool. It also takes a good bit of practice to make these flares well, and I have found it pretty near impossible to do one on the vehicle. You have to file the bevels VERY carefully, which is difficult when you can hardly even see what you're working on.

Matt,
What did you have to file?
When I made the lines for my D44 i had never done double flares-ever-Followed the instructions and the first flare was a little long after setting the legnth correctly the next flare was perfect. And this was a bar&yoke style.
Wayne

A couple of tips, check the teeth in the bar or pliers or whatever, if they are packed with metal they are gonna slip. Second a little oil on the end of the tubing, helps. Third take it slow, tighten, give it a second, for the metal to relax and tighten again. Don´t over tighten, let the nut do the last crush for a good seal. Check the flare for thinness and/or cracks or splits, real close.
Old brake lines cure with age and harden, harder to flare.

8Mud said:

A couple of tips, check the teeth in the bar or pliers or whatever, if they are packed with metal they are gonna slip. Second a little oil on the end of the tubing, helps. Third take it slow, tighten, give it a second, for the metal to relax and tighten again. Don´t over tighten, let the nut do the last crush for a good seal. Check the flare for thinness and/or cracks or splits, real close.
Old brake lines cure with age and harden, harder to flare.

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I actually did all that and on top of everything those were new lines (ok.. they had 500 miles on them) Anyways I"ll be investing into a quality tool sometime soon.

I haven´t seen the set you have, but in the past, Sears made some pretty good stuff, though they have had some contracted tools, that didn´t have the normal Sears guarantee. But it´s been awhile, since I´ve bought any Craftsman stuff. I learned to spot the questionable tools, by the disclaimer, something about the guarantee being honored by the manufacturer, not Sears.
I´ve got three half sets of flaring tools, will probalby order the Whitney version, price is right.
I´ve found some tubing, that was a bad fit in the bar. Seems to be a rather, wide range, of wall thicknesses.

i would recommend splurging for a quality flaring tool, this is for your brakes right?

Wayne Sihler said:

Matt,
What did you have to file?
When I made the lines for my D44 i had never done double flares-ever-Followed the instructions and the first flare was a little long after setting the legnth correctly the next flare was perfect. And this was a bar&yoke style.
Wayne

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On the set I have, you're supposed to file an outside bevel on the end of the tube first. If it's not really squarely filed, the flare will be lopsided. Then there's a little die that is pressed over the top to produce the inward, or folded-over, portion of the flare. If the filing is too blunt it will not fold over enough, and if it's too sharp, it will tear. Finally, it's flared a second time without the die, to produce the outward flare, and to smooth out the inside surface. When it goes right, you have a pretty nice flare.

Getting the filing done just right is critical to getting the flare to fold cleanly, and also to being able to do it without forcing the tubing out of the yoke. There also is no margin for error in how far the tubing protrudes from the yoke when you do the flares. I found practicing on scrap pieces helped a lot.