In the arsenal of a car owner who is used to independently repairing his car, in addition to the standard set of tools, which includes various screwdrivers, wrenches, pry bars, a jack, etc., there should also be some special devices that make it possible to perform certain repairs as efficiently as possible. work. In this article, I would like to discuss the issue of pipe flaring, or rather, to pay attention to the device with which this process is carried out, especially since many motorists consider it a very useful tool.

1. What is tube flaring?

Flaring of tubes is a technological process (operation), the essence of which is to deform a certain section of the part in order to increase its diameter (if the diameter decreases, then the process is called “rolling”). This procedure is carried out in order to obtain a sealed and durable connection of two pipes, or a tube sheet - a collector. In the automotive world, the term "flaring" is usually associated with brake pipes that have to be repaired due to excessive wear or leaks.

The whole process of expanding is divided into three main stages: the first involves the choice of the gap between the pipe and the tube sheet; on the second, an operation is carried out to jointly deform the pipe and tube sheet; and the third (final) is responsible for removing the load from the inner surface of the pipe.

During the stage of joint deformation, the pipe metal predominantly passes into the plastic deformation zone, and the tube sheet metal - into the elastic deformation zone. To achieve this, a rule should be followed that the hardness of the grate material must exceed the hardness of the material from which the pipe is made, so that, after the flaring process is completed, the pipe sheet will be able to "wrap" the pipe.

As a result, a press connection is obtained, the tightness and strength of which is ensured by means of the contact pressure, which is formed between the outer surface of the pipe and the surface of the opening of the grid (or the second pipe). In some cases, when connecting pipes to tube sheets, welding is used together with flaring, calling such connections combined.

In everyday life, flaring is used when it is necessary to fix pipes in boilers, oil coolers, condensers, steam generators and some other types of heat exchangers. For the full implementation of the flaring procedure, in addition to the machine itself, with the help of which the work is performed, it is also necessary to have an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic drive with the ability to control. The presence of such a drive will ensure the proper quality of the connections.

2. The principle of operation of the device for flaring pipes

Today, the industry produces a large number of a wide variety of pipes and small tubes used to operate various devices and mechanisms. Parts based on a hollow circular profile of constant cross-section are made of cast iron, iron, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals, plastic, metal-plastic, rubber and other materials.

In addition, different products are used in different domestic and industrial environments. For example, for heating or water supply, for sewerage or waste gas passage, for wells or the passage of technical fluids. The diameter of the pipes produced can vary from a few millimeters to several meters, and a large number of different equipment and tools are used for their processing.: from flaring machines to bending machines and bending machines for workpieces.

A device (tool) for flaring pipes (it does not matter whether they are copper, brake or any other), makes it possible to quickly create the required profile in the shape of a bell. As a rule, at the beginning of the flaring process, the tube is cut off with a pipe cutter, after which a retaining nut is put on it and with the help of a flare tool, by rotating the screw, a cone creates a similar profile on the tube.

In other words, expanding the cross-section by increasing the diameter of the tube makes it possible to create a small funnel at its end. It is he who is the primary condition that ensures the implementation of fit-free connections of different elements. Having obtained the required expansion, it is possible to insert a tube of a smaller diameter into the socket and securely fix it at the junction.

Probably, it is worth mentioning the principle of operation of the tool for rolling, because it is often required to reduce the diameter of the pipe by narrowing the cross-section so that it can easily enter the socket. Special pliers are a professional device that allows you to efficiently roll pipes, and in order for the processing to require less physical effort, it is necessary to choose models with a long handle.

Basically, the specified toolkit is intended for working with copper products. Although copper is an expensive material, in some cases it has significant advantages over others.

3. Selecting a tool for tube flaring

Due to the huge variety of different tools and materials, it can be very difficult to choose the right tool for expanding pipes. First of all, when selecting, one should have sufficient information about the parameters and characteristics of the systems for which they will be used, and the tool itself can be used both for creating accurate sides on brass, copper, steel and aluminum pipes, and for expanding or drawing them.

Copper tube flarers are produced not only by well-known companies specializing in various kinds of tools, but also by little-known manufacturers that have been on the market not so long ago. You can choose simple models consisting of a pair of galvanized plates and a bolt equipped with a cone at the end, or you can purchase a whole professional set, which includes several dozen individual elements made of chrome vanadium alloy.

Such kits, in addition to convenient packaging presented in the form of a case with a cradle for each individual element of the brake pipe flaring device itself, can also be supplemented with a pipe cutter for chamfering, a pair of clamping strips with different holes (often have a knocked-out size value) and flaring nozzles ... Depending on the model chosen, pipe flarers can create both a standard cone (at an angle of 450) and some other types of it, for example, a double seal cone.

Before purchasing a flaring tool, you need to have the following information:

- value of the pipe (tube) diameter;

Flaring depth data;

The presence of welding seams;

Characteristics of the material from which the part is made.

The standard flare tool allows for the production of regular 45 ° plain flanges, in tubes with a wall thickness of 1 millimeter. Light weight and small size make it possible to use this device in the flaring of vehicle connections and cooling systems.

Performing the procedure using a tool with a ratchet mechanism requires minimal physical effort from the master, and the result is smooth and even sockets. The flare cone, made of hardened steel, is eccentrically mounted in the needle bearings and rotated until uniform plastic deformation of the metal is achieved. This ensures a completely homogeneous state of the bell-shaped walls, without any coating.

Flaring and flaring of pipes using a compact flare tool (this is the name of the corresponding device), makes it possible to obtain a special thread without damaging the material, and the clamping lips, thanks to multiple grips, allow you to quickly and reliably fix the tool, preventing the product from slipping. If you additionally apply metric and inch markings to the matrix, this will greatly facilitate the work with pipes from different manufacturers. The special shape of the nozzle of a separate tool makes it possible to use the flare tool both in working with long pipelines and with pipes with a wall thickness of less than one millimeter.

Flaring of copper pipes, also called rolling, is a technological operation, the essence of which is to deform their walls in the desired direction. The need for such an operation arises in cases where it is required to perform a tight and reliable connection of copper pipes with various devices and devices or to dock them together.

Tubes made of copper are quite common today, and in those cases where their connection must be detachable, flaring is indispensable. For expanding pipes made of copper, both special equipment produced in series and a set of simple tools can be used, which, if all technological recommendations are followed, also allows you to perform such a process with high quality.

Features of execution

Flaring of copper tubing may be required if:

• the cut end of the tube must be given the required configuration;
• the end of the product must be prepared for its connection with the help of a coupling (in this case, using flaring, the geometric parameters of the tube are adjusted, such as the inner diameter, bending angle, etc.);
• it is necessary to prepare the ends of the copper pipes for their connection by means of soldering.

In order to properly flare a copper tube using special tools and devices, you must perform the following steps.

• The end of the tube to be connected is carefully cleaned.
• A special sleeve is put on the stripped end.
• Using a special tool or device, the end of the tube is expanded until its expansion angle is 45 °.
• After the end of the procedure, the end of the product is removed from the device. Then you can start making the connection right away.

If you have never performed such a technological operation before and for the first time are going to do flaring work with your own hands, then you should cut off the tube with a certain margin of length (2–2.5 cm), which will allow you, in case of failure, to flare it again by cutting off the defective section.

If copper is needed in order to make its connection by soldering, then the sequence of steps for carrying out such a procedure will look like this.

• The surface of the tube end to be flared is thoroughly cleaned (for this it is best to use a special brush).
• With the help of a special device, the end of the copper tube is expanded to such an extent that the end of the other tube can be inserted into it and at the same time maintain a gap of 0.124 mm between the elements to be connected. Naturally, this requires the use of a measuring tool.
• On the inner surface of the pipe section, which has already been expanded, flux is applied in a uniform layer, which is necessary in order to ensure the formation of a reliable and tight connection.
• The end of the second connection element is inserted into the flared part to a depth equal to the pipe diameter.
• With the help of a gas torch, an electric soldering iron or a blowtorch, the place of the future connection is warmed up until the moment when the solder begins to melt.
• The molten solder fills all the gaps between the edges of the copper pipes to be connected, as a result of which a reliable and tight connection is formed.

After the connection of the two copper pipes is formed, they must be laid on a horizontal surface and allowed to cool completely. Only after the junction has completely cooled, the resulting structure can be used.

Tools and fixtures

In order to flare pipes made of copper with their own hands, special devices are used. Such devices can be either manual or electric. They are used for the installation of air conditioning, water supply and heating systems. Electrically powered tools often combine several functions: with their help, you can not only flare the copper tube, but also bend it at the required angle.

Any device used to expand tubes made of copper works according to the principle of plastic deformation, therefore it is very important that it cope with this process as carefully as possible, without violating the homogeneity of the material structure, while maintaining the uniformity of the wall thickness of the products, as well as the smoothness of their inner surface.

Correct flaring diagram and examples of incorrect operation

To perform flaring of copper pipes with high quality (even if you are doing it yourself for the first time), you can use one of the following devices.

Sample

It is a cone-shaped blank made of a harder metal alloy than copper. The advantages of such a device are its low price and ease of use. Meanwhile, its use can be accompanied by ruptures of the walls of the copper product, which gives a low quality of flaring.

Mechanical expanding machine

The main working body of this device is a hard alloy roller, which, rolling along the edge of the copper tube, gives the latter the required configuration. The use of a mechanical expanding machine makes it possible to carry out uniform deformation of the processed section of the tube, to form walls of the same thickness at its end with a high quality of their inner surface.

Electric flare tool

Such a device with a whole set of interchangeable nozzles, having all the advantages of a mechanical tool, allows you to perform flaring of copper pipes with higher productivity and less labor costs. Perhaps the only drawback of the electric flare tool is its rather high price.

Expander

This hand-held lever-operated device allows the end of the tube to be expanded in a single movement. With its simple design, such a device also has a number of significant drawbacks, the most significant of which is the inability to control the wall thickness of the workpiece. Thus, the use of an expander, which is most often chosen by those who perform flaring with their own hands, does not guarantee a high-quality result.

Taking into account the high ductility of its material, it is not difficult to flare a copper tube. However, in order to achieve high quality performance of such a technological operation, only a specialized tool should be used. Carrying out flaring using the simplest devices, which include blanks and expanders, can be accompanied by a number of negative consequences.

• The walls of the tubes, if they are thin, will wrinkle.
• The walls of the tubes, which will be affected by such a tool, may break.
• In this case, it is practically impossible to achieve uniformity in the thickness of the tube walls, which ultimately will affect the reliability of the joint being formed.

Meanwhile, the use of tools specially designed for performing flaring has the following advantages.

• Due to the gradual (carried out step by step for each pass of the tool rollers) deformation of the pipe walls, the occurrence of ruptures in it is practically excluded.
• The uniformity of the wall thickness of the copper tube is achieved, even if initially this parameter was not uniform.
• The inner surface of the tube after flaring becomes perfectly smooth and even.

The use of a special device, in addition, allows you to quickly and efficiently flare the end of the tube, even for those who have never performed such a procedure with their own hands.

Installation of copper pipelines can be done in several ways. One of the most common is the use of the method of soldering individual sections. This makes it possible to achieve tightness, but is not always practical due to the low maximum pressure in the system. For heating or water supply systems, it is best to use flaring copper pipes.

Appointment

The essence of this process is to change the geometry of the end part of the workpiece. This is necessary to connect different parts of the pipeline using the socket method, followed by pressing the joint. The device for flaring copper tubes has various parameters and directly depends on the diameter of the product, wall thickness and the required speed of the procedure.

To understand the essence of the process, you can consider the stages of its implementation.

1. Segment preparation: trimming, cutting edge grinding.
2. Determination of the magnitude of the increase in the outer diameter in the connected part of the pipe.
3. With the help of a special tool, a mechanical effect occurs on the end face of the workpiece, as a result of which the inner diameter increases.
4. Installation of another pipe section into the resulting socket. The connection is then secured by soldering or mechanical crimping.

When installing pipelines, you can choose models with ready-made mounting sockets or perform the procedures for their formation yourself.

Factory production

If the length of the copper line is long and does not contain a large number of rotary parts, you can purchase a product with factory flaring. For this, special shafts made of high-strength steel are used. After the pipe is made, its end part is compressed by two rollers. The rolling method increases the geometric dimensions of the product in a certain part of it.

The advantage of factory flaring is compliance with all pipe parameters: wall thickness, socket length and diameter. However, during installation, the dimensions of the finished structures often do not coincide with the required ones. This leads to an increase in substandard cuttings and, as a consequence, a significant increase in the cost of purchasing materials. Therefore, it is recommended to use a copper pipe flaring tool for laying small lines.

Roller forming by yourself

When an air conditioner, plumbing or heating system is made of copper pipes, a special tool must be used. Before carrying out work, you should decide on the diameter of the line. In this case, the flaring of the copper pipes must be done by yourself.

For plumbing, products with a cross section of 20 to 32 mm are often used. If a heating system is installed, then the optimal diameter is from 32 to 40 mm, depending on the parameters of the boiler. For the installation of air conditioners, products up to 16 mm are used.

Based on this, do-it-yourself flaring of copper pipes can be carried out with several types of tools. The main criterion when choosing should be the quality of the resulting socket and the possibility of using replaceable nozzles for pipes of different diameters.

Tool

The easiest way to change the geometric dimensions of the end face is to use a conical cylinder made of solid material. Its outer diameter should coincide with the maximum size of the cross-section of the future socket.

However, without a lot of practice, defects may appear on the pipe walls. If the flaring of copper pipes is done with more mechanical force than necessary, then as a result, the metal may crack. To prevent this, a stop is welded to the end of the cone. But even this is not always a guarantee of the correct work.

An alternative to this method can be the use of a special tool - an expander. It is a cone head, on the surface of which limiters for pipes of various diameters are positioned step by step. By pressing the lever, the bell is evenly expanded to the required level.

For a large amount of work, there are devices with an electric drive. The processes in them take place automatically, which guarantees a high-quality product. The main disadvantage is the price.

Method advantages

If you do the flaring of copper pipes yourself, it is recommended to purchase a special tool. The use of devices not intended for this purpose can lead to significant deterioration of the connection.

The advantages of a professional flaring tool are as follows:

• Uniform thinning of the walls as a result of mechanical stress.
• No breaks or deformation on the pipe surface.
• The speed of work will make it possible to install the highway in a short time.

With a small amount of work, it is not necessary to buy a professional tool. Nowadays, there are many companies that provide rental service for a small fee.

Adjusting the diameters of pipes when connecting them is not an easy task. Either there is no blank of the required size, then the wall thickness in different parts of the part is different. But the need to work with the diameters of products arises not only in industry, the expansion of structures for the hermetic fastening of household communications is also often required. We will find out what a do-it-yourself expanding of copper pipes is, why it is carried out and how to act in order to get a good result.

The essence of the process

Radial deformation or flaring of copper pipes in the hole of a special apparatus is necessary to create a strong adhesion of structural elements, for example, a pipe with a tube sheet. In this way, parts are fixed in condensers, boilers, oil coolers, steam generators and other heat exchangers.

This is what a flared pipe looks like.

Stages of pipe flaring

The manipulations are carried out in three stages:

1. The required clearance between the part and the tube sheet is selected.
2. Deformation of both elements is carried out.
3. The pressure (load) is removed from the outer surface of the deformable workpiece.

In the process of expanding copper tubes, the metal softens, stretches (goes into a state of plastic deformation), and the tube sheet material - into a state of elastic deformation. For the manipulations to be successful, the lattice material must be harder than copper.

At the end of the flaring process, the grate “wraps around” the pipe section. We obtain a press connection, the strength of which is ensured by the contact pressure of the surface of the part and the opening of the lattice.

Qualitative stretching will allow you to achieve maximum tightness of the connection

Sometimes welding is also used to connect these elements - such a fastener is called combined. When installing a copper water pipe, one of the parts is expanded, then a second pipe is inserted into it, after which the gap between them is filled with solder.

For combined joints, use welding

It may be necessary to change the diameter of parts in the following cases:

1. If a stamped (cast) product of the required shape cannot be purchased in finished form (it is not produced or is not available).
2. A filigree adjustment of the bend angle, tube size or tube diameter along the inner section is required.

Methods for increasing the diameter of pipes

The tool with which the manipulation is carried out is called a copper tube mill. In industry, shafts of high strength are used, which are rolled several times, as a result of which a profile of the desired configuration is formed. Work can be performed on special machines and machines, bending rollers.

Rolling machine allows deformation to be carried out evenly

Copper is a ductile material, so if you have dexterity and great physical strength, you can manually try to pull a copper blank onto a conical template (blank) to get the desired connection. They resort to this artisanal method, which does not use rolling for copper pipes, in extreme cases, since it is difficult to predict the result. Tears are possible in places that bear the maximum tensile load, a thin part can simply wrinkle and become unusable due to uneven thinning of the pipe walls.

The second option is intermediate between full-fledged processing of workpieces and stretching of parts by force - the use of an expander. The device has several interchangeable nozzles that allow using a lever to stretch the pipe to the desired diameter in one go.

You can use an expander

Important. The expander is good when you need to work quickly, but the results of such a flaring also do not guarantee 100% success. If the walls of the tube were not ideal initially (they had differences in thickness in different parts of the surface), thinner zones will stretch more, while thick areas will not change their shape. And if you try to "put the squeeze on", as in the previous case, breaks and breakage of the part are possible.

The correct flare tool for copper pipes consists of a roll or several rolls made of carbide materials that are rolled over the inner surfaces of the tube many times. In the process of flaring, pressure increases with each revolution - the workpiece is deformed in the desired direction gradually and smoothly, which eliminates the possibility of breaks. In each of the approaches, the rollers change the inner diameter of the workpiece by a minimum amount, the metal transfers such gradual stretching easily.

In this case, the wall thickness changes uniformly, the denser sections of the pipe with different wall thicknesses are rolled out to the same thickness as the thinner ones. And the surface becomes perfectly smooth, without roughness. Just as under the weight of a tram that passes over the rails over and over again, the latter become smooth and shiny, the surface of the part under the influence of the shafts will be homogeneous.

You can flare the section with a cone. The principle of operation is simple - the cone is pressed into the pipe previously fixed in the vice to the desired depth, then removed. The result is inferior in quality to working with shafts, but cones are also used quite often.

Flaring at home

How to make a tool

The ideal solution is to buy a ready-made machine. But if this option is not suitable, and it was not possible to give the required diameter to the workpiece with our bare hands, we will make a tool for working on our own, since it is impossible to flare a copper tube efficiently at home without a device.

Drawing of a homemade rolling machine

The metal is soft, but we need to achieve an exact match of the end of the tubes with the landing cone, otherwise the tightness of the connection will not work.

Once you have your copper pipe rolling machine made, you can use it for years, and the project is well worth the effort. The design of the device is simple - it is a bed made of two identical corners.

What tools will you need to work:

• sharpening machine;
• drilling machine;
• Bulgarian.

Materials:

• two corners 100 mm long (shelf - 32 mm, thickness - from 5 mm);
• two M8 bolts;
• mandrels (you can order from a turner or grind yourself).

We make rolling:

1. We fasten the corners with bolts.
2. We drill chamfers and holes in the base.

Such a rolling set will allow you to independently make an ideal fastening from any section of a copper pipe. You need to work on it in the same way as on a ready-made, purchased flaring machine.

How to Flare Copper Tube

1. The workpiece must be clamped in the holder in a position in which it will protrude 5-6 mm beyond its edges.
2. Instead of a cone, we install a die of a suitable diameter for the workpiece.
3. We put on the fittings. Pay attention to the direction of the thread (it should be facing in different directions, towards the ends of the workpiece - away from each other).
4. With effort we screw in the stamp, while the edge of the end is flattened.
5. We remove the stamp, put a cone in its place.
6. We screw in the cone. You need to work gradually, carefully pushing the cone inward to the required mark.
7. We take out the part from the holder, carefully examine it. If necessary, we will clean it.

Our result is a neat flared part, ready to use.

Using the tips given in the article, you can independently make the necessary set for flaring pipes of different diameters. This approach will save money on the purchase of finished machine tools. And the efficiency of work on a home-made unit is no worse, and special talents are not needed to make it. Good luck in job!

Video: flaring copper pipes

For a vast army of motorists who are accustomed to performing car repairs on their own, the appearance of new tools and devices in the arsenal of those already available is a self-evident inevitability. Today we are talking about repairs, which very often require replacement of brake pipes. These elements are more susceptible to external factors than others, which affects their condition. But they can be replaced only if there is a specialized tool with which the tubes are expanded. No tool - this operation will fail. This means that you still have to go to the nearest car service. Or go to a car dealership to become the owner of another very useful gadget.

The purpose of the brake pipes

Any hydraulic system needs highways through which fluid is supplied to the working mechanisms. The braking system of a car is no exception, but it has its own characteristics. They are connected both with the design of the brakes and with the technical characteristics of the used working fluid, to which very stringent requirements are imposed:

• it should not boil at temperatures exceeding 200 degrees;
• do not lose fluidity in forty-degree frost;
• not be aggressive towards the rubber parts of the brake system;
• do not lead to corrosion.

The last point is especially important for brake pipes, which are an integral part of the vehicle of a modern car. Let's consider the principle of operation of a typical braking system.

The algorithm for stopping the vehicle is associated with the following actions:

• the driver, when it becomes necessary to reduce the speed of the machine until it stops completely, presses the brake pedal with appropriate force;
• the pedal rod directly acts on the piston of the master brake cylinder, actuating it;
• the piston, moving in the cylinder, acts on, creating a certain phenomenon;
• liquid, the compressibility of which is close to zero, moves along the highway and acts on the brake cylinders located on each of the wheels;
• the pistons transmit the impulse of movement to the brake pads, which, pressing against the discs, create a braking force, slowing down the rotation of the wheels.

In this chain, brake pipes are an integral part of the hydraulic line along which the working fluid moves. Their task is to prevent TJ leaks, therefore, the quality of their connection with other elements of the brake system is of particular importance. This is why a technological operation called flaring is used.

Its essence lies in the deformation of the end section of the tube in such a way as to uniformly increase its diameter (the opposite operation, which consists in narrowing the diameter of the tip of the tube, is called rolling). Flaring is needed in order to ensure the most tight connection of the tubes to each other or the tube to the manifold.

Since, as we have already noted, the brake pipes are subject to mechanical stress, they can get damaged, which caused the system to depressurize - in this case, an immediate operation is required to replace them. Normal wear and tear is the more common reason for replacing this brake system component.

The tube flaring procedure itself consists of three stages:

• determination between the tube sheet and the tip of the tube;
• flaring of both tubes and tubesheet;
• removing the damping load from the inner walls of the tube.

The deformation technology requires that the metal of the brake tube undergoes so-called plastic deformation, and the metal of the lattice - elastic deformation. To ensure this condition, the grid is made of a harder metal, which makes it possible, after the completion of the flaring stage, to “wrap” the tube completely.

Ensuring the required tightness of such a connection is carried out by using the method of contact pressure formed between the outer surfaces of the contacting parts. In some cases, the technology for joining flared pipe ends involves the use of welding - this method is called combined.

In the factory, flaring is carried out using a special machine equipped with a hydraulic, pneumatic or electric drive, which provides the ability to control the rotation speed. It is up to the drive to ensure the required connection reliability.

When replacing brake pipes, flaring is carried out using a special tool that can be purchased at a car dealer.

When flaring brake pipes is required

Brake fluid that meets a number of the above requirements is highly hygroscopic, that is, the ability to absorb moisture. This is a payback for a unique set of characteristics, which is why the complete tightness of the line is so important. is fraught with the fact that under the influence of high temperature, it significantly increases the compressibility of the liquid. This means that pressing the brake pedal will lead to the actual braking with some delay, which is unacceptable for safety reasons. And the more air there is in the system, the more noticeable the delay will be.

Depressurization is manifested by quite certain symptoms - a significant increase in the braking distance, pedal failures and the appearance of extraneous sounds during braking.

Fluid leaks are usually accompanied by overheating of the brake drums, as the boiling point of the fluid diluted with air drops noticeably. As a result, the brake pads begin to wear more intensively and, which is especially unpleasant, unevenly.

Another clear sign of a violation of the integrity of the brake line is the departure of the car from the original trajectory when braking.

Note that breakage of brake pipes (or rather, the need to replace them) can be caused by other reasons:

• deformation and cracks of the hex head;
• clogging of threaded connections;
• coking of the brake fluid at the interfaces.

Not a single car is insured against such troubles, therefore it is so important to periodically (at least once a year) test the brake system as a whole. Diagnostics of the brake line components should be carried out every 50, routine replacement of rubber hoses and pipes is performed every 125 thousand kilometers, and regardless of their condition.

And since the replacement of these elements requires special processing, we will consider how to expand the brake pipe with our own hands and what tools are required for this.

Self flaring

In industrial conditions, special high-strength shafts are used to expand pipes, while the profile of the end of the pipes is formed as a result of their repeated rolling. Such a rolling machine allows deformation to be performed as accurately and evenly as possible.

When self-expanding, they usually use kits that can be purchased online or in specialized stores. This kit includes a pipe cutter, a clamp, and dies with holes of different diameters (with metric or inch sizes) for flaring using a taper screw.

Many car owners, in order to flare the brake pipe at home, use a more primitive method that does not require the purchase of the above-described device - a conical blank with the desired angle. If a tube is made of copper (these are not often found now - manufacturers in order to save massively switch to metal), it has sufficient ductility to perform such an operation on their own. But from you it will be required not just strength, but precisely metered efforts when pulling the tip of the copper tube onto the cone. Any misalignment upon impact - and the result may be unsatisfactory: from the rupture of the rolled surface in the place where the stronger impact fell, to jamming of the surface that is too thinned during such processing. So this method can hardly be recommended as acceptable - it should be used only if absolutely necessary.

Much more predictable results are obtained when using an expander. Here, you will also need to use physical force, but the process itself is simplified, since the pipe is pulled onto one of the replaceable nozzles using a rotating handle.

The expander allows you to expand the tube to the required diameter quickly enough, in just one approach, however, even here, one hundred percent result is not guaranteed. The main guarantee of success is the quality of the pipe itself. If it is bad, that is, the walls are not perfectly flat (they have different thicknesses in a certain area being processed), then in this case, too, thin walls will stretch more, thick ones less, and as a result, the flaring will not be ideal. Attempts to "put the squeeze on" the connection can end in failure - its breakage or crushing.

The classic tool for flaring brake pipes is a set of rollers made of tungsten carbide materials. The rollers are rolled over the surface of the pipe being processed, each time with increasing force. As a result, flaring is done smoothly, and all those troubles that are typical for more primitive tools are impossible here. Each new revolution of the rollers increases the diameter of the workpiece by a minimum amount, and this gradual stretching is very well tolerated by the metal.

A similar method is applicable even for a non-ideal workpiece, since in the presence of sections with thicker walls, they are rolled to the required size, while the surface of the tube becomes even and smooth, without any defects and roughness.

Another common method of flaring is the use of a solid cone, which is pressed with a certain force into a tube that has been previously fixed in a vice. The quality of this method is comparable to the use of shafts, but here it is important to stop at exactly that pressing depth, which corresponds to the required flaring diameter.

Of course, the ideal solution would be to purchase a finished factory-made machine. But if you belong to the category of craftsmen who try to do everything on their own, including rarely used tools, a flare tool for copper pipes can also be made at home. Without this tool, it will not be possible to ensure a reliable connection of the brake pipes.

The main condition is that metal blanks must be strong, this will allow the device to be used for decades. The design of such a flaring machine is quite simple - it is a frame made of two equal-sized corners.

We need the following tools and materials:

• drilling machine;
• sharpening machine;
• Bulgarian;
• corners (100 x 32 x 5 mm., 2 pcs.);
• mandrels (you can make it yourself or ask to grind it from a familiar turner);
• bolts М8 (2 pcs.).

The flaring tool itself is very simple: both corners are fastened using a bolted connection, after which holes are drilled at the base of the bed, at the edge of which a chamfer is made. A tool like this will allow you to perform almost perfect flaring of the brake pipes, regardless of their length.

The algorithm for processing pipes with such a home-made device practically does not differ from the method of expanding using a purchased factory machine:

• we install the workpiece in the holder and fix it in such a way that the outer edge being processed protrudes about 5-6 millimeters beyond the edges;
• we install a cone of a suitable diameter on the tube;
• after wearing the fittings, we make sure that the direction of the thread turned out to be multidirectional (when viewed from the side of the workpiece tip, the thread should be directed away from each other);
• we begin to screw the cone into the workpiece, which will lead to a uniform flattening of the tube edge. You need to work slowly, making sure that the cone does not go deeper than the set value;
• we take out the part, carefully get rid of the burrs.

As a result, we get a neat, high-quality flared part that can be used for its intended purpose. Your first experience may not be very successful, but if you get the hang of it, you can work the edges of the brake pipes just as well as using the factory tools.

Pros and cons of diy tube flaring

There is no doubt that, while working for yourself, you will treat all stages of the technological process with the greatest possible responsibility and diligence. Of course, in this case, you will not need to go somewhere and pay someone to do such work.

But there are also obvious disadvantages - we have already given the approximate timing of the scheduled replacement of brake pipes. And since they fail relatively rarely, it is quite possible that you will have to use the purchased or self-made tools once, at most twice. However, if you are the owner of a heavily worn car, it is likely that the tubes will have to be replaced much more often.

Do-it-yourself flaring of brake pipes is an easy task, but subject to the availability of a specialized tool. And what is more profitable - to buy it, make it yourself, or still take the pipes to specialists, you must decide for yourself. The main thing is that the braking system of your car is always in perfect condition.