This is an important step because the height of the tubing establishes the amount of material that is bent inward. The next step is placing the tubing in the tool. We’ve all made the mistake of completing a great flare only to discover that we forgot to slide the fitting in place. Read More: Rebuilding a Chevelle’s Front Suspension with CPP We found this reamer at Grainger that works very well at removing the burr rather than relying on that wedge-shaped device on the tubing cutter.īefore you start the flaring process, make sure the fitting is in place and facing in the proper direction. This allows you to place a small chamfer on the outside of the tubing. Once the tubing has been deburred, we’ve found that polishing the end of the tubing with a convolute wheel on a bench grinder also improves the chances of making a good seal. There are also large round plastic deburring tools that will both clean up the inside and outside circumferences of the tubing, which is helpful. ![]() We found a handheld tubing reamer at a local Grainger store that works well for both mild steel and stainless tubing. Most tubing cutters include a small wedge-type tool that can be used to remove these burrs, but we’ve learned these can often be ineffective. A tubing cutter generally makes a very straight cut but will leave a small burr or sharp edge around the inside circumference of the tubing. Tubing can be cut with a hacksaw or cutoff wheel but will likely require more time to ensure the end of the tubing is cut perpendicular. The most common way to shorten tubing is with a tubing cutter. Cutting tubing always leaves a sharp edge on the inside diameter of the tubing. If the tubing is not cut straight or the outside diameter is not consistent or has sharp edges, the probability of making a successful flare is low. You will likely spend more time preparing the tubing for a flare than making the flare itself. We’ll run through the process in the step-by-step photos along with including some details that will help you create the best flare possible. This is commonly used on automatic transmission cooler lines and it’s not unusual to have to make your own hard lines for the installation of a new transmission cooler. ![]() We will run through the process of making a 45-degree flare on a 5/16-inch length of tubing. Standard tubing cutters lead a thin burr on the inside of the tubing that must be removed to achieve a good flare. If it doesn’t say it’s annealed, it probably isn’t. This is important because not all stainless steel tubing is annealed. This is a heating process that softens the somewhat brittle stainless, making it easier to flare and bend. As a point of reference, it’s best to make sure that if you will be using stainless tubing you only buy tubing that has been annealed. The less expensive tools will also limit your flaring to mild steel tubing as the tool may not be strong enough to work with stainless steel tubing. Most tools will accommodate several tubing sizes–the most common being 3/16-, ¼-, 5/16-, 3/8-, and ½-inch tubing sizes.
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