Brake pipe flaring tool

[PiperCub]

Quick recommendation for a brake flaring tool that can be used in-situ (my one can't easily be).

 

I recall one being mentioned on here a while ago but can't remember what thread it was or be certain who it was.

 

I think it was quite cheap, possibly a Draper item, but was compact and simple.

 

Anyone?

[richardthestag]

this help

 

[Faker]

I've a cheap one that works a treat. Can only be used in copper though.

[alf892]

One of these by Moprod........they come up on ebay but I think you can get similar but not as nice new ones........

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Buy the Draper hand held one. Accept no substitute.

 

They are 50 quid, but price reflects quality. Works on steel pipes, perfect for joining copper to steel pipes in awkward places.

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/draper-23312-expert-316-sae-hand-held-brake/?da=1&TC=GS-040813312&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjNq6qtX42wIVk4bVCh0I6wKPEAQYAiABEgJ9J_D_BwE

[NorthernMonkey]

^^ What he said. These are the only ones worth having...

 

However, I bought mine from eBay for around £35-£36 and it’s absolutely identical to the Draper one, even down to the same little pot of grease etc

[steveo3002]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAND-HELD-BRAKE-PIPE-FLARING-TOOL-3-16-SAE-ON-CAR-FLARE-SINGLE-DOUBLE-FLARE/263509200093?hash=item3d5a5f4cdd:g:ij4AAOSw2s1Utrln

 

this one works very well...check if you need sae or din flares , i would go any cheaper than that

 

if money is tight they re sell for good money as long as you keep it tidy 

[sierraman]

These £12 jobs look a bit shit. As above you can get ones that cut Kunifer for £35-40. Paid for itself in one job as I see it.

[Eddie Honda]

Buy the Draper hand held one. Accept no substitute.

^^ What he said. These are the only ones worth having...

 

Sykes-Pickavant Flaremaster2

 

[NorthernMonkey]

Sykes-Pickavant Flaremaster2

Actually, yes...that's very nice indeed

[Rusty_Rocket]

I spent years using an ancient Sykes vice-mounted set, which makes a fine flare but is a right old faff.

Then I watched richardthestag's video and bought the £30 ebay special he uses. It works absolutely perfectly and is all you need. It even flares existing steel pipes under the car, no sweat.

[PiperCub]

Buy the Draper hand held one. Accept no substitute.

 

They are 50 quid, but price reflects quality. Works on steel pipes, perfect for joining copper to steel pipes in awkward places.

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/draper-23312-expert-316-sae-hand-held-brake/?da=1&TC=GS-040813312&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjNq6qtX42wIVk4bVCh0I6wKPEAQYAiABEgJ9J_D_BwE

That's the one I was thinking of! Thanks for that.

 

Assume it does both single and double flares?

[Eddie Honda]

Bear in mind, the recommended tool does one spec of flare, either SAE or DIN. If you wish to do both, then two tools, or Laser Tools do some dual purpose cross-headed things and also a triangle-headed thing that includes 6mm pipe (must be some modern nonsense?)

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That's the one I was thinking of! Thanks for that.

 

Assume it does both single and double flares?

 

 

Yes. Unlike the Sykes Pickavant one, it's not the size of a printing press either. It weighs next to nothing.

[blackboilersuit]

The SAE version of the tool does SAE single and SAE double flares. The DIN version of the tool does DIN (bubble) flares. A DIN flare is often confused with a double flare but they are different. Useful reference chart.......

 

 

 

[Eddie Honda]

Unlike the Sykes Pickavant one, it's not the size of a printing press either.

But the SP is hydraulic and the dies can be swapped.

[drewd]

I've also got one of the eBay DIN tools mentioned above. It's been great, and having had the misfortune of using two of the really cheap kits that distort pipes and produce crap flares it really is worth paying a bit more. If there was a Sykes Pickavant set going cheap at the time I would have got it, but there wasn't.

[PiperCub]

Yes. Unlike the Sykes Pickavant one, it's not the size of a printing press either. It weighs next to nothing.

Think getting the DIN one as that would be most suitable for the majority of cars?

[Stanky]

The Clarke one that DTCM loaned me to flare the brake line on the Geep was excellent - really easy to use even in a confined space and gave an excellent flare. So simple even a dolt like me could use it and not ham it right up.

 

I think it was a Clarke one, but can't recall the model number. It wasn't either a 172, 180 or 229 though.

[Uncle Jimmy]

'Flaremaster' must be good...only on Autoshite will you get about 30 recommendations for brake pipe kits come up in a few minutes

Laser make a good but sensibly price one I seem to recall...

[SiC]

I saw this in Trago Mills today. I was awfully tempted as I'm pretty sure I'll be replacing brake lines on the 1100. £20.99 didn't seem too bad a price for one.

 

Is it any good? Sealey I've found can be a bit hit and miss at times. Mostly excellent stuff but other times Ronson/Blackspur/AM-Tech quality.

[Faker]

I saw this in Trago Mills today. I was awfully tempted as I'm pretty sure I'll be replacing brake lines on the 1100. £20.99 didn't seem too bad a price for one.

Is it any good? Sealey I've found can be a bit hit and miss at times. Mostly excellent stuff but other times Ronson/Blackspur/AM-Tech quality.

That's the one I've got. Works well enough for me... again only for copper. Won't do steel

[Eddie Honda]

That's why you want at least a RBJ / njgleeds rec'd one if you a just replacing the end of a steel one as whatever you make the spare section out of you have to attach it to steel...

 

These will do the job, but takes a bit of practice to get the right amount protruding. Some in this style are junk, others better.

 

 

They'll do at least copper, but give it cupronickel or steel and you'll probably end up with something broken.

 

These are good, but bear in mind if you have assorted old chod, you may need an SAE version as well as a DIN.

 

 

The Laser style cross head two-in-one is the same idea in a single tool:

 

 

The Laser style triangle head adds 6mm flaring to a single tool.

 

 

The it's onto the SP Flaremaster2 for doing things with ease with the hydraulic action. There is also an high rated hydraulic wotsit for flaring stainless. They also do dies that'll grip coated line

 

 

It's so posh, Facom dress it up as one of their own

 

 

Then there is the megaposh (second mortgage required) Beepro from Germany, that flares anything in sight - Citroentastic.

 

 

That's a quick run-down on on-car flarers. Review of the Flaremaster2 coming soon as it's in transit.

[steveo3002]

I saw this in Trago Mills today. I was awfully tempted as I'm pretty sure I'll be replacing brake lines on the 1100. £20.99 didn't seem too bad a price for one.

 

Is it any good? Sealey I've found can be a bit hit and miss at times. Mostly excellent stuff but other times Ronson/Blackspur/AM-Tech quality.

 

imo absolute shite ...what you will waste in pipe and time , spend another tenner on the one i linked and you will get perfect flares each time ...like i said if £30 odd stings too much clean it up and sell it for near what you paid

 

have one plus a sykes vice mount in cb9 ...i'l flare stuff for nowt for any local shitters 

[louiepj]

I have used one of those cheap brake flaring tools in the past and did not get past the first few practice flares before snapping the post off of the 3/16 die.

In the defence of cheapness if used carefully or with prior experience they will get the job done, I have in the past used one on a steel brake pipe. The pipe ran over the fuel tank to the rear brake and as a temporary fix the steel pipe was heated using mapp gas torch and then flared and a short copper/cunifer pipe ran to caliper. It was a temporary fix and worked to get the car back without recovery costs.

[steveo3002]

^ so much so that you would ask then knowingly buy one to save £10 over a tool that works perfectly and is a joy to use?

 

theres times and places you can save a quid and this is one place id not  

[Aston Martin]

I need to get a flaring tool, this type.

 

Stupid question, will the Panda be sae or din?

[steveo3002]

id say din ...anything european /non vintage tends to be 

 

does google show any brake pipes for it ?

[Jon]

Some good advice on here and some great products I'd not known about before but unknowingly, a coupe of months ago I went against all the trusted Shiter's advice and bought one of those cheapy brake flaring kits like SIC saw in Trago Mills (I've been there once!), after my Cavalier burst a front pipe. Buying what was available locally was the main factor for decision making but I had a similar kit in the UK, which I gave to my brother before emigrating, so I had an idea it'd do the job.

 

One thing to note is that I used it on steel pipe and it didn't cause any issues. For whatever reason, copper pipe is banned in NZ, so I was skeptical it'd do the job, as I'd heard rumours this type of version wouldn't work on them. However, I can confirm it works on original factory brake pipe and replacement steel pipe as well and the kit looks identical to the one I owned in the UK.

 

Just in case anyone was interested in seeing how it does its job, here's a link to a Youtube video of the one I bought, with an incredibly nasal Aussie narrator, who reminds me of an Antipodean Matt Berry:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE4lQmODzgE

 

 

EDIT: I meant that mine's identical to the one Eddie Honda mentions at the top of his post, in the blue plastic case. Seems to me the only difference between SiC's Trago Mills jobbie and that steel spec one is the lack of pipe cutter in the latter. Maybe that's the weakest link?

[Aston Martin]

Here's the old pipes if it helps?

 

It been about 15 years since i last changed any pipes.