Is brake line flaring difficult?

[Paisano]

Ahhh............Understood
And perpendicular too.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, if the cut is uneven, you won’t get good results. I say square because I’m used to working construction. Perpendicular is a good term to describe it.

I’ve gone to the Nickel/Copper line, easy to bend even without tools and never rusts. Be careful buying it cheap online because sometimes it’s copper coated steel. Real Ni/Copp line is non-magnetic. I buy stainless steel fittings for it. Rust is a big problem here. Not so much in AZ though.

Soft lines are sometimes a little difficult to flare in those cheap tools, I had to clamp it really tight and it would often deform the line a little, I’d have to file a little of where the line pressed into the grooves so the nut would slide up to the flare. The tools like Bobby suggested and the hydraulic and turret tools have smooth dies and it’s not a problem

 

[superj]

and get a flaring tool with the proper flare angle. they make different flare angles for different things so you might flare, say a 35 degree flare but your vehicles is 40 degrees. those are not the actual numbers but make sure its an automotive brake flaring tool so its right. brakes use a different angle than some other lines do

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

I've done dozens of flares with the Titan tool. Cutter and reamer from home depot. Mostly nicopp, generally on the bench with the block in a vise. It's piss easy.

When I was learning, the two problems I had were:

1. Use die lube, but only a little bit. Don't glom it on there and leave it.

2. Don't ever crank the wrench at the stop. You want the last tightening movement to be smooth.

Lately I've been fixing heat-pump flares with a "nice" eccentric ratcheting tool, and in general I think brakes are "easier" not because you're doing anything different, but because high-pressure single-flares need to be absolutely perfect. Double-flared connections are a lot more forgiving.