Flaring Tool?

I take it the flaring tool intended for plumbing is too small. If not, you can pick one up cheap at the local home center.

Flaring tools intended for air conditioners can usually do 3/4" tubing. Do you have an HVAC contractor buddy?

"JB" you can buy a 5/8" flaring tool (one piece) at a plumbing supply or a larger hardware store. cost should be around $8-10 dollars. It works by inserting in to the tubing, and hitting it with a hammer. works great, just go slow so you don't split the tubing. Ed

Al,

Thanks for the advice. I will have to make friends with an HVAC guy :-).

Thanks.

Thanks Ed.

Should always anneal the copper before flaring.

I have a couple laying around the shop. They aren't expensive. If you have a lathe you could turn one out in 30 minutes or so. Most any professional plumbing supply carries them. Make sure the copper hasn't been work hardened or it will split. Just bring the end up to a red heat and quench to anneal it. Bugs

Drill a block of hardwood the size of the tube id and take a roundover bit around the inside of the hole. Cut a saw kerf from the edge of the block to the hole and clamp this around your pipe with the edge flush with the block. Set the ball end of a ball pein hammer on the tubing and strike it. You may need to anneal the tubing first.

This tube better not be copper! It will work-harden from vibration and crack. Plumb it with steel!

Yikes, you mean all the copper tubing on my 1961 IR compressor is going to burst any time now?

Ned Simmons

Likewise, the tubing from the pump to the tank on my last 2 compressors, a DeVilbiss and a Quincy, have been copper .. - GWE

Ned, I'm shocked! Obviously I am mistaken that copper can't be used but I have had it fail here a couple of times and a compressor rep. told me not to use copper again for that reason. I can't say my Quincys vibrate more than they should. Maybe you have magic! Maybe your installation minimizes the effects of vibration.

That's probably it there. If both ends of the tube are connected to things which are mechanically coupled to each other (by other than the copper), then there's not a lot of vibration as seen by the copper. It's when one end is moving relative to the other that you'll see the work hardening.

That said, I don't use copper for that sort of application, but my compressor does.

I dunno, all the copper on the IR appears to be straight from the factory, including interstage cooler, centrifugal release, and the output line from the compressor to the tank check. There's not much vibration - I assume it'd be more likely to be a problem if you could see or feel vibration in the tubing, but everything is solidly mounted and well supported (other than the damn belt guard).

Ned Simmons

The compressor is circa 1972 and the pipe is copper.