Brake and Fuel Line Forming Tool

[R_Lefebvre]

I think he's referring to the dowel he uses not working over 180.

 

[marc olivares]

I think he's referring to the dowel he uses not working over 180.

lol... classic

 

[ntsqd]

Maybe I'm having one of those days, but I just can't visualize what you're describing.

See if these help any:

Ah yes, body part fabrication! I do that a lot with curved sheet metal parts. As for the tool, if you're willing to waste a little of the tubing you can do the thumb trick without any special tool. Just have to cut it and flare it after the bend is made.
The tool in question will probably work well but I wouldn't want to do much of it because it will probably give you carpel tunnel syndrome! (pardon my spelling) What have you got to lose?????
Jason T.

Prime advantage to this tool is that you can bend right at the back side of the tube nut. No other method that I've seen will do this. Others all 'consume' or 'waste' some length of straight tubing. I've had situations where I couldn't have even 1/4" of straight tube sticking out of the tube nut.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

How do you prevent it from kinking when you do that? (Very carefully!)

I've used exterior mandrels for free bends, they look like a small tight coil spring and slip over the tube to help control the bend radius and prevent kinking, and can stick a small rod in the end to provide the leverage needed at the end of the tube.

 

[ntsqd]

You got it! I've found that the bending over the callous of my thumb while pulling in both directions cuts down on the kinking immensely.

I've only tried those coil spring tools a couple times and both were dismal failures. Hardly a solid indictment, but I've found other ways and haven't revisited them.

 

[AndrewP]

I have one of these Eastwood tools and it works great. No problem making small tight radius bends. I found it works best making the flare/nut thing first, and then bending the line. Being able to reliably make hard brake lines is something you just have to do once you start modding trucks.

 

[Antichrist]

Well..to follow-up, I ordered one of the tools from Eastwood. I was going to get, or at least first look at, the one at Harbor Freight, but I ended up not going to that area and it wasn't worth the drive just to check out this tool.

I ordered it last Thursday and it arrived Monday.
I haven't used it much yet, but it seems decently built and comfortable in my hand.

I have a 25' coil of 3/16" copper coated bundy tubing I'm using. I cut off a length and flared the end, but because of the coil bend couldn't slide the fitting on.
The forming tool worked well for making very slight corrections to the tubing to allow the fitting to slide on. It's a metric 4.7mm fitting and 3/16" tubing is very slightly larger, just enough to prevent the fitting to slide if there's much arc at all to the tube.

I also made a 100 degree bend at the fitting and was able to get it a lot closer than with the other bending tool I have.

 

[Antichrist]

Just realized I never came back with the results.
Tool works great and is easy to use.
I was up near Harbour Freight later and stopped in and checked out the one they have. The one from Eastwood is much nicer, so I'm not sorry I got it. Though the one from HF looks like it could probably do the job. At least for a while.