I need a design for a bead tool

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Bamamav

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
Messages
6,168
Location
Berry, Alabama
I've got some 5/8" steel tubing I want to roll a bead into the end to keep a hose from slipping off. I've seen a tool to do this, but I can't remember where, when, or what it was called, or if it was home built or not. If it doesn't work on the steel tubing, I might use a piece of copper, it's for my heater hoses, I want to run solid lines as much as possible with only rubber connecting the ends. Cosmetic stuff, ya know?

So, any ideas on how to make one, or where to get one? Economical, of course. I've thought about some kind of washers on a stem, with some kind of way to put pressure on both sides, but just can't get my head around a way to do it.
 
If you go with soft copper line, you could probably hand ream enough lip just to make a rubber connection. My flaring tool has a clamp piece with multiple tubing sizes, but not up to that big. I believe the tapered part that makes the flare would work size wise for something that big but clamping it some way to work the tool would be the problem...

I'd try finding something tapered right that you could tap in the end of a piece of copper and see how easy it would be. You don't need much. I'm running 3/4 copper(I think:rolleyes:) and 3/4 rubber on mine for heater lines and didn't flare mine at all.
 
Really, I want a raised bead instead of a flare, but I may have to just flare it a bit and go with it. It might never slip off a slick tube, but the one time it did I'd be in the middle of nowhere without any water to refill with.
 
A double flare tool will create a bead on the end of the tube as long as you don't flare it.

flaring_293f.gif


Or you can just create a simple swedge with a swedging tool.
It's cheap.

3CYR8_AS01

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you could weld two pieces of round stock on one jaw of a pair of vise grips and one on the other and use them to crimp a bead in in small increments
 
Not sure if this is available on your side of the pond in the size you need ,but you could use this ,clamp the ring and cut off the nut. Used for water pipes and heating...
 

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Not sure if this is available on your side of the pond in the size you need ,but you could use this ,clamp the ring and cut off the nut. Used for water pipes and heating...

Humm, hadn't thought about just using a ferrule. If I had a torch I could solder it to the tubing. Dang, no torch though.

I'm probably overthinking this anyway. Not that much pressure on a heater hose, maybe 15 lbs. It will probably be fine without the bead. Just trying to purty up the top of the engine without those ugly rubber hoses in the way.
 
I would definately go with some kind of bead. May be overkill and probably is ,but coolant makes a mess apart from all risks on damage.
 

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