To form the flare, first put a drop of

refrigerant oil on the flaring tool spinner

where it will contact the tubing. Tighten the
spinner against the tube end one-half turn
and back it off one-quarter turn. Advance it
three-quarters of a turn and again
JLJ. i
 tubing; 5/16" and over. Such flares
are not easily formed I on smaller
tubing. The double flare makes a
stronger j joint than a single flare.
Annealing Tubing j
If a tube splits while being
flared, it may be due to j the age of
the tubing. Old tubing becomes
brittle after a j period of use and
cannot be flared satisfactorily.
r ^ -o I
To remedy this brittle condition,
anneal (soften) the J tubing by
heating to a dull, cherry red or blue
color and allowing it to cool slowly
 Rough handling (such as f pounding)
or bending the tubing tends to work
harden I it. Hard-drawn tubing
cannot be bent or flared unless
annealed. f
Figure 2-39. I
wo pieces
of soft copper tubing
assembled and ready
for soldering, or
/ CZ O'
brazing to make
joint. Note that pieces
were of same diameter
before one was
swaged.
pieces of tubing is important.
As a rule, the length of
overlap should equal the
outside diameter (OD) of the
tubing.
Two types of swaging
tools are commonly used—
the punch-type and the lever-
type. In both cases, different
tool sizes are available for the
many sizes of copper tubing.
The punch-type swaging tool
has an anvil block with
several holes. See Figure 2-40.
The copper tubing is inserted
into the correct hole size in the
anvil block. The tube is
clamped in place. Then, a
punch is hammered into the
end of the tubing the desired
distance.
 A combination flaring
and swaging tool is shown in
Figure 2-40. This type of tool
can be used as a flaring tool
using Block A or B. The block
used will depend upon the
diameter of the tubing. To use
it as a swaging tool, swaging
adaptors (C) are used.
Turning the level
expands the tube to the proper size.
Figure 2-40. .4—Combination
flaring and sw aging tool.
B—Punch-tvpe swaging tool. (Uniw eld
Products, Inch

this tool, the joint can be easily soldered

or brazed without leaks, while keeping
flux out of the system.

2.8 Pipe Fittings and Sizes

Air conditioning and refrigeration
installations
make wide use of pipe fittings and pipe
threads (National Pipe Threads or NP).
Taper pipe threads are specially formed
Y-threads made on a conical spiral. This
taper causes the threads to seal as the
fitting is tightened. Pipe threads taper
1/16" in diameter for every inch of
length. Untapered threads can be made
leakproof by use I of a gasket or an
1
American Standards Association (ASA j
vy I

machined shoulder.
Besides being tapered (or in a
conical spiral), p’pe threads are different
from the National Fine (NF) series |
Figure 2-18. Flaring tools. A—Popular style used for making single-
thickness flares on refrigeration tubing. Flaring block is split making
it easy to insert the clamp tubing in place for flaring. Note 45°
chamfer in block, which gives the flare its correct shape.
(Uniweld Products> Inc.) B—Flaring tool
having an adjustable tube-
holding mechanism which permits flaring tubing 3/16" to 5/8" OD
and 5 mm to 16mm OD. (Reed Manufacturing Co.)

2.7 Tube
Constrictor
Often, two tubes
which fit together
rather loosely must be
soldered or brazed
together. Good practice
demands that the tubes
be sized as close as
.003" to each other.
Figure 2-41 shows a
special tool used to
constrict the outer tube
until it fits the OD of
the inner tube. With
 A At 800°F (427°C), the flux lies on the surhe
< aiid has
a milky appearance.
Following this, it will turn into a clear
liquid at
5
- aboni H00°F (593°Q. This point is just short
of the
brazing temperature.
The alloy itself begins to melt at 1120T
r
604°Q and flows at 1145°F (618°C). A
torch tip several sizes larger
than the one used for soldering should be
used. Be sure to heat both pieces which are
to have the alloy adhered
to them. .
The proper brazing temperature will
be indicated
by the color of the secondary flame. The
flame will start to show a green shade as
the brazing temperature is reached. For
silver brazing, a clear flux and/or a
green flame show the proper temperature.
When heating a copper-to-steel
joint, heat the copper first. It takes
more heat because it carries it away
faster. Put some flux on the brazing rod
to help it flow
quicker.
When cutting capillary tubing, notch all
around it with a triangular file. Break the
tubing by bending back and forth (small
bends). The tubing ID will then remain
full size. A tube cutter would reduce
inside
 diameter.
When brazing a capillary tube, do not
let brazing material run to the end of the
tube. It might partially close the hole (ID) of
the capillary. Leaving the end of the tube
uncleaned will help prevent this from
happening.
When brazing, the torch is never held
in one spot.
It should be moved around the entire area to be
brazed.
Many technicians prefer to move the torch in a
/
"figure-8' motion. Larger torch tip sizes are
recom-
mended for brazing. This allows a soft flame
and a large
quantity of heat without excess pressure or
"blow.'' A
slight feather on the inner cone of the
flame is good. See Figure 2-36.
Flari
ng
Bloc
k
A
Figure 2-19. Tubing to be flared should extend slight
above flaring block to allow enough metal to form a
satisfactory flare. Amount to allow is about one-third
height of the flare. A—Proper position of tube flaring
before flaring. B—Completed flare.
quicker.
When cutting capillary tubing,
notch all around it with a triangular
file. Break the tubing by bending back
and forth (small bends). The tubing
ID will then remain full size. A tube
cutter would reduce inside
diameter.
When brazing a capillary tube,
do not let brazing material run to the
end of the tube. It might partially
close the hole (ID) of the capillary.
Leaving the end of the tube
uncleaned will help prevent this from
happening.
When brazing, the torch is never
 held in one spot. It should be moved
around the entire area to be brazed.
Many technicians prefer to move the
torch in a "figure-S" motion. Larger
torch tip sizes are recommended for
brazing. This allows a soft flame and
a large quantity of heat without
excess pressure or "blow." A slight
feather on the inner cone of the flame
' --
is good. See Figure 2-36.
. -A:, •" •'

Gleaning the Brazed Joint

Thoroughly wash with water
and scrub the outside of the
completed brazed joint. This is
always necessary. Flux left on the
metals will tend to corrode them or
may temporarily stop a leak which
will only show up later.
The joint may be cooled quickly
or slowly. Cooling with water is
allowable. The same water may be
used to wash the joint.
Visual inspection will quickly
reveal any places where the alloy did
not adhere. It is best to watch for poor
adhesion (dark cup-shaped areas).
Then, any corrections can be made
during the brazing operation im-
mediately while the parts are still hot.
 back it off one-quarter turn. Repeat
the forward
movement and backing off until the
flare is
formed.
Some technicians make the
flare using one continuous motion
of the flaring tool. That is, they do
not use a back-and-forth motion. It
is believed by some that the
constant turning of the tool,
without back turning, may work
harden the tubing. It would then be
more likely to split.
Other technicians like to use
a flare which is not completely
formed—about seven-eighths
complete. They depend on the
tightening of the flare nut on the
flare to complete it.
Do not tighten the spinning
tool too much. This would thin
the wall of the tubing at the flare
and weaken it.
Always place the flare nut
on the tube in the proper position
before the flare is made. It cannot,
in most cases, be installed on the
tube after it has been flared.
Double-Thickness Flare
Double-thickness flares are formed
with special
tools. Figure 2-20 illustrates a cross
section through a
simple block-and-punch type of tool used
to make a
double flare. The correct shape of the
double flare is
shown in the final operation, Figure 2-
20D. Some
flaring tools have double flare adaptors,
Figure 2-21.
These make it possible to form
either single or double flares.
Figure 2-22 shows the steps
for making a double flare using
the tool shown in Figure 2-21.
Doublethickness flares are
recommended only for larger
size