Hello Matt,
When you make a flare on the end of a copper tube, you want to bring it
out from the body section that holds the pipe. It must be tight to hold the
pipe while doing the flare. The turning section has to seat all the way into
the body section that holds the pipe.
Now if the tubing is too long past the body the flare will be too large
and the flare nut will be hard to get over it. The flare nut should drop past
the flare almost completely free if held vertical or shaken.
A proper flare if made hand tight easily holds 40 psi. Using a wrench to
tighten it doesn't take hardly any pressure at all if the pipe is held
perpendicular and straight to what it is being put on. This is important to
repeat, "make sure the pipe is straight to the fitting and you can hand tighten
it completely and only need a wrench to snug it up.
Now if the tool is old and fairly used, using the turning tool on one side
of the body and than doing a repeat from the opposite side will perfect a more
round-ness of the flare.
On the other side of making a flare too small, if tightened hard with a
wrench. the pipe is simple forced out the back of the flare nut and it will
leak.
.............bob
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