FYI - I had made this sketch up many years ago for a friend who was refurbishing an old 13' Boston Whaler, replacing their brass drain tubes. I had once made up a fancy tool on a lathe (all hardened and everything too) to do this ... but, I loaned it to a 'friend' at a local boatyard and he can't find it, grrrrrrrrr ... :evil:
Anyway, here's a sketch on 'how to' make your own DIY flaring tool using nuts and bolts from the hardware store, just go to a good hardware store! Just don't buy any nut of the thread size for the bolt you will use ... you need to find one (like a Nylok nut) that has a belled or rounded end a tad larger than the ID of the drain tube you'll be using, so that it will partially force open the end of the drain tube, akin to flaring out the end of a trumpet. Work SLOWLY and this tool will work well for you.
Thought I'd just post this in case someone here needs to replace their scupper drain tubes. The critical dimension is cutting the tube, as you need to cut it longer than you think, in order to allow for the bend allowance where the tube will turn and curl on itself.
Grease/lube the bolts well before use and goop the tubing up well with 3M 5200 or LifeCaulk by BoatLife and have at it! Now me? If through a wood core, I'd wet-out the core with thinned epoxy first ...
Anyway, here's a sketch on 'how to' make your own DIY flaring tool using nuts and bolts from the hardware store, just go to a good hardware store! Just don't buy any nut of the thread size for the bolt you will use ... you need to find one (like a Nylok nut) that has a belled or rounded end a tad larger than the ID of the drain tube you'll be using, so that it will partially force open the end of the drain tube, akin to flaring out the end of a trumpet. Work SLOWLY and this tool will work well for you.
Thought I'd just post this in case someone here needs to replace their scupper drain tubes. The critical dimension is cutting the tube, as you need to cut it longer than you think, in order to allow for the bend allowance where the tube will turn and curl on itself.
Grease/lube the bolts well before use and goop the tubing up well with 3M 5200 or LifeCaulk by BoatLife and have at it! Now me? If through a wood core, I'd wet-out the core with thinned epoxy first ...
