I need help with dimple dies or flaring for sanitary tubing

Bondo · Nov 17, 2018

I do a good amount of sanitary stuff, from piping to tanks to specialty items, and I'm looking for a way to make my tank adapters clean. I see tanks with flaring necks on them where the ferrule is welded to, but they are bigger then dimple dies. Dimples only give me a point to weld to where the ones I would like to have, have an extended neck, say 1/2".

The dimple dies that I see are for pipe sizes, not OD/tube sizes. Does anyone know where I can find these? I'm mainly looking for 1 1/2" to 4" dies.

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Rob F. · Nov 17, 2018

Flow drill comes to mind
Flowdrill - Thermal friction drilling - Flow drill - YouTube

Fabworks · Nov 17, 2018

Swag Off Road makes dimple dies in tube sizes up to 2 1/2"

SWAG Dimple Dies & Knock Out Punch Set

Rob F. · Nov 18, 2018

T-drill is another way, I have only used it on copper tube though. Nicely spins a Tee into the tube to solder a smaller tube in.
They make one for stainless:
T-DRILL PLUS-1 SS Portable Collaring machine 217 - YouTube

Bondo · Nov 18, 2018

Thank you for the ideas, but I'm looking for the "dimple" dies that put that extended 1/2" neck onto it. I only really see it on tanks and my customers really like it. The problem with plain dimple dies is when you go to weld it, it doesn't make a completely flat area to weld to, and what happens is the weld sucks back because there isn't enough metal in the inside edge for a good fusion weld.

I have scoured the internet looking for them, but I'm wondering if this extended neck is only able to be made from a stamping machine. So it has to be put in before the tank is made.

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Rob F. · Nov 18, 2018

Bondo said:
Thank you for the ideas, but I'm looking for the "dimple" dies that put that extended 1/2" neck onto it. I only really see it on tanks and my customers really like it. The problem with plain dimple dies is when you go to weld it, it doesn't make a completely flat area to weld to, and what happens is the weld sucks back because there isn't enough metal in the inside edge for a good fusion weld.

I have scoured the internet looking for them, but I'm wondering if this extended neck is only able to be made from a stamping machine. So it has to be put in before the tank is made.

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What do you want the finished hole to look like? It sounds like it needs to look like what the T-drill makes in the vid above but with 1/2" of "neck," is this right? Can you show a picture of what you want?

Graham Gott · Nov 19, 2018

That sounds like it's going to be a custom piece. The closest thing I can think of is the Mittler Brothers "automotive" style punch & flare tool, which makes a 90 degree bend around the perimeter of the hole with a radius at the root, but nowhere near as high as what you're looking for, and their max material thickness is probably too thin. Here's a link:

Automotive Punch & Flare Sets

To get 1/2" of neck, you're probably going to be starting with a hole that's appreciably smaller than its final size to have enough material to work with, and cracking might be a problem.

Rob F. · Nov 19, 2018

Graham Gott said:
To get 1/2" of neck, you're probably going to be starting with a hole that's appreciably smaller than its final size to have enough material to work with, and cracking might be a problem.

Cracking is not nearly the problem with a rotating tool.

DDoug · Nov 19, 2018

This popped up locally:
T-DRILL Model T55G Copper Pipe Drill MAKE OFFER - heavy equipment - by owner - sale

Bondo · Nov 19, 2018

That is the problem I'm running into. To Get that extended neck, you need to punch an undersized hole. With a forming die it wouldn't be a problem. I'm trying to do this in the field. Usually this would be done on tanks, custom screens, or something like that.

Would it be possible to swage (sp?) it? In the field?

I want this 1 for looks, and 2 when you drill a big hole in a square tank, it causes the side to bow from original welding stresses. Now I have to deal with that stress and make my fitting look straight. Welding stress on Welding stress doesn't exactly make a level fitting at times.

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DDoug · Nov 19, 2018

Could you marry a t-drill to a Milwaukee core drill base ?

The kind with a vacuum pump ?

Rob F. · Nov 19, 2018

No need for the mag or vacuum base, once the hole is in the metal T-drill works from back to front so it pulls into the work, opposite of drilling with a magbase.

DDoug · Nov 19, 2018

Rob F. said:
No need for the mag or vacuum base, once the hole is in the metal T-drill works from back to front so it pulls into the work, opposite of drilling with a magbase.

The Op said something about "Large tanks", I assumed one shot deal, not drilled pre-hole.

Bondo · Nov 19, 2018

digger doug said:
Could you marry a t-drill to a Milwaukee core drill base ?

The kind with a vacuum pump ?

That's kind of what I guess would need to happen. But the problem is the tanks are normally 14ga to 1/8 and the pressure alone would bow the tank and may not make a proper dimple.... I may be just crazy and this is a factory only fitting, but I'm going to keep trying.

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adama · Nov 19, 2018

I have not done anything as deep as your 1/2" but i don't see why it would be a major issue to not just simply pull a suitable mandrill up from the inside against a external former, using nothing more than a simple bridge arrangement on the external former and a hollow enpac style pull cylinder attached to the mandrill. The T drill looks neat, but i see that struggling in 1/8" and also not coping with the kinda sizes your contemplating or forming your desired neck.

Having a generous radius and also some taper to the "straight" piece of your necked flare makes it a lot lot easier to form and remove the external former.

As for this not affecting the sides of the tank, IME i would expect it to effect a edge if within a couple of inches, further away than that though, i would not expect it to impact things much.

Rick Finsta · Nov 20, 2018

For home brewing setups I've used a shop-made swaging tool. Basically a pull-through die like adama describes. You must have access to the inside of the tank to start it, though.

Strostkovy · Nov 21, 2018

Can you make a flared collar that welds onto the tank that you then weld to the fitting?

Bondo · Nov 22, 2018

That's the second part to this. I know this is being done currently, but if it is shop only, how can I turn it into a field setup. Dimple dies are easy to design, your just stretching the curved section. But if I were to make my own dies, how do design it for extended neck. For a 2" od (1 7/8" id) do I design it with a 1 3/4 starting hole or what?

I don't need the 1/2" extended neck, 1/8" would work. I just need it to be flat like that T drill video posted above.

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Calfroper_06 · Dec 24, 2018

Do you have pictures of what your working with compared to what your wanting. I'm guessing youre looking for a celaner look with 1 less weld? This is a stainless tank?

I need help with dimple dies or flaring for sanitary tubing

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