The 'E' Type Forum

Can anyone tell me the trick for cutting the fabric covered brake vacuum pipe without it all fraying and looking dreadful please? Perhaps I bought the cheap stuff last time, but it turn into a right old mess. Its one of those things I always admire on some other restorations as they are all clean cut and smart.

Try binding the place you intend to cut with two wraps of tightly bound electrical tape or gaffer tape. Leave 2-3 mm between the two binds where you intend to cut. Run a really sharp knife around the gap...a fresh Stanley blade is good...to sever the fabric threads. Cut the hose with a hack saw or the sharp blade. Carefully remove the tape. Might be worth applying a layer of paper wrap first before binding to stop the tape actually sticking to the fabric. Then bind really tight to hold the fabric in place. Certainly avoid using a saw to cut the fabric or it will fray badly.

yes good advice there, but I did use a rubber pipe shear. Perhaps it wasn't sharp enough for the fabric part? Interested to hear others experiences as well. thanks a lot.

Angle grinder with 1mm cutoff disc, works great and gives super clean cut or Single edge blade to cut the outer sheath then use centre hose cutters. Like these,
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... L1500_.jpg

I have tried a few things.

Electrical tape, but this will end up looking ratty with time (and repeated tightening/loosening of the clamp).

Paint the area with a flexible adhesive which dries non sticky - this looks great, but you have to wait until the adhesive dries.

Loom tape, a tape with a fuzzy outer surface, used for repairing wire looms.

The loom tape is my favorite, for the moment.

Andrew

thanks chaps. I like the cutting disc idea. I did wonder about glue but thought it would look messy once dried. Not keen on taping the ends although I guess if one could place the clip right at the end over the tape that might work?

Cutting disc for a clean cut . And then heat shrink to keep ends tidy . Also heat shrink makes blue or red lucar connectors look uniformly old and not so in ya face modern looking

Just getting in on this a little late, but I just replaced my cloth covered hose from the vacuum tank to the brake bellows. I did buy a quality hose, Aeroquip brand, and although it doesn't have the correct markings it is very good hose. I used a pair of these to cut it.



They are very sharp, cut like a hot knife through butter, and no fraying.

If I'm too late, I hope you were able to make a satisfactory cut.

thanks a lot. No I have not got around to that part of the job yet so will try some of these. Any idea of where they can be bought UK? E bay presumably?

After you have cut it you can clean up the frayed fibres by holding a cigarette lighter briefly under the end. This will singe the fibres and cause them to contract and melt into each other.

The cutters I have are a Sears brand similar to the one I posted (I just grabbed a pic off the web for illustrative purposes). I don't know if you have access to Sears over there. Anyway, this style cutter I have found to be very good for cutting hose and soft material. Not so good for wire or metallic items.

As I said before, no need to melt ends or wrap with tape before or after cutting. They are just great.

Aircraft type braided hose is available with black nylon sheathing. It doesn't get grungy looking like cotton, looks virtually the same, and the cigarette lighter trick works perfectly. Since it typically has a stainless layer in the tubing wall, it cuts best with a Dremel cutoff wheel.

Sorry it took me so long, but I'm not home. I found the web site I purchased my hose from. $4 per foot, and I bought 7 feet which was more than enough to replace all of the brake vacuum hose.

http://teaguecustommarine.com/em0011/06 ... -hose.html

I hope this helps.

thanks Chaps Lots of good ideas here .