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I purchased the brass and o-rings from McMaster. I read all of the articles about this work on this site and continuouswave. They articles were very comprehensive.

I have had no problems with the brass tube splitting.

I have used both a ball peen hammer and a portion of the flaring tool to create the initial flare. I created a frame to support the brass tube while I did this.

I have no doubt it would be easier with an air hammer, but I have found I can replace the tubes in a very satisfactory manner using a combination of the flaring tool and a ball peen hammer.

If you are reasonably handy, I do not see a reason to shy away from doing this yourself.

Dan