Reforming tool for a hose fitting

A tool for reforming a male, externally threaded, gardenhose fitting is disclosed. The plier-like tool includes pivoted lever arms which carry transversely extending swaging lobes that can be inserted inside a deformed hose fitting. The lobes are notched to receive an inwardly extending annular end flange commonly present on such fittings, and expansion of the lobes and relative rotation of the fitting and the lobes swages and reforms, not only the length of the fitting, but the end flange. The tool also includes recesses that can be used to initially open the fitting and to finish-up the reforming process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to hand tools adapted for specialized tasks, and 
more particularly to a tool for reforming a deformed, externally threaded, 
tubular hose fitting. 
One type of universally used coupling for joining a pair of hoses, a 
hand-held sprinkler nozzle or other accessories to a hose comprises a 
relatively thin-walled brass, male fitting having an externally threaded 
tubular end portion that is matingly threaded into a female, internally 
threaded, companion member. When threaded together, the circular end 
flange of the male fitting is urged against a rubber washer or gasket 
carried by the female fitting, thus sealing the parts together. The male 
fitting is customarily mounted in telescopic relation to a length of 
garden hose end, and the female fitting is provided on a second length of 
hose or a sprinkler nozzle. It is quite common, however for the hose with 
the male end to be laying upon the ground unattached to its female 
counterpart, where it is subject to being stepped on or run over by an 
automobile or a piece of gardening equipment. The result is often a 
premature flattening of the male fitting to a deformed form which may no 
longer be threaded onto its companion connecting member to provide the 
desired sealed connection. Such deformation of the male fitting is due to 
the thin-wall and malleability of the metal used in the manufacture of the 
fitting and is much more common than deformation of the relatively heavy 
walled female fitting. 
Prior to the advent of the tool of the present invention attempts to reform 
such a deformed male garden hose fitting to reusable form have been 
largely unsatisfactory. Crude attempts with standard household tools have 
resulted in fittings which do not mate properly and which leak water at 
the coupling. Such leaking can be the result of an inability to restore 
the threaded end to a circular configuration and/or an inability to reform 
the end flange of the fitting to a smooth annular surface that will mate 
with the sealing gasket typically carried by the female fitting. In either 
event the result is particularly aggravating. When the deformed hose end 
is coupled to a hand-held sprinkler nozzle, for example, the water 
pressure will cause the leak to spray the user with water. Accordingly, as 
a result of such fitting deformation, the fitting usually must be cut off 
from the hose and replaced by a new fitting in order to repair the leak. 
Although hand tools for the purpose of reforming hose fittings are not 
known, hand tools for other specialized applications are known in the art. 
Related devices are disclosed in the following patents: 
Maines, U.S. Pat. No. 2,334,781; 
Redmond, U.S. Pat. No. 2,650,735; 
Roth, U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,313; and 
Rosenblatt, U.S. Pat. No. 1,219,160. 
Maines discloses an expansion jaw pliers adapted for biting against the 
inner surface of an object to facilitate its application or removal. 
Redmond discloses a tool for installing insulated conduit collets having 
spaced-apart projections that are bent backward to hold the collet in 
position. 
The patent to Roth discloses a tool for expanding a flexible tube for 
applying the tube to another tube. Finally, the patent to Rosenblatt 
discloses a hand tool for stretching shell rims of eye glasses in order to 
expand their diameter to mount them upon lenses. None of the foregoing 
tools is adapted for permanently changing the diameter of a tubular metal 
object, such as a hose fitting, in order to reform an object which has 
been accidentally deformed and rendered nonfunctional. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In accordance with the foregoing background discussion, it is an object of 
the present invention to provide a hand tool specially designed for 
reforming deformed hose fittings, thereby making the fittings functional 
again. 
It is another object of this invention to provide a hand tool that reforms 
a deformed hose fitting to its original circular form, without damage to 
the threads of the fitting. 
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a hand tool 
that is capable of reforming the end flange of a deformed, male hose 
fitting so that it will seat in sealed relation to a sealing washer in a 
female fitting. 
It is also a object of this invention to provide a reforming tool for a 
hose fitting with a deformed, externally threaded tubular portion that is 
durable, simple to use and economical to manufacture. 
With the foregoing and other objects in view, a reforming tool for a hose 
fitting in accordance with certain features of the invention includes two 
lever arms having a pivotal connection therebetween, manually engageable 
handles extending from one side of the pivotal connection and swaging 
lobes positioned at the opposite side of the pivotal connection and 
oriented generally parallel to the pivotal connection with lengths at 
least equal to the axial dimension of the deformed portion of the hose 
fitting. 
The swaging lobes are formed with grooves, so that upon insertion of the 
lobes into the deformed portion of the hose fitting, the grooves receive 
an inwardly extending end flange of the fitting, and the handles may be 
squeezed and the lobes expanded to a diameter concentric to the circular 
form desired. Upon relative rotation of the deformed portion of the hose 
fitting on the lobes and squeezing of the tool handles, the simultaneous 
swaging of the deformed threaded portion and swaging of the flange results 
in reformation of both the cylindrical fitting end and the sealing flange 
to their original, circular forms for reuse with its connecting member. 
This and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention 
will be apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the reforming tool 10 of 
the present invention is designed for reforming a male hose fitting 35 
having a deformed externally threaded tubular portion 36 which terminates 
in an internally extending end or sealing flange 37 adapted to seat on a 
sealing gasket 53 carried by internally threaded nut portion 52 of a 
female connecting member 51 (FIG. 6). Reforming tool 10 includes a pair of 
lever arms 11 and 12 secured by a pivotal connection 15 to provide 
manually engageable handle lengths 17 and 18 extending from one side of 
the pivot axis 16 of connection 15. Positioned on the lever arms at the 
opposite side of pivotal connection 15 are swaging lobes 21 and 22. Lobes 
21 and 22 have lengths substantially parallel to axis 16 and at least 
about equal to the axial dimension of threaded, deformed portion 36, of 
the hose fitting which is to be reformed for continued use. 
The substantially parallel relationship of swaging lobes 21 and 22 to 
pivotal axis 16 insures that convex lobe surfaces 31 and 32 move outwardly 
in generally parallel relation so that the entire length of fitting end 36 
is outwardly reformed to a substantially cylindrical shape. As will be 
seen from the drawing, lobes 21 and 22 are preferably formed with parallel 
outer surfaces 31 and 32. 
It should be noted that levers 11 and 12 should be formed to enable 
displacement of lobes 21 and 22 beyond a true cylinder to accommodate 
material resiliency which will cause portion 36 and end 37 to contract 
back inwardly once pressure from the tool is released. 
While swaging lobes 21 and 22 can be used to bring a deformed end portion 
36 back to a substantially cylindrical shape, it is a further important 
feature of the present invention that tool 10 can be used to reform 
deformations in inwardly extending annular flange 37. Flange 37 provides a 
surface (usually a spherical surface) which will seal against a washer or 
sealing gasket 53 in female fitting 51. If there are significant 
indentations or irregularities in flange 37, it will not seal with washer 
53 even though threaded portion 36 is cylindrical and substantially mates 
with the internal threads of fitting 51. 
In order to reform flange 37, therefore, it is preferable to provide the 
inner end of swaging lobes 21 and 22 with grooves 27 and 28 dimensioned to 
receive flange 37. Grooves 27 and 28 preferably further have rounded 
shoulders 29 that mate with the inner surface 39 of flange 37. Grooves 27 
and 28 are positioned in a common plane transverse to axis 16 so as to 
separate along such common plane upon squeezing motion of handles 17 and 
18 by the user. 
As best may be seen in FIG. 5, the swaging lobes may be inserted into the 
fitting until flange 37 resides in notches 27 and 28. The lobes are 
inserted in the closed, solid line position shown in FIG. 5 with the oval 
cross-sectional shape of the combined lobes generally aligned with the 
oval shape of the deformed fitting 36, shown in phantom. Squeezing of 
handles 17 and 18 of the tool by the user results in expansion separation 
of the lobes, and relative rotation of the tool and the fitting during 
such lobe expansion reforms the fitting back toward the phantom line 
circular cross-section shown at 40. 
Additionally, lobes 21 and 22 have convex surfaces 31 and 32 substantially 
equal to the length of deformed threaded portion 36. Thus, expansion of 
the lobes simultaneously reforms or irons-out irregularities not only 
flange 37 but the entire threaded portion 36. 
The surfaces of lobes 21 and 22 preferably have a length dimension parallel 
to axis 15 at least about equal to the length of nozzle portion 36 and are 
oval-shaped to provide a caming action upon relative rotation of portion 
36 and the swaging lobes. The caming action and the small contact area 
between lobes 21 and 22 and the fitting during rotation makes it 
relatively easy for even users having modest strength to reform the 
fitting back to its original circular shape. 
In a further embodiment of the invention, lever arms 11 and 12 are provided 
with opposed recesses 41 and 42, formed and positioned for external 
engagement with and displacement of portion 36 to approximate the desired 
circular form. It is not uncommon for fitting 35 to be deformed to such a 
degree that lobes 21 and 22 cannot be inserted into the fitting. In order 
to assist in returning the fitting to its original shape, cylindrical 
recesses 41 and 42 on the handle side of pivotal connection 15 may be used 
to squeeze the outside of the fitting. Once the opening in the fitting end 
is large enough, lobes 21 and 22 can be inserted and the fitting reformed 
from within by the two lobes. Recesses 41 and 42 also can be used, with 
swaging from within by lobes 21 and 22, to provide final finishing or 
final truing-up of the cylindrical end portion 36. 
Since it is desirable in order to minimize the length of travel of handles 
17 and 18 that lobes 21 and 22 have a combined diameter which is 
reasonably closed to the circular diameter of the fitting opening defined 
by flange 37, it is further preferable to provide lobes 21 and 22 with 
intermediate notches 45 and 46. As best may be seen in FIG. 4, notches 45 
and 46 can be used to walk the fitting on or off the lobes by 
alternatively rocking the tool and/or fitting to move flange 37 from 
notches 27 and 28 to notches 45 and 46 and off the end of the lobes. 
Usually inserting the lobes into the deformed end 36 of the fitting is not 
a problem which requires rocking of the tool, but once the end is 
reformed, it will have a diameter which closely approximates the combined 
lobe diameter in the closed positin, but flange 37 will interfere with or 
inhibit easy withdrawal of the tool. Rocking of the fitting into notches 
45 and 46 will, therefore, enable easy removal of the lobes.