Chain joining problem

Hi
Began flaring out the first rivet of my chain joining link and again I failed at the first hurdle. The rivet (it's the one on the right in the photo) has a crack in it. The diameter of the rivet is 5.48mm - flared from a stating point of 5.12mm.
The flaring is fairly central (and a bit better than the slightly off centre untouched rivet on the left) and far less than could have been provided.
This is the SECOND joining link rivet which has cracked like this.
The chain is a JT 530 X1R .
What is going on? What am I doing wrong? Is the link to blame?
The tool I am using is this one: http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?id=20&method=mViewProduct&productid=12829
Any help would be much appreciated!
Cheers
Steve

 

What tool are you using? That left link looks really messed up with very wide flares.

 

I have not touched the pin on the left side. It's as it came from the factory.

I am using a Sealey chain tool. You can see one here: ://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?id=20&method=mViewProduct&productid=12829

 

Just added this picture of someone else's chain.
Similar flare to my right pin yet his didn't break.

 

Man, I need to pay more attention to what I'm reading.

Yeah, that tool is basically what I have. You shouldn't be having that kind of issues. My DID chain is flared to
.221 inch from about .2oo inch, uh about 5.08 mm to 5.61 mm. You shouldn't be having issues with only .3 mm.

Double check that you have enough of the link pins protruding through the connecting link.

Wait a sec, how did you get one stock rivet and one that you did yourself?

 

The link is 0.04mm wider than the adjacent links. I have not touched the pin on the left - there seems no point when the pin on the right has cracked.

Picture below belongs with my post above. No idea why it has appeared in this reply!

 

Not sure what is going on there, but that link doesn’t look new.

 

Okay, I think I understand. The first pic in the first post has the right hand rivet expanded and cracked,
the left hand rivet is unexpanded. Correct?

Maybe you're trying to flare it too quickly by cranking down on it too hard. Try going slower, flare it a little
then back off and flare a bit more, a little at a time. The walls on that unflared pin look really thick.

 

My thoughts too , it’s pic looks like a different material in pin.

Honda manual states the required diameter of riveted pin btw.

 

I don't use the width of the flare to determine how far to press. I measure 3-5 various link widths, get an average, and press the master so the link plate width falls at this number. Take your time, if you haven't done this more than once or twice, it does take practice to get it right.

 

Yep, it is a brand new link - my third!

 

Yes, the left hand rivet is unexpanded or flared.

I did the flaring a quarter of a turn at a time. It took a lot of effort to do it. I had to use a longish spanner. I have a routine which is flare a bit, remove tool, measure amount of flare, flare a bit, remove tool, etc. It took ages to do.

 

Thanks!

I have the workshop manual so will check it out.

 

I pressed on the plate to a width which is about the average of three plates on other links. I had no trouble getting the plate width right. It all went wrong when I flared the rivet!

 

You are probably putting too much pressure to flair end. You just flair end enough to bottom tool. see YouTube

 

Thanks for that!
That's one thing I immediately noticed when watching the video - I cannot leave the flaring tool in the rivet. If I let go of it the flaring pin immediately falls out.
The shoulder at the end of the flaring pin looks to be smaller on mine than the one in the video.