Tube end deforming tool

A tube deforming tool including a tapered mandrel, the mandrel having a small diameter at its forward end and a larger diameter at its rearward end, a housing with a plurality of radially movable balls mounted therein surrounding the mandrel, the housing having a forward end closest to the forward end of the mandrel, and a rearward end closest to the rearward end of the mandrel, the housing having openings therein adjacent the location of each ball, collar means surrounding the mandrel at the rearward end of the housing and adapted to abut against the end of the tube to be deformed, means for moving the mandrel without rotation thereof, but longitudinally of the ball housing, a plurality of longitudinal grooves in the mandrel, therebeing one for each ball, the grooves being such that as the mandrel is moved longitudinally through the ball housing into the tube interior, the balls are moved radially outwardly by the increasing diameter of the tapered mandrel, until the balls contact and eventually deform the tube wall, an enlarged recess at the end of each of the grooves near the rearward end of mandrel, such that when the balls drop into the recesses, they are removed from contact with the tube wall, thereby forming dimples of a given size in the outer tube wall and permitting easy withdrawal of the tool from the tube.