poured babbitt bearings

[Cornbelt]

Anybody ever pour bearings? I've built a potters' wheel and am almost to the point of pouring the bearings for the main shaft. Never done this myself, so could use some input if anyone has any knowledge. For instance: Will wheel weights work for something turning less than 400 RPM? (Have more of that than babbitt.) How hot do you pour? Does the shaft need heated first?

[bilmac]

Man you are talking about some old old skills here, I can remember my dad talking about poured bearings. About all I can remember is that babbit made a better bearing than lead. If you have it I would use it or mix some lead with it to make up enough for the job, because as I remember the babbit wasn't any good for bullets.

[Soot]

Order the free catalog from Lindsy's Technical Books, it's filled with reprinted books of old time stuff like pouring babbitt bearings.
Click Here
Check out this too on babbitt bearings: Click Here

[thxmrgarand]

I helped a fellow pour babbit bearings for a sawmill.  It was many years ago.  I have also used babbit to set up logging chokers after cutting the chokers to length from a spool of line.  I believe the babbit was just about the same material for both jobs.  Babbit is softer than wheel weights.  In pouring babbit bearings we did not heat the shafts.  Anything you use for a conduit to pour the molten babbit into a tight place needs to be hot.  Have everything the lead will touch be completely free of grease, oil and water (especially water!).  After the babbit bearing has cooled, oil will help with friction.  Clean up any leaked lead or sprue using a knife or chisel.  I suppose you could measure the bearing with a micrometer from time to time to keep track of wear.

[Cornbelt]

Interesting you should mention the chokers. The babbit I have was scrounged from pennent line ends after the cables had been cut off.
  Also have one of Lindsay's phamphlets on babbiting, but the only guy I knew who had done it died about 30 yrs ago.
  I've been trying out different consistencies of mud-water to see how much clearance I'll get, but before I can pour, I'll need to cut the shaft out where the crank throw was welded on. After that it might not even be straight, but I can put up with a wobble in the shaft as long as the bearings don't have an egg-shaped orbit. If they do, I'll have to true it up, and when I'm done someone's gonna need to show me how to use the thing. I've never made any pottery.

[flintlock]

I wish I had payed more attention, I helped my dad do this about 40 years ago, I was about 13-14...He passed on in 1975...He could fix anything from a broken heart to the crack of dawn...

[The Hermit]

I poured a few bearings for old paper machine jounals. These were poured, machined, and installed in halves.
Wheel weights are harder than lead, but babbit has other good bearing qualities.
I am not familiar with what you are doing. If at all possible, pour your bearings, then install. If it has to be poured in place, remove all old babbit, clean with alcohol, and lightly oil the shaft.
Do not overheat the babbit. If it starts to turn slighly blue or tan on top, you are too hot. If this happens, toss in a small hunk of wax. This will force the tin back into the mixture, Scoop off the ash till the mixture is shiny and pour immediately. Hope this helps.

   The Hermit

[JBlk]

Most of the old hit and miss engines had poured bearings in them.Contact one of the collectors in your area, and he will probably give you the information that you need or have a resource that does have the information.

[Cornbelt]

Thanks, I checked up on hit & miss engines. A quick-fix to get them running on idle with no load (for the shows) is to avoid babbit altogether, just bedding the inserts in bondo, of all things. Well, that's nice to know; I'll just pour the inserts between the bondo and shaft. That ought to work fine for a potters' wheel and save about half the babbit for the next job which might be a hit & miss Hercules. Found out an interesting way to cast the oil grooves in place: Wrap a muddy string around the mandrel.
  BTW, one reference mentioned "white lead" to keep the babbit from sticking where you don't want it to...    Where can you get that?
 

[The Hermit]

White lead has been declared illegal to use/sell. We used to use it in machine shops, mixed with a little oil, on taps under power. Also, it was used on pressing journals into rolls, as a lubricant, to prevent knitting.

Just about anything can be used as a dam when pouring babbit in place, or lead for that matter. The power company has a sealant that they use to fill entrance holes where wiring goes into dwellings. You can pack it around your mandrel or shaft and it will prevent the lead from running.

The Hermit

[mrbigtexan]

you can find some info on it by checking out windmill websites. they pour babbitts in the gear box on top of the tower. these are the old time water windmills like aermotor, not the new wind generators. alot people around here call them windmills also.

[SHOOTALL]

plumbers soil will also keep it from sticking as will smoke from a plumbers candle . Some older Hardware stores still have these . Then too so will masking tape if temp is not to high.

[Cornbelt]

  Well, I got 'em poured. Found out babbit sets up quicker than wheel weights. Also found out bondo makes a good barrier; better than damp mud, though Pla-Do is supposed to work too. ("Dam-Tite" (TM) is the commercial product.)
  Made the bearing halves in the stationary half out of babbit, poured horizontally; the removable half out of wheel weights (which were adequet for this project) poured upright. Cut oil channels with a ball end dremil tool. Truth be known, a "V" cut in the wood blocks with a fresh piece of pork rind every year probably would be as good, but I needed the practice for a couple other projects. 
    Then there's plan B. Maybe I'll make a grist mill out of it some day.

[blind ear]

What carries the thrust load/downward force of the shaft? IS it carried by the sides of the split bearings around the shaft or something under the base? eddiegjr

[Cornbelt]

I've got it thrusting on a pad that's center-drilled. The shaft is also center drilled with a steely between. All I had was a 3/4 bearing ball. (Used to have inch or bigger, but they all got used up making clappers for the neighbor's cowbells.) The steel pad is epoxied in place in the lower beam. The "flywheel" was from a horse-drawn sicle-bar mower. I'm fixing to pour it about half full of concrete for a little more enertia.