If you fool around with old machines you will encounter poured babbit bearings, and you may have to make some yourself. I poured the rod bearing for the 9 HP Economy that you see in Gary Bahre's engine shed. Zeke helped my do that when he was just a little guy. Gary had to pour a new rod bearing for the Bessemer 8 HP engine after the new rod was built. I have poured many wire rope sockets with babbit, back when I mechanicked for a living. The MadMailer has just posted a good video showing a challenging project, and he says there will be a part II, so stay tuned.
AHH yes, the good old days. Back when I was a kid the Chevy guys were called "stove bolts" and "babbit pounders" by the Ford guys. I got the babbit reference, but never did figure out the stove bolt thing.
ReplyDeleteThese days I have no idea where you'd find somebody capable of doing babbit bearings.
Merle
Hang out at engine shows. The old timers who lived it are gone, but today's old timers have picked up some of the old skills. Our friend Gary is good at gas and steam engines. He has the skills to fix just about anything. There are a few of ads in Gas Engine Magazine for companies that will make babbit bearings.
ReplyDeleteYears ago at a sawmill that I worked at we still had a few babbit bearings on our debarker shafts. Our machinist made teflon infused nylon replacements. The babbit was removed and the base and cap of the bearings were reused.
ReplyDeleteThey worked and were much easier to change out than the babbit bearings.