Babbitt Bearing Techniques

These days we use bronze bushings, ball bearings, and roller bearings. At one time, though, bearings were cast from Babbitt metal, an alloy of tin, antimony and lead. It was very similar to type metal used in Linotype machines or solder. It was also called soft metal or white metal.

Modern knuckleheads laugh at Babbitt. It "couldn't possibly" be any good because it is so soft. "Only modern bearings" are any good. Bull! It was excellent bearing material, but the main reason we don't use it these days is because modern bearings can be much smaller to carry a given load, need essentially no maintenance, and they're now mass-produced making them cheap. A hundred years ago, Babbitt was king.

Many people are not familiar with the technique. For instance you might have a cast iron shell for a pillow block. You place the drive shaft through the shell and center it with a simple jig. You melt Babbitt with a torch (propane will do) and pour it into the space between the shaft and the shell. In a couple of minutes the metal has frozen, and you can remove the shaft and check the result. To use your homemade pillow block just put the shaft back into the bearing being sure to supply adequate lubrication. It will run and run and run. It's cheap, fast, and inexpensive. And it performs. Some of the finest lathes ever made had Babbitt headstock bearings.

These articles from early issues of Machinery Magazine reveal discussions among WWI era machinists about their techniques, secrets, and discoveries. Topics include: Making Babbitted Bearings in Halves, numerous Babbitting mandrels, centering jigs, special jigs for special jobs, Babbitting and Planing Cross Head Gibs, a variety of Babbitt Bearing Molds, Use of Soft Metals in Machinery Construction, Anchoring White Metal, Lining Bearings with Babbitt Metal, Babbitted Machinery Construction, Alignment Babbitting, Babbitting Cross-Heads, Lining Cast-Iron Bearings with Babbitt Metal, Standard Babbitt Specifications, Babbitting Fixture for Small Bearings, Oil Channels in Babbitt Bearings, and more.

These articles are full of drawings, how-to, arguments among machinists, experiments, discoveries, and experience. Babbitting is something to learn about and use. Afterall, most early 1900's engines - marine, airplane, steam, automobile - used Babbitt in their bearings for good reason.

Interesting booklet loaded with old-timer's secrets. Great ideas. Get a copy. 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 booklet 48 pages
No. 22440

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