Hey there Guest! If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
Hey there Guest - be sure to keep your profile page up to date with interesting info about yourself: learn more
What the heck is that "Resources" tab up there all about? Learn more
More tips and tricks on Posting and Replying: click
Everything you've ever wanted to know about bookmarks, but were afraid to ask: Learn More
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the smilie in place of the real @
Want to mention another member in a post & get their attention? WATCH THIS
So, you created a "Group" here at BCF and would like to invite other members to join? Watch this!
Hey Guest - A post a day keeps Basil from visiting you in the small hours and putting a bat up your nightdress!
Hey Guest - do you know of an upcoming British car event? Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> Here's How <<
Hey Guest - you be stylin' Change the look and feel of the forum to fit your taste. Check it out
If you run across an inappropriate post, for example a post that breaks our rules or looks like it might be spam, you can report the post to the moderators: Learn More
1. What is a cross between a bear and a rabbit Alex.
I'm sorry that's incorrect. Try again
Babbit for $200 Alex
What is a Soft, white metal, an alloy of tin, lead, copper, and antimony, used to reduce friction in bearings, developed by the US inventor Isaac Babbit in 1839.
Babbit metal = white metal = bearing metal. Originally poured, but not today.
There are many different blends today, depending on application.
Called Babbit in tribute to original inventor - see JPSmit above.
When babbitt is melted, it looks like lead. It doesn't take a whole lot more heat to melt than lead. Babbitt is still used today in large rotating shafts such as used in industrial applications where replacing a fixed bearing possibly weighing 100 lbs or more is not practical. My dad was an expert on pouring babbitt bearings. He used to rebuild old steam engines and that's what they used. Believe it or not, it is a fairly dangerous job, as the melted babbitt can explode in your face if it hits a drop of moisture or overly cold surface. I still have his old bearing scrapers and pouring ladles, but definitely have no intension of using them!
Working with babbitt is not a completely lost art - most prewar American cars used babbitt bearings (Chevy sixes used babbitt until 1948) and most old stationary engines used them. Next time you see a make n' break engine at a county fair, ask the guy tending it about babbitt & I guarantee he'll go on for at least 5 minutes.
Unless they've been "upgraded" to to use modern shell type bearing inserts, all Model T and Model A Fords have babbitt bearings & there are ~lots~ of those still running. Lots of guys here still pour the stuff.
So since this is falaking off, it's cheap insurance to replace right?
I think I got away pretty goodlyish with this engine. Rod bearings and a few gaskets and it's OK.
In big engines they would pour it, blue the journals and set the crank.
Then they would remove the crank and scrape the bearing.
This would sometimes go on all day.
(We still have a bunch of old folks in this town that did this or saw it done)
Cooper Energy engines ran 3 years between minor services and up to 12 years between rebuilds (constant opperation)
That old technology worked.
There are several accounts of engine service life exceeding 80 years w/o a single rebuild.
BTW...They refer to lead hammers as Babbit hammers.
A friendly reminder - be careful what links you click on here. If a link is posted by someone you don't know, or the URL looks fishy, DON'T CLICK. Spammers sometimes post links that lead to sites that can infect your computer, so be mindful what you click.
(Click X in the upper-right to dismiss this notice)
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.