[SEL] Babbitt lapping compound

[Judge Tommy Turner]

Guys, I do bearings the lazy way.  I polish the crankshaft until its 
bright.  Then I make a bronze bushing about 1/8 thick that has about 5 
thousandths clearance (sometimes you can get lucky and buy these from 
McMaster Carr and other suppliers).  I then split the bushing in 2 
halves.  I tin the back side with solder and then put the 2 halves back 
on the crankshaft and wrap a very fine brass wire around them to hold 
them in place.  Then I'll situate and align the crank in the journals 
with screw jacks dam up the ends and throw with Babbittrite.  I usually 
do a little preheat on the base and then I pour the bottom half, let it 
cool, place my shims (usually I'll make these out of gasket material or 
oiled paper) set the cap on, dam it up and pour the top half.  I've done 
this with several engines and never had a problem.  It leaves a perfect 
bearing surface and there isn't any scraping or fitting needed.  Now if 
someone wants the fun and experience of a babbitt/scrape job, they'll 
want to pour the babbitt and spend a day scraping and fitting.  I 
usually just want a good bearing job.

Tommy Turner
Magnolia, KY

Rob Skinner wrote:

>On Apr 3, 2008, at 9:28 AM, William Young wrote:
>  
>
>>Answer:  I think scraping takes skill & experience, neither of which  
>>I have.
>>    
>>
>
>Skill?  Experience?  Trust me, Wakai-san, neither of those are required.
>
>JB suggests using an old piston ring.  He knows a thing or two about  
>engines, so listen when he types.  I've used an old hacksaw blade, but  
>you can use any hunk of metal that you can sharpen into a shap  
>convenient for scraping.
>
>The babbitt doesn't cut so easily that you have to worry about  
>accidentally ruining the job if you hiccup.  If you're capable of  
>shaving your face without ending up with a sink full of blood, you can  
>shave babbitt.
>
>I've been working out of the same quart of Starrett layout dye that  
>I've had for the last 25 years, but you can probaby substitute any  
>kind of coloring that will transfer between the surfaces.
>
>Party on,
>ロブスキナー
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