[SEL] white metal for bearings (Babbitt)

[John Culp]

That recommendation was surely originated by metal dealers selling 
babbitt. There's nothing about the casting process that would ruin the 
babbitt in a recasting or two or three. And any contamination from oil, 
dirt and metal particles will float to the top to be skimmed off. Sure, 
type casters had to replenish the antimony and tin in linotype and 
other type metals, but that was after many months of keeping the stuff 
molten much of the time and oxidizing those metals out of the lead. I'd 
reuse what I had and use just enough new to make up for any lack. You 
won't gain anything by using new metal.

Personally, I mostly see babbitt as a good source of tin for bullet 
casting alloys. If you do junk your old babbitt, I'll bet there are 
bullet casters nearby that'll take it off your hands. Black powder 
cartridge shooters prefer lead-tin alloys without much else in them.

John

On Jul 10, 2008, at 9:44 PM, Tod Engine Foundation wrote:

> I just got a quote on genuine Babbitt at $12.58 per lb. delivered.   I 
> know
> I'll have to repour the big ends of the Tod Engine's connecting rods
> someday, and each one takes 325 lbs. of the stuff. Everything I've 
> read says
> to use no more than 50% old Babbitt when repouring, meaning I will need
> several hundred pounds of new Babbitt.


John Culp
Bristol, Tennessee, USA