[SEL] Babbitt or lead

Rob Skinner rob at rustyiron.com
Mon Sep 30 19:13:31 PDT 2013


On Sep 30, 2013, at 6:00 PM, Leroy Clark <1oldengin at gmail.com> wrote:

> Just poured the bearing on the sparta and while it was cooling some I began
> to wonder, which is softer lead (tire weights) or 1925 babbitt (remains
> from an old long gone engin). The bearing poured nice and will do what it
> is meant to, I think. Might be repoured with sides, unsure how it fits onto
> the crank. Now off with her head and test the new 110V welder. Leroy

Hey, you old lid puncher. Wheel weights contain a lot of antimony, so they’re not all that soft. They SEEM softer than most babbitt I’ve worked with. 

If it’s any help, I’ve used wheel weights for bearing material. The bearing is about 2” in diameter, can holds an idler pulley that’s about 30 pounds and pulls about ten horsepower. The last time I checked, there was NO noticeable play. Because of this one experiment, I’d be comfortable using wheel weights again. 

Rob








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