Renewing Babbit Bearing
-
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 936
- Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:41 pm
- Boat Name: B.N.Y.S.
- Location: Middle Earth
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
If the slot is wider than the pin, even by a small amount, then shape a piece of brass/bronze to fit as best you can and soft solder it in. Then work out the position of the bearing and drill and ream it back in. Not a full blown 'engineering' type repair but more than adequate for that use.
Retirement is about doing what floats your boat!
A BODGE : - A Bit Of Damn Good Engineering.
A BODGE : - A Bit Of Damn Good Engineering.
- barts
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1070
- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:08 am
- Boat Name: Otter, Rainbow
- Location: Lopez Island, WA and sometimes Menlo Park, CA
- Contact:
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
Add a small hole and use a needle greaser (avoiding useful but not found on original Zerk fitting) to lubricate it from time to time. These things wear out because there's no provision for lubrication.If the slot is wider than the pin, even by a small amount, then shape a piece of brass/bronze to fit as best you can and soft solder it in. Then work out the position of the bearing and drill and ream it back in. Not a full blown 'engineering' type repair but more than adequate for that use.
- Bart
-------
Bart Smaalders http://smaalders.net/barts Lopez Island, WA
Bart Smaalders http://smaalders.net/barts Lopez Island, WA
- cyberbadger
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:16 pm
- Boat Name: SL Nyitra
- Location: Northeast Ohio, USA
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
Is there an advantage to soft solder vs babbitt for this application?Mike Rometer wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 7:23 pmIf the slot is wider than the pin, even by a small amount, then shape a piece of brass/bronze to fit as best you can and soft solder it in.
RNoe recommended Grade 2 Nickel-Babbitt and that sounded pretty good to me.
What if I got a bronze bearing like this and turned it down to the slot ID, cut it to the right length, and soldered/babbitted this in the slot:
https://www.mcmaster.com/6381K42/
-CB
P.S. I did read what Kelly Anderson said that babbitt won't hand compression well. -- Is it then true that a soft solder could handle the compression better? I'm trying to find the best particular alloy that I can get for what I am trying to do, be it a solder or babbitt.
Last edited by cyberbadger on Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- barts
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1070
- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:08 am
- Boat Name: Otter, Rainbow
- Location: Lopez Island, WA and sometimes Menlo Park, CA
- Contact:
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
I'd follow Mike's advice; file a piece of bearing bronze in each link to fit, soft solder it in and drill and ream proper holes w/ matching overall lengths for the pin. Drill a tiny hole in the end for greasing and it will last a long time.What if I got a bronze bearing like this and turned it down to the slot ID, cut it to the right length, and soldered/babbitted this in the slot
- Bart
-------
Bart Smaalders http://smaalders.net/barts Lopez Island, WA
Bart Smaalders http://smaalders.net/barts Lopez Island, WA
- cyberbadger
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:16 pm
- Boat Name: SL Nyitra
- Location: Northeast Ohio, USA
- Kelly Anderson
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:28 am
- Boat Name: Vividus
- Location: Strasburg, PA
- Contact:
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
That looks better than what you started with.
It was not easy to convince Allnutt. All his shop training had given him a profound prejudice against inexact work, experimental work, hit-or-miss work.
- cyberbadger
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 1123
- Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:16 pm
- Boat Name: SL Nyitra
- Location: Northeast Ohio, USA
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
Darn.
Unfortunately I can't use the bushing idea because width of the slot is just around 1/4", it's within 0.005" of the pin size. Won't be space for any bearing material on the sides of the slot. Potentially I could widen the slot a little.
-CB
Unfortunately I can't use the bushing idea because width of the slot is just around 1/4", it's within 0.005" of the pin size. Won't be space for any bearing material on the sides of the slot. Potentially I could widen the slot a little.
-CB
- Kelly Anderson
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:28 am
- Boat Name: Vividus
- Location: Strasburg, PA
- Contact:
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
As heavy as the walls of that link are, you could bore the end out to 5/16+, without significant weakening the link. Then bush the freshly bored end, and fill the rest of the space with tin or Babbitt, or solder. Better yet, fill the slot first, then bore to 5/16 and bush.
It was not easy to convince Allnutt. All his shop training had given him a profound prejudice against inexact work, experimental work, hit-or-miss work.
- RNoe
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 5:29 pm
- Boat Name: Cluaran
- Location: Northern Oregon, USA
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
I like Kelly A's suggestion the best. That's what I would do.
RussN
RussN
- dampfspieler
- Full Steam Ahead
- Posts: 254
- Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 6:59 am
- Boat Name: No Boat Yet
- Location: Neubrandenburg, Germany
- Contact:
Re: Renewing Babbit Bearing
Hi,
I like Kelly's thoughts.
The bars will probably not have been original. I would braze steel filler pieces into the slots, then drill them and provide the holes with sintered bronze bushings. The bolts should be secured against twisting in order to avoid running in.
--
Dietrich
I like Kelly's thoughts.
The bars will probably not have been original. I would braze steel filler pieces into the slots, then drill them and provide the holes with sintered bronze bushings. The bolts should be secured against twisting in order to avoid running in.
--
Dietrich