Joined: Feb 2024 Posts: 16 Threads: 11
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Location: Felixstowe
Car type: 1933 PD
An idle question, in A7 circles I hear the term used for non-shell bearings to be white metalled?
However I understand that Babbit metal is better at holding an oil film in marginal lubrication situations.
Would originally the big ends be Babbit? Or maybe modern white metalling is actually Babbit, and it’s just a terminology thing!
Sorry if I’m splitting hairs - but years ago I worked for a company that made an outdated, even then, horizontal diesel engine that used Babbit bearings, a trial was done using copper backed white metal that didn’t go well?
Interested in replies!
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 3,391 Threads: 106
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Location: Darkest Bedfordshire
It's the same thing Tim. Either way, John Kirkby is your man!
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 1,048 Threads: 108
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Location: Cheshire
A bit from Wikipedia...
"The original Babbitt alloy was invented in 1839 by Isaac Babbitt in Taunton, Massachusetts, United States. He disclosed one of his alloy recipes but kept others as trade secrets. Other formulations were developed later. Like other terms whose eponymous origin is long since deemphasized (such as diesel engine or eustachian tube), the term babbitt metal is frequently styled in lowercase. It is preferred over the term "white metal", because the latter term may refer to various bearing alloys, lead- or tin-based alloys, or zinc die-casting metal."
Joined: Aug 2017 Posts: 966 Threads: 117
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Location: Melton Mowbray.
One of the best books on bearings of this type is " The Hoyt Book on Lined Bearings "
It tells you all you need to know.
Joined: Jan 2022 Posts: 75 Threads: 18
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Location: cambridge
Car type: A7 special 34
There are many white metal based alloys for lining bearings, some of the older ones now long gone due to containing cadnium and other toxic materials. I have always thought of Babbit and whitemetaling as the same thing but Babbit been a mostly American term. I still have a large box with several ingots in and always use a paint marker to ID them. Some are stamped so can be looked up. The Hoyt book as previously said is the place to go.
Only metaled one for an A7 following a poor big end from a supplier that was full of air bubbles. Most of the bearings I have metaled have been 4-10" so a bit big for an Austin.
Joined: Aug 2020 Posts: 22 Threads: 3
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1.Should a white metal bearing be peened before machining?
2. Should a diamond tool be used for machining white metal?
