Price of babbett

[mexicanjoe]

Hey guys I was offered a nice chunk of babbett material for $35.00 . It is actually five square cubes that are connected forming one long piece. I've got some soft lead I want to cast with...... What does the ad hoc committee think???

[William Yanda]

Babbitt recipes vary wildly in tin content. Some are high, some are half, or more, lead. I think it would change your alloy.

[bangerjim]

Just saying "babbitt" does not define what is made of. Far from it.

Does your "string-o-babbitt" have a name cast into it? do a search for Babbitt and you will be amazed at how many variations there are. I am up to a count of over 27! I have over 6 in my stack of alloy.

Unless you know the brand and can look it up, you have no idea what is in there. You could take it to a scrap yard for x-ray analysis. But that small quantity may not be worth it.

If you do find the actual % make-up, you can easily plug it into the free alloy calculator on here to come up with your mix!

bangerjim

[Newboy]

The squares will have a code stamped on them, that will allow you to look up the composition.

[country gent]

Babbit was a lead alloy for machine bearing surfaces. I varies from maker to maker and for its intended use. It can contain lead tin antimony silver along with copper and some other additives as arsenic. Some brands make ups are on the internet or known. SOme were cast and blended in the sho where used for what they needed wanted, sort of like us bullet casters.

[Budzilla 19]

MJ, looking at your location, if you know any of the local pipeline X-ray companies, ask one of their guys to PMI it for you!! You will know what you have then! Then you can use that info to build your alloy to what you want it to be. Good luck to you.

[pls1911]

Mix it 70 lead with 30 Babbit with lead or 33/33/33 lead / Babbit/ your normal mix.
Like as not the as cast will be between 12-16 BHN.
Of greater importance, the resulting alloy should. sat beautiful and consistent slugs which will heat treat to 30+ BHN with optimal conditions .
To build in assurance that I do not ruin good bullets I only HT one hour at 450 degrees then ice water quench. This leaves me harder than Linotype but malleable enough to hold together on impact.

[rintinglen]

There are two main types of babbitt metal, one Pb based and One Sn based. 5 or 6 pounds of Tin based babbitt would definitely be worth 35 dollars, with tin running in excess of 10 dollars a pound. Lead based babbitt, not so much. The composition varies pretty wildly, but a tin based babbitt will have somewheres around 80-90 percent tin, plus or minus, with lead, copper, antimony and arsenic in various percentages. The lead based babbitt metals run any where from 60-90 percent lead, with tin, copper, antimony, arsenic and lord knows what else. I have heard of an aluminum babbitt, but I know nothing about it.
Babbitt in casting is very good stuff. It works great for hardening soft lead alloys and as a means of adding tin to the mix.