Babbitt

[mag_01]

[smilie=1: Anyone---What is the composition of Babbitt----I use it and it works well in small amounts---10 to 15 % of the mix.:coffee:

[swheeler]

there are many

[mag_01]

That helps

[nighthunter]

Most common babbits are tin based and contain at least 90% tin. If you are adding 10 to 15% to WW you are wasteing quite a bit of it. Cut down on the babbit and make it go a little further. I used to get babbit from a guy that worked in the car shops for the B&O Railroad. They used it in the wheels of train cars but that source is history as they no longer use it. There is still a lot of it out there just there is no local source for me. I wish there was.
Nighthunter

[JeffinNZ]

Hi

I was given a large machine bearing from which I extracted about 25lb of 'white metal'/babbit.

Is there any easy way of finding out the composition? I am very reluctant to use any until I know what I have.

[jhalcott]

go to www.aimalloys.com for more info, there are dozens of babbit alloys

[John Boy]

Think it's worth a try? I was given 53#'s of the stuff

Babbitt Grade 4
80.5 - 82.5 ... Tin [smilie=w:
12.0 - 14.0 ... Antimony
0.24 ............. Lead
5.0 - 6.0 ....... Copper
0.1 ............... Arsenic
0.005 ........... Zinc
0.005 ........... Aluminum

I'm thinking for a 1:30 alloy, with the percentage of Sn in the babbitt, it's at least a one time try. At 8 bucks a pound, there's $340 of tin laying on the garage floor

[454PB]

As long as it's marked or you can somehow determine the alloy, it works great, but I've ruined some lead batches with babbitt of unknown composition. The high copper content will really screw up an alloy.

[Bass Ackward]

Absolutely. You have to know what you have and still I would recommend you test mold it yourself. You can also be fooled if you don't mix a small batch with lead in the amount you want and try that too. While some babbit will show it's true colors right off (I have some with 25% aluminum that is trash) others will not show poor casting qualities until the tin is diluted down to rational levels. Then it can be too late.

[jhalcott]

When i worked in the steel mill ,we cast a bunch of bullets from an alloy of zinc and aluminum. The slugs were very light and acted more like jacketed bullets than cast. after many tries to find a load with out success,I tried loading them the same as jacketed. Incredible velocities and fair to good accuracy results from this were normal.Fouling was terrible till we discover a gear lube that worked well as a bullet lube.I don't remember the name but it came in 50 gallon drums.VERY thich stuff,almost gummy.Bullets over .30 cal worked best!

[John Boy]

Enticement is getting even better using that Grade 4 babbitt ... Bhn 13 [smilie=1:

[georgeld]

Never used it for bullets.

But, used to have one hell of a time keeping babbit rod's in my old Chevy!!!

They'd let go and away went the crankshaft too.

Glad there's some 'useful purpose for the crap' after all.
Wish you well with it!

[Taylor]

Sorry,don't mean to but in on this..but...I had called the local foundry here in town,and asked for lead or linotype,don't remember which now.He replied that he did not have (whatever I was looking for),but that he had babbit.I always thought babbit metal was a "pot metal" or junk.I guess I do not know what it is then.So we can make bullets from it? Would some one please educate me?Thanks.