White metal bearings are cast by first cleaning and tinning the steel housing surface with flux and solder, then creating a jig to hold the bearing halves in position, and finally pouring molten white metal (babbitt) into the cavity to create a smooth, durable bearing surface that can be machined to precise specifications for proper engine operation.
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Thanks For Bearing With Me…. Petter M Get Back To It! White Metal Bearing Pouring! - Part 11Added:
Hello. Welcome back.
So, this video is long overdue. So, I actually started this video on the 2nd of January. And today is the 27th of April I'm filming this. So, been long overdue. But, I'll be honest, I haven't really felt up to it. So, since I lost my mom in January, I've sort of fallen out of love with doing a lot, really.
And the Petter has been one of them. So, poor old thing. It's all got a bit rusty around the top and all this brass work's now looking a bit horrible. It's not looking as bright as it was, but we are we're back on it. So, I've done a little bit to it. So, I have got the crank back in along with the big end. So, in this video that I started back in January, um I go through the process of making the bearing. So, so, it's been well overdue.
I should have finished this uh February time, probably. But, yeah, with one thing or another, I've not felt like it.
And I've only just got round to to getting this back in. So, hopefully this is the start of the next stage of of continuing on with that. So, onto the video.
So, I must apologize. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back on this.
It's been a bit of a rough time. I've not really not felt like it. But, hopefully it's going to be back to normal service shortly. So, if you like what you see, please subscribe below. Please drop me a like. Hype the video.
And comment. Uh might as well just hear what you say. Thanks for watching.
Hello and welcome back to another Petter video.
So, said in one of my videos that I had had a little fallout with it. So, the fallout was this.
So, as you'll notice, there's something a bit different there. That there is no white metal bearing in that.
It should look like this with this bearing cast into it.
With a thrust washer and obviously a bearing face.
But, somehow that's missing.
Now, I never noticed that it weren't there.
I don't know how I missed it.
I half thought it was there and it was in and then put it in back together. And then I had I noticed that something was different. So, when it was together, it didn't have the thrust part on. And it looked different compared to the compared to this half, basically. I had bolts dropped out.
It wasn't as wide.
So, that's when I noticed something was different.
So, I decided to take it to bits and noticed that the bearing was missing.
I've cleaned the garage out. So, don't look like it, but I have tidied up down there where it was. And it's not there. So, it hasn't dropped out. That was my first thought. And two, it's missing altogether. It's worn.
So, explains why it wasn't there in the when I took it to bits.
But, I know it's a lucky, really. I don't know how I noticed it cuz there's [clears throat] only that tiny tiny tiny bit of white metal left on it. So, the plan is to melt that off and recast a new white metal bearing. So, I have some here.
Um it's a new bearing. Um I'm going to cast it in.
So, that's today's video. So, it's It's something I've never done before. I've I've watched lots of videos, one thing or another.
Um it is freezing. The heater's off flat out, as you can hear. I'm not willing to turn it down cuz I I've been inside for an hour and a half more than what I should be. And it's just too It's too damn cold. So, that's been running for an hour and a half and it's still like freezing in here. Can't even see.
Let's have a look.
See if we can see how cold it is in here.
1 degree, I think.
So, yeah, it's um fresh, to say the least. So, that's um that's today's video. I need to get this done cuz I need to Well, I want to move the Petter around. I'm sick of looking at it now.
So, yeah, first melt this out, clean it up.
And then um and then somehow create some sort of jig to cast it in. So, right.
Let's get started.
Right.
So, what I'm going to do is mostly melt it out.
I'm just going to uh give it a tidy up on the wire wheel. Try and clean up around these edges.
And obviously the bearing face before I set to on there and flux it up.
So, I won't film that. I'll just set to and do it. Oh, there's a bit in the middle there.
God, it's a bit smoky. I'll just try and melt a bit more of that out before I before I clean it up.
Right. So, that's all that polished up nice.
What I'm going to do is just give it a bit of a tidy up with a bit of emery just to get rid of this last bit of um white metal here. Probably just use it on the drill cuz it'll be quicker.
Get a buzz up on I've got some disc emery discs.
And uh it'll give just a nice key to the surface as well.
The by doing that, it gives the flux, which is the not the flux, the solder. It starts as the tinning something to grip to if this is nice and sharp. So, that's next job. I'll crack on with that.
Right. So, that's all that tidied up.
Also, what I did as well, I've drilled this hole. So, there's a retaining hole in the middle. So, that's an oil hole.
That's a retaining hole. And that's That's there to stop the bearing rotating in the housing.
So, that was full of white metal. So, I've melted that out best I can. And I've just run the drill down it just to literally clean it up nice and tidy.
So, I'm going to do now is flux this.
I've got an old makeup brush of our lass's.
So, some flux on here.
Some in there.
And I want to get some round that edge.
So, I've got plenty of flux on there.
Now, what I'm going to do is warm it.
I'm going to use some solder.
I'm going to melt the solder onto it and then move it about with a brush to cover the whole surface.
The idea with this is This is called tinning.
And what that does is it gives a a metal which melts at similar temperature, but is already pre-stuck to the steel.
So, that when you pour the metal, you warm the tin, basically, or the the solder. You warm that and this all at same time. You pour your metal in and it all mixes together. So, it basically sticks to this.
That's a short term of short way of describing it. So, I'm going to give it a warm and uh put the tin on. So, I'll flick you back onto a time lapse cuz I might just need both hands to juggle the torch to put it in here to hold this. Um I'm going to be a bit all over the place. So, yeah, I just need as little distraction as I can to do it.
So, I'll crack on with that now.
Well, that wasn't too bad once I swapped my flux.
Here we are.
It's quite warm.
So, you see it's tinned all the sides.
Both sides.
And also on the main the main bearing surface.
So, the idea with this is with that little hole in the middle is that the bearing is cast into there and it's held. So, like this one, you can see the hole in the bottom of there.
That's what that is in the bottom of there. So, that holds that bearing into that cap.
So, that is completely permanently stuck in there.
The idea with doing this is that that yeah, goes that way.
And it'll be permanently stuck in there.
So, you can see when I hold the two together how much bearing there is to make up there.
So, >> [clears throat] >> the next job now is to Oh, Christ, that's hot.
It's just got really hot.
Is to get the crankshaft out, put this half on the crankshaft.
I think.
Um I don't know actually.
So actually had this made.
So this is an exact copy of the crank.
So that'll sit in there like that.
And it's the same width.
So the bearing should be cast the same width as this. As you see.
So ultimately, I want to use this to cast this.
Put in there.
So what I need to do now is line the pot marks up.
Yeah.
So that'll go in there like that.
And don't know if it's bloody red hot.
I then have to decide what thickness I want the sides.
And I don't know if you can see. Yep, definitely can see there.
With that I need to then use this to jig against there to pour the metal round there against this.
And I need this bottom half to make sure it's not twisted like this. If it's twisted, it won't go together very well.
So it's a bit of trickery pokery of getting that outside gap the same.
And getting it so there's a good thickness of bearing material around it.
So the next plan is is to sort that out somehow.
How I don't know.
Cuz what I want to do Wait. Start again.
I actually need to cast it that way.
So the bearing material flows down and underneath.
So I need to fathom a way of suspending this this top piece.
I'm going to drop that off.
So suspending that that plug like that.
That's why I've got a hole drilled through the middle of it.
And suspending this where it's in the vice.
Suspending that somehow. I haven't yet sussed that out.
And then also making a dam around the edges so that the white metal can flow to create the thrust washer on the outside.
So if I hold that up to there, you can actually see there's a bit of gap at each side.
Hold it in the right place in the camera.
So there is a bit of a gap each side.
So that's how wide something needs to be either side to pour it into.
So that's my next headache.
So I'm just going to have a bit of a play probably off camera.
I'm going to have me cup of cold coffee again cuz I've left it too long.
And I'm just going to have a bit of a think.
And I'll come back when when I've sussed some of how I'm going to jig it all. So Right. We'll see you in a few minutes.
Right.
We're back.
Nearly 3 and 1/2 hours later.
So just that few minutes I said is um is it the snowball's like I've got done what I'm going to do. I've had another another drink. [music] I've I've um I've had a bit of a snap, but I'll show you what I've concocted up.
I think it's going to work.
We'll soon find out. The good thing with white metal is if you make a balls up, you can just melt it again and start again. So I think this is going to work. So I'll show you.
So here it is.
Right.
You must be thinking I'm barmy using wood.
So the wood is only for the thrust part of the bearing. So the sides.
Obviously the cap is underneath. The conrod is underneath. And the steel plug is in top cuz that that steel plug there is the um machining surface. Uh running surface of the bearing.
So what I've done I've threaded rod not either side.
And then that there's a nut under there either side. That's then welded to a washer and a bit of bar onto the rod. And that's set the height of that.
So what I've how I've set that is by getting the the cap which is that way it goes.
Dropping that over there. But actually upside down.
Dropping the um plug in there.
So then fastening all that up tight.
Drop the plug in.
Then drop the washers on top with a bit of bar so I know everything. So they're square to that. And that was square to them.
And then obviously just take that off.
Turn it all upside down and pour it in.
We've used lintel rod. So I've got some fine adjustment in here.
Um and then the other thing I've done is I've clayed all the outsides up with fire clay. And just a little bit in there. It's only a bit of a push.
Uh our fire cement.
So that hopefully will plug all the holes.
There's a hole in here which goes through for the uh oil. I don't know.
You can only just sort of make it out right down there.
You can see the clay has come through.
Um Can't find my torch.
I don't know if it's got held in the vice.
Put two screws in the back just to hold that back piece up so that you're having no fans.
These to hold the top.
So now I'm going to warm this.
Warm this. These This shouldn't catch too bad.
Really needs some warmth in it really.
Just enough to to melt the lead in there. Not lead.
Solder.
Comes to me eventually.
Um I don't really have a tin big enough to pour me thing in. So I've got a trusty old tin of Spam.
I'm going to put it on the stove and then melt it in there.
And I think if I grip it right with some pliers I should be able to then pour out through one corner down into there.
So that's the plan.
So just going to have a bit more of a tidy up down here cuz I'm going to put the stove here. I've got my petrol camping stove.
I'm going to put that there. So I'm just going to move this bit of plastic and such like and uh So I set my depth.
So I've measured my So set depth of the bearing. I've measured the bearing like that.
And then gone in from the side.
And then measured it from the plug down to the cap.
So that's then set the depth of the white metal in there.
So I'm hoping it should all be all right.
Someone did suggest wood and said it worked really really well. So I'm hoping this will this will work right. I've been told to wear a face mask because it can spit if there's any sort of moisture, which wood's renowned for holding moisture. So wish me luck with that one.
But yeah, I'm going to pour it onto that that steel plug and hope it flows around.
So yeah.
That's the plan. So let's get tidied up and set up.
Right. We're all goer.
Get me uh Get me um stove warmed up.
So it's a jet stove. So you have to warm it up. Multi-stove. Multi-fuel one. So petrol, paraffin, diesel. I usually run on petrol cuz it's handier.
I've got me stirring stick and temperature stick there.
And that's all ready. So I'll move the tripod.
And I'll get that stuck on the floor.
And we'll we'll get filming.
That can come off.
Thank you. Oh, he's warm.
Oh my days.
>> Right, there's quite a lot of warmth in the top rod.
Cuz it's firing.
Just uh just drop another bar in. I'm going to probably put half this bar in.
Make sure I've got plenty cuz it white melts shrinks like crazy.
So, you always need to make sure you've got plenty.
I'm told when it gets to 400° a bit of fresh pine that's See what it is on the camera. Should singe. So, that's not started burning yet. So, it's not up to temperature.
I would say move that before I fall over it.
We're not far off.
Yeah.
Come on.
Yeah.
I think we're definitely hot enough.
We have liquid metal.
Hopefully we're nothing there.
Think about giving it a little warm just to make sure I've got enough in.
Just uh melted what was on top.
It's dropped in, so that's filled a little bit more.
So, I'm going to go in for a couple of hours and just let that cool out for a bit.
And I'll come come back in 20 minutes half an hour when it's had chance to just snap off and cool.
So, you're ready for the grand finale.
So, this is what it look like inside. So, that's where I routed it out.
And the unburnt bit around the bottom is um around here.
Around there is where the clay's been.
That's where the middle of that's been.
All very hot still.
So, there's the plug.
We You see I've just welded that to that.
And the bearing, you ready? Da da da da da. This is what it looks like.
So, having never poured white metal, I do not know if that's a success.
If that's not a success, if that's what it's meant to look like, I've absolutely no idea.
But, it's stuck.
The thrust parts.
I'm just um I'll put me phone down and then I'll wind it in. Oh.
This is how it's turned out. This is all the clay.
Still got a bit of warmth about it.
So, actually, I don't think it's too bad.
It's got a bearing in here. It's still a bit warm.
I don't think it's that bad.
It's a bit low on this side, but it's a bit high on that side. It's no different to the other one.
Um it just wants fettling up now. The bearing face isn't actually that bad.
I'm hoping.
This is really smooth.
Edge is a bit rough, which I expected being against the wood.
But, um I'm hoping a bit of fettle with a file on these edges, particularly.
Or else I may have to scrape it, but I don't know how to go about that.
Yeah, I'm pleased with that.
I'll strip strip these threaded bars out.
And then I'll come back when um when I've a bit more off. So, here it is out, all cleaned up. So, I had a bit of overspill there into the threads.
So, luckily focus.
These are the nut on the bottom, so that stopped the flow out there. Same with both of them. One sheared off and one didn't. So, but that bit that bit just there is lovely and smooth.
A bit rough at the tops. It's a bit lower here. I actually poured it at that side.
Lesson for next time is you need to pour it both sides to make sure I don't get any dips in here.
But, I'm pretty certain there's it's right on the very, very edge is that, so literally it's it's like it's right on the edge. I don't think that will matter a single bit at all. That's actually outside.
That's one of the parallel thrust end is that, so not worried on that at all.
Uh there's no oil hole in it. That's um this side, so that's about there. So, that needs drilling.
Um I'm going to file just rub the file over it. I'm going to file these tops flat.
And I'm going to file the edges flat as well.
So, that's the next job is to um start fettling this up.
Right, that's me packing up.
So, you see there's a lot of bearing in here.
Somehow I got my measurements wrong.
Anyway, can soon sort that.
I'll take it to my friends at Daleford Engineering and get them to just turn that down.
That's the plug they made. I've just chopped the tab off that I had welded on earlier.
But, um I'm going to whip this off one-handed.
And I'll show you what I've done.
I've been at it for an hour, hour and a half, I bet.
And I'm now fed up, hungry, and ready for a drink.
So, there's the bearing. Let me take this off.
It's all a bit one-handed.
There's the bearing face. I have fettled it a bit. See I've drilled a hole through there for the oiler.
So, it does it wanted a bit more fettling before I took it to operate a bit together.
So, what I'm going to get them to do is bore it level.
So, I'm not sure exactly how level it is through there. I don't know if it's like that or like that.
Anyway, I'll get them to do it. They'll be able to do it on a mill or lathe or one or the other.
Um I'll take him that and the plug and the crankshaft so they've got something to work with.
And uh yeah, time to tidy this woody monstrosity up.
Well, no, I'll do this another night and I'm off in for me tea.
I'll uh I'll come back another day when I've had all this machined up and hopefully get it slapped back in.
Right, we're back from machining.
So, here we go.
So, they've now turned that down.
So, it is round and a lot thinner. So, you see it's the same thickness now as the top.
They've also turned these bolt heads down because with the bearing it was actually a lot thicker than what they originally made them, so I've had them turned down.
They said they can turn the nuts down if needs be to to get a bit more effort in, enough.
But, I need to now lap both these to the crank. Make sure they're right.
How they did it, I'll put a video in here of what they did, but basically held it on there, supported it under there, and then miked from the center of there cross, which would be a center, which is actually 9 in it worked out.
And then dialed from there to there to find the center, and then use a fly cutter to cut this half.
So, that's that's now machined to the right diameter to 44.20.
That's the plug they've made.
So, get it shoved apart.
That should fit in there like that.
So, that's exactly the same diameter as the crank.
So, the view is that as a gauge rather than having to prat about with the crank. So, that's how I've done that, but I'll put a video in next after this to show you what's what.
Um and we'll get on with fettling now.
So, that's how they've done that.
So, what I'm going to do now is get bloody hell.
Trying to do it all one-handed.
Put that in there along with the other half, and pin it up. So, they've pinned it like that, but I'm going to cover the whole lot.
Put that in there and turn it.
See where what marks what.
And where the pin comes off, it's obviously high, and where it leaves the pin, it's low.
And then fettle that up to fit that.
But, [snorts] with that half as well.
Um So, I'll spin it round and round, do it nice and tight, and then I'm going to make some shims for here to to bridge the gap, and hopefully, and fingers crossed, I'm going to get it thrashed back into the crankcase.
So, on with that now.
Right, after ages and ages and ages of prating about, we've got it so there's a good lump nearly all that one even.
You can see it's a nice and blue as this face from that.
Off bearings touching.
So, it goes on nice, turns nicely.
Yes, it is tight when you turn it over.
Um and see me tapping it with a hammer. An old trick, apparently, is to tighten it up and then tap it round where it is and it beds the bearing in and then when you turn it, it suddenly becomes easier to turn, so that's one thing I have done.
So, now is to fit something in here to basically take the gap up with.
There's one on that side and a bit on that side.
So I'll um I'll knock something up that acts as shims for there just to so it's got something to bump against.
That's where they want to be, that is a little bit tight.
The plan is that I can clamp them clamp them together. So, that's already got a shim in there, so I'll probably try and copy that.
Same on that side, so shim it up.
Uh might even get some washers and um grind an edge off so they'll fit in nice.
And then file the washers so they're tight, something like that. So, that's my next plan is to find something to shim that all with.
So, I'll just stop you there.
I don't actually carry on with this idea. I changed my mind, but bear with me. It was just an idea to start with.
All right. I've got it shimmed up.
Don't know if I've done right or wrong.
Anyway, I've used some copper washers thinking that copper will compress.
So, I've compressed them up so it's rock hard tight, then let it off slightly so that it will turn.
It will turn nicely and then it will stop. So, there's a little bit of friction there.
I can probably back it off a tiny bit more.
So, it does spin quite nice. I have put a splash of oil on it.
There's no movement at all in it.
Everything's tight.
So, I'm thinking that I'm going to put it back together like that.
To be honest like I said, I don't know if the copper washers are a good idea or a bad idea or what, but it's um yeah.
There's a little bit of resistance there.
So, yeah, that's what I'm going to do.
I haven't got the skills to make loads and loads of shims.
And I am afraid to take it to bits again if it fails.
So yeah.
That's what I'm going to do. So, yeah, these are tight.
They're not loose.
So yeah, I think I'm going to go with that.
Right, on with the next bit. So, as you can see, I didn't actually stick with that copper washer idea.
I got some thin bits of aluminum and turned them down in the lathe.
So, also I've had a bit of a lathe upgrade. It's not quite chucked in properly. Had to move my toolboxes, sold my old lathe off the top there.
Got a Colchester.
But uh yeah, I didn't stick with that copper washer idea. I thought on it and I thought it weren't a very good idea that, not really safe. So, turned these down, filed them up by hand, got it nice and nice and tight.
Got the bearing and the crank all put back in. It needs a bit of filling up with the gasket goo, but finally we can get to a stage where well, one, I can have a tidy up because it's absolute dumping ground in here again. I've also had these these powder coated not powder coated, sandblasted flywheels back there.
Um water tank, trolley wheels are down there on the floor, so I've had all them sandblasted. They're on the next list of jobs to do cuz I need the metalwork sorting for the trolley, then it's woodwork.
And then it's case of getting the engine put back on the trolley and that'll be the next step, so I again apologize it's taken me so long to do this video. It's uh I started this bearing back in January 26th and it's now the 27th of April, 26.
So, it's taken me far too long. So, I've had other priorities on my mind, so I'm hoping I can I can start cracking on with a few bits and pieces and yeah, get a bit more back to you soon.
Again, if you like this video, please drop me a thumbs up, like, subscribe, hype the video, share it. All helps the algorithm. So, as I said before, subscribing is free, costs you nothing.
It just helps my channel grow and push it to the right people.
Um yeah, it's it's every bit of help you can give me will be appreciated, so thanks for watching.
We'll see you later.
Ta-ta.
>> [music] [music] [music]
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