Page History: Babbitt - Where to buy?
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Page Revision: 2008/07/14 22:01
Fortunately for use woodworkers who are trying to restore old machinery, Babbitt is still commercially available from several sources. Here is a list of sources currently known:
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is a major industrial supply house that will sell you just about everything you need to pour new Babbitt bearings including the Babbitt itself. You can order from McMaster-Carr through their web site at www.mcmaster.com. Just do a search for "Babbitt" and then select "Babbitt Metal". McMaster-Carr stocks both lead based Babbitt as well as tin based Babbitt in small quantities (roughly five pound bars).
Magnolia Metal Corporation
The Magnolia Metal Corporation is one of the oldest makers of Babbitt metal, having been in business since 1886. The company is long known for their flagship product "Magnolia Anit-Friction Metal", which is a special Babbitt alloy. While Magnolia now specializes in bronze bearings and bronze alloys, they still sell several grades of Babbitt (including the original Magnolia Anti-Friction Metal). You can order direct from Magnolia at much lower prices than most other suppliers, but they require a minimum of a 50 pound order which is often impractical for those of us only doing a few small bearings.
Vintage New Old Stock (NOS)
Many people have also found that old bars of Babbitt are commonly found at estate auctions, flea markets, garage sales and even on e-bay. While it is not necessarly bad to use found Babbitt such as this, just remember that not all Babbitt is created equal. Many different grades of Babbitt have been made by many different companies over the years. Some companies even sold plain lead under the name of Babbitt! If you are going to take the time to pour new bearings in a machine, it is well worth you money to invest in Babbitt that is of a known composition.