[Kohnke Rebabbitting]

I don't care what you do for Key, even make it look like Swiss Cheese, babbitt will shrink away from the block. The holes in the saddles are there to keep the bearing from turning under load, nothing else. If you don't peen, the crank will do it for you. DO NOT Peen cold Babbitt, it will make hair line cracks in the side towards the block.

If after a pour and you see seams, dirt, air bubbles of certain kinds, do not try to cover them up with a torch, like all the videos on U-Tube.

It would be like a lake shore. Whether it be mud, sand, or rock. What ever is on the shore, is under the water. So what ever is in the Babbitt on the outside, it is worst against the Block.

Unless your Babbitt hammer is run by air, they should not be used, as they cover to big of an area to do any kind of a correct job.

Wow, 40 years with out Peening, and never had one come back, we have found that many Babbitt jobs that have come in that have lasted around 100 to 5,000 that went bad from other babbitters, the customer was so dam mad, they wouldn't darken their door way again. Some did take them back once, expecting a different result.

I have been pouring Babbitt, now for 54 years, and have never sent a block out with out Peening. Oh, and never a come back, on any kind of a bearing.

We have spun poured over 33,000 Model T Rods, and even more or Model A rods. Model B rods, not as many, maybe under 5,000.

If anybody thinks Peening is not necessary, I will Guarantee, my customers won't care.

Anybody that wants to babbitt, should get two books. The reprint of K.R. Wilson tool catalogs, Model T, and A. It gives a good description of why to peen, and many other things.

Another reason, and a big one is, any bearing that has any kind of space between the bearing and it's shell, oil will get between the babbitt, and it's saddle, and will have a harder time conducting away the heat from the bearing, as oil is NOT a good conductor of heat transfer.

Thanks,

Herm.