Building an Aligator

[f350ca]

This is making me feel old, been about 40 years since I poured a babbitt bearing in the steel mills.
Made up a make shift furnace out of fire brick to heat the ladle using a 200,000 but propane torch.
The photo isn't staged, no idea why the flame doesn't show.


The last time I did one we used an oil based putty to dam the cap, but thought we'd try high temp silicone, worked like a charm.
Blackened the shaft with soot off the acetylene torch and preheated the caps.



Had to over fill the caps as the boat isn't sitting flat.



Then had to scrape that flat to get back down to the cast so I could shim the top cap high, then pour it.



The first two pours went smooth using the old babbitt we melted out of the housings. Used a pine stick as a temperature gauge, when it browns in the molten metal its good to pour. Had a hand held infrared thermometer as a backup, it read about 650. Ran out of that and used new ingots Bill had, as seen in the pot, don't know what alloy they were, but the stick was black when they melted and the thermometer was off scale. Wouldn't flow in the cap and was harder than hell, had to melt it out and use scrappings someone gave us for the top caps. Unbelievable amount of slag when we melted them but got a good pour.
Of course had to have a snack of hot dogs roasted over the torch.

[Roadracer_Al]

Hot dogs over the propane burner? That's good livin'.

Is that you in the carharts?

[f350ca]

Got to wonder what the poor folks are doing when your munching down on fine cuisine like hot dogs.
No Im not nearly that good looking Al, thats Dean the kid, the youngest of the crew.

[dallen]

sounds like it may of been one of the zink alloys

[f350ca]

Could be Dave, read up a little on babbitt, guess they increase the tin for a harder more impact resistant alloy. No idea where Bill got the ingots.

[dallen]

tin would make the alloy harder, unless it was stamped on the ingot or Bill gives up the secret, theres only one why to find out what it really is, and that's have it scanned with a analyzer at the local scrap yard if they have one.

[f350ca]

Spent some time this morning on the alligator, a quick update.
The rest of the crew has been busy framing, heating and painting. Looking good.


The engine, boiler and reduction gear is in place. Jim had a fire on today and it seams to be running nice.

[f350ca]

A couple of us got together to do some work today. Assembled the hubs for the paddle wheels. They still need a lot of welding. Made the spokes from white oak a week or so ago. Soon be time to start assembling the wheels.

[f350ca]

Started assembling the paddle wheels. Need to roll two rings from 1/4 x 1 flat bar to go around the outside. About 25 feet long so think I'll have to set the ring roller and do it in one pass or I'll never support the end as it comes out.

[Mayhem]

Nice work Greg - for some reason I imagined an ornate all wood construction.