Babbitt

or Babbitt's Metal, an alloy much employed for machine boxings. This alloy was discovered and patented in 1839 by a Mr. Charles Babbitt of Taunton, Massachusetts, a goldsmith and manufacturer of britannia ware. Metal used for boxings must be tough, it must not crush easily, and it must possess anti-friction qualities. Mr. Babbitt started with twenty-four parts of tin for smoothness, four parts of copper for strength, and eight parts of antimony for solidity. Genuine babbitt is unsurpassed for ordinary journal purposes. Many manufacturers use a greater proportion of tin. Cheaper and less serviceable imitations are made partly of lead.

The greatest mistake in using babbitt metal is heating too hot before pouring. When the metal is hot enough to light a small pine stick, it is ready to pour. Never heat the metal until it shows red. Babbit that has been overheated or burnt crystallizes, and when poured is brittle, hard, and not homogeneous. Never mix overheated metal with the good hoping to restore it, as such mixed metal will be brittle.-Popular Mechanics.