# Calgary Source for Oilite ?



## CalgaryPT (Nov 24, 2019)

Does anyone know if Metal Supermarkets or elsewhere in Calgary carries Oilite? I used my last piece a year or so ago that I had got at a garage sale and now need some more.


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## PeterT (Nov 24, 2019)

You might want to try some of the bearing supply places just on the off chance. I have seen some of the bronze bushing suppliers supply blanks which can be further machined but this was on USA bearing suppliers. I havent shopped much locally. Or, depending, on your size, maybe you can find a standard part oillite bushing / sleeve to modify to your dimensions? I had to make some bronze parts for my lathe & ended up sourcing the material from OLM. It was phosphor bronze though, not oilite.

link here https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/material?q=:name-asc:Material:Bronze
I cant recall the alloy# of oilite off hand.


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## PeterT (Nov 24, 2019)

I didn't answer your question if MS carries it. I do recall phoning them at the time & it was crazy expensive, plus I needed other materials from OLM at the time. But USA shipping doesn't lend itself to onsey-twosey. Also check ebay for oilite 'parts' that you can re-machine. Straight bushings are pretty common but if you need a flange or special dimensions then that technique doesnt work as well.


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 24, 2019)

Will do. Thanks PeterT.


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## eotrfish (Nov 24, 2019)

Peter

What sizes are you looking for?  I have some surplus bushings as well as some 5/8 rod.  Oilite is Alloy 841 although 932 works as well.  Do you really need oil impregnated?

I also have a piece 6"OD x 4-3/8"ID x 2-1/2 LONG in case you need a large bushing


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 24, 2019)

Yikes. That would be for a massive bushing...or a lot of swarf!

I need some 1" OD, probably 6" of it. BUT I MAY HAVE FOUND SOME  @PeterT gave me an idea and I just checked through my junk gear and motor drawer. I found some 1 1/4 bushings with 5/8 bore. I need a 1 inch flange with a 1/2 bore, so I can machine these I think. The mounts are mangled so I'm hoping the bushings are still OK. I'm going to remove the shaft and check them out tonight.

932 would be OK as well. I'm just used to the 841. It machines well as long as the tool is really sharp or carbide. I find if the tooling is dull it makes a heck of a mess. But at least I am used to it. I read if you re-machine older 841 you should heat it first so it bleeds, then allow it to cool quickly so the capillary action draws the oil back in further. Apparently it machines better then. Never tried this though.

I think 660 is easier to work with and would be fine even.

Thanks—I may contact you if the old bushings are toast or I can't remove them without wreaking them.

What were you using the 6" OD for?????? Your fishing reels?????


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## Chicken lights (Nov 24, 2019)

CalgaryPT said:


> Yikes. That would be for a massive bushing...or a lot of swarf!
> 
> I need some 1" OD, probably 6" of it. BUT I MAY HAVE FOUND SOME  @PeterT gave me an idea and I just checked through my junk gear and motor drawer. I found some 1 1/4 bushings with 5/8 bore. I need a 1 inch flange with a 1/2 bore, so I can machine these I think. The mounts are mangled so I'm hoping the bushings are still OK. I'm going to remove the shaft and check them out tonight.
> 
> ...









That’s what I use for pulling bearings. Longer legs and a couple adapters

Or, if you just have a bearing plate and a hydraulic press, put the bearing plate on two blocks and push on the shaft. Done that lots without hurting the bearing plate


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 24, 2019)

Yup. Great tools. I've got a very similar one but not as "experienced" as yours. I just looked at the price of Oilite and boy is it expensive. I got this big rod at a garage sale and it still had the price on it (as well as the alloy stamp). It was 3" OD and 2 feet long for $5.00. I must have got a deal because even 1" OD is over $100 a foot. For my purposes, the cheapest alloy will do. Hope I can get the old bushings out later.


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## PeterT (Nov 24, 2019)

eotrfish said:


> Oilite is Alloy 841 although 932 works as well.  Do you really need oil impregnated?



As Brent says looks like it has SAE alias's. I might have it wrong but I thought oilite was sintered material (fused powder) so that its porous vs. other bronze 'bearing alloys' were cast or drawn, ie molten metal. I might have this wrong though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilite _Oilite material is the most widely used of all the types of Oilites. Standards that encompass the Oilite material are: ASTM B-438-95A Grade 1 Type II, MIL-B-5687D Type 1 Grade 1, CT-1000-K26, *SAE** 841*, and old SAE standard Type 1 Class A._
...And then there is oilite plus & super oilite.

And then there is oil impregated bronze which goes by SAE 863 (among others) which is not called Oilite
https://www.onlinemetals.com/en/buy/1172

Attached cheat sheet of mine. I think copied from OLM but there are ore authoritative sources on the net.

I only have experience machining C544 phospor bronze and C932 (SAE 660). Use sharp tools for turning & be aware of the grabbiness risk when drilling the stuff. Its a bit worse than brass IMO so best to use dubbed drills unless you like potential excitement in your life. Or better yet if you get a solid rod, use an annulur cutter & then you get to keep the inside core for another project.


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 24, 2019)

All great advice. Thanks.


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## historicalarms (Nov 25, 2019)

This might seem waaayyy out in left field but if your project has a big enough "hold in place" casting, an oil soaked hard wood bushing might be usable...I can see the "ya right" look on your face from here LOL.

     Early farm equipment and some industrial equipment used hard wood for years until manufacturing standards of usable metals pretty much  replaced it.  Many millions of acres of crop have been harvested with combines that used oil soaked hardwood blocks as a bearing race for straw walker crank shaft's...every old farmer alive knew how to give his combine the block shims a click-check before every season and probably one in mid season. Some of those wood blocks have seen 30 yrs of yearly service and these things took a beating, both from load shocking & rotational in the worst dust conditions you could imagine. 

    if your requirement is for just rotational control, oiled hardwood might be a viable option.


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## PeterT (Nov 25, 2019)

CalgaryPT said:


> I got this big rod at a garage sale and it still had the price on it (as well as the alloy stamp). It was 3" OD and 2 feet long for $5.00.


That's insanely cheap. I just don't pay attention to garage sales & kijiji ads, maybe I should.

Peter, are the bushings for heavy mechanical application or you just need self lubricity properties? I might have a stick of either UHMW or nylon plastic around 1.75-2" dia. I turned some flanged spacer bushings for a friends race car. Something to do with the suspension system. After running & inspection the metal shaft that slid within it was shiny & the plastic showed no appreciable wear. But plastics can only take so much load.


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## Brent H (Nov 25, 2019)

Princess auto sells the “oilite” type bushings

might be an option:


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 25, 2019)

PeterT said:


> That's insanely cheap. I just don't pay attention to garage sales & kijiji ads, maybe I should.
> 
> Peter, are the bushings for heavy mechanical application or you just need self lubricity properties? I might have a stick of either UHMW or nylon plastic around 1.75-2" dia. I turned some flanged spacer bushings for a friends race car. Something to do with the suspension system. After running & inspection the metal shaft that slid within it was shiny & the plastic showed no appreciable wear. But plastics can only take so much load.


It is cheap. And I never go to garage sales, I just happened to be walking my dog the day I found this. I avoid Kijiji. Others have great luck—but I get Freddy Krueger or Johnny Millennial at my door. (I prefer Freddy).

To answer your question, and the very kind offer of others here, no...it isn't a heavy duty application. In fact it is just more of a flange collar to reduce the size of a 1" OD tube down to 1/2" so I can insert All-Thread for my front wheels (stem casters) on my RC Lawnmower. I decided to do this to give more lateral support to the stem caster rather than have 5" of All-Thread taking all the bumps on the front of the mower. In reality I could make it out of steel or brass or UHMW or wood as the rotation of the caster comes from the built in bearings anyways.

My request for Oilite was just because I am used to machining it and its behaviour. I used to make a lot of bushings for older motors from cheaper bronze. Then when I found this piece of Oilite at the garage sale years ago, I fell in love with how well it worked. I don't make bushings that often these days, but thought it might be good to have the stuff around just in case. Then I saw the real price of the stuff and realized what a great deal I had got years ago. And I also realized that I'm not going to pay that kind of money for something "just in case." Really it is just a reducer I need.

Good news is I did get the some old bushings out last night that can be reworked. And I have steel and brass round bar that will work. I may even have Delrin somewhere that will work.

I hope I am not turning into one of those cheap retirees that rave at the price of everything now that I am on a fixed income. But I think I am.


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 25, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> This might seem waaayyy out in left field but if your project has a big enough "hold in place" casting, an oil soaked hard wood bushing might be usable...I can see the "ya right" look on your face from here LOL.
> 
> if your requirement is for just rotational control, oiled hardwood might be a viable option.



Actually I appreciate the idea and the technology. It was good enough to get my great grandfather into the prairies by wagon and in areas that have true hardwoods (not the softer birches and populars we have out west) they still use it in some applications. 

A couple of years ago I posted a vid about 1100 lbs wagon wheels. Hard to scoff at older technology when they achieved results like this:


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## Johnwa (Nov 25, 2019)

CalgaryPT said:


> It
> 
> I hope I am not turning into one of those cheap retirees that rave at the price of everything now that I am on a fixed income. But I think I am.



Welcome to the party!

PS.  I’ll try not to brag about the stuff I’ve bought on amazon while I’m down in the US.


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## historicalarms (Nov 26, 2019)

CalgaryPT said:


> Actually I appreciate the idea and the technology. It was good enough to get my great grandfather into the prairies by wagon and in areas that have true hardwoods (not the softer birches and populars we have out west) they still use it in some applications.
> 
> A couple of years ago I posted a vid about 1100 lbs wagon wheels. Hard to scoff at older technology when they achieved results like this:



   I'm gonna have to watch that vid on a cold day, I still use some  "turn of the century wagon wheels & axles" on my "historical creations" all the time, good ones are getting hard to find (most have sat in one position with grass growing around them and rot where the grass holds moisture) but once in a while you get lucky and find a few good enough to use that don't even require repairs . Amazing how some of that wood cut 125 yrs ago, spent its whole life outdoors and even now only has a bit of surface crackling.


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## Johnwa (Nov 27, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> I'm gonna have to watch that vid on a cold day, I still use some  "turn of the century wagon wheels & axles" on my "historical creations" all the time, good.



Pictures please!


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 27, 2019)

Johnwa said:


> Pictures please!


Yes, pictures please...I agree with @Johnwa !

On a _historical creations_ note...when I took welding classes decade ago in Calgary there was a guy in them who owned a property right around where the west ring road at Stoney and Trans Canada Highway is being built. He made "historical" tack and especially all the metal parts used on wagons and anything else metal you'd see in western movies. He did this for a living, and catered to the movie industry in California and some parts of Europe. He never met his customers, but instead sent all his historical creatures by courier around the world. His orders came in by fax (originally) then later email. 

I have a lot respect for people who manage to survive in niche industries like this. I can't recall the prices he charge but I know a lot of stuff was thousands. Very cool.


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## Chicken lights (Nov 27, 2019)

CalgaryPT said:


> Yes, pictures please...I agree with @Johnwa !
> 
> On a _historical creations_ note...when I took welding classes decade ago in Calgary there was a guy in them who owned a property right around where the west ring road at Stoney and Trans Canada Highway is being built. He made "historical" tack and especially all the metal parts used on wagons and anything else metal you'd see in western movies. He did this for a living, and catered to the movie industry in California and some parts of Europe. He never met his customers, but instead sent all his historical creatures by courier around the world. His orders came in by fax (originally) then later email.
> 
> I have a lot respect for people who manage to survive in niche industries like this. I can't recall the prices he charge but I know a lot of stuff was thousands. Very cool.


Long story short there’s a mechanic shop closing up locally. He said a crokinole board maker was moving in where he was. 

Crokinole boards....


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## trlvn (Nov 27, 2019)

CalgaryPT said:


> ...made "historical" tack and especially all the metal parts used on wagons and anything else metal you'd see in western movies. He did this for a living ...


I grew up in an area that has had a great influx of Amish.  One Amish fellow I talked to worked in a shop making buggys, cutters and so forth.  I presume there are several in Ontario.  Not sure if any use wooden-wheeled wagons?

Craig


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## Chicken lights (Nov 27, 2019)

trlvn said:


> I grew up in an area that has had a great influx of Amish.  One Amish fellow I talked to worked in a shop making buggys, cutters and so forth.  I presume there are several in Ontario.  Not sure if any use wooden-wheeled wagons?
> 
> Craig


That depends on the church, honestly. Some are progressive enough to have turn signals, headlights and rubber tires on a steel frame buggy. Some are still the traditional wooden frame and wooden wheels. What’s interesting is bicycles are quite popular for getting to work or whatnot. 
It’s kind of neat, a lot of local businesses have little barns to park the horse and buggy out of the elements

I have a picture somewhere when I was in Steinbach MB, a young Mennonite lady in an ankle length pink dress and bonnet....roller blading in a park. Actually the Mennonite museum in Steinbach is worth checking out, they have a working reproduction grist mill


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 27, 2019)

Chicken lights said:


> Long story short there’s a mechanic shop closing up locally. He said a crokinole board maker was moving in where he was.
> 
> Crokinole boards....


That's uber niche.


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## historicalarms (Nov 28, 2019)

I will post some photo's as soon as I get a cord hook-up from phone to laptop...and have someone who knows what or which "cloud" to transfer to so they get where I want them to go....I liked the days when you slid the card into a card reader and hit "send" to send a photo


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## Chicken lights (Nov 28, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> I will post some photo's as soon as I get a cord hook-up from phone to laptop...and have someone who knows what or which "cloud" to transfer to so they get where I want them to go....I liked the days when you slid the card into a card reader and hit "send" to send a photo


Which phone do you use?


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## CalgaryPT (Nov 28, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> I liked the days when you slid the card into a card reader and hit "send" to send a photo


I still have a fax that uses thermal paper. Never needs to be re-booted.


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## historicalarms (Nov 29, 2019)

Chicken lights said:


> Which phone do you use?


  Samsung manuf. for sure but not sure which version now, think it is a 6.


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## Chicken lights (Nov 29, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> Samsung manuf. for sure but not sure which version now, think it is a 6.


Your charging cord “should” have a USB end on it. That “should” plug into your laptop and allow photo transfer 

Do you usually post on here using your laptop or using your phone?


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## historicalarms (Dec 1, 2019)

Chicken lights said:


> Your charging cord “should” have a USB end on it. That “should” plug into your laptop and allow photo transfer
> 
> Do you usually post on here using your laptop or using your phone?



  Always on my laptop


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## Chicken lights (Dec 1, 2019)

historicalarms said:


> Always on my laptop






Check to see if your charging cord has a USB end, then plug that into your laptop USB port 

If you’re using windows on your laptop it should prompt you if you want to transfer the photos to your laptop


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## buckbrush (Dec 16, 2019)

the last oil lite stock I purchased was from Transmission Supply. They have 0-1 Tool Steel, and Thompson shafting as well.


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