No to roller bearings. Maybe if I was turning at high speeds, but I won't be. Apparently they'll trap bits of swarf and imprint them on the surface of the material being turned.
Possibly, I didn't experience that. The problem with rolling element bearings is it takes a tiny bit of force to get them turning. That'll take you out a thou or two. If you are striving for accurate work, bronze is the way to go, or at least I've not found it wanting. It takes a bit of practice on the touch when using the travelling steady - you engage the fingers while things are moving after things have gone past the tailstock, that's where the touch comes in.
My DSG came with needle bearing rollers. I put new bearings in but it still wasn't sensitive enough. So finally I made the bronze fingers., photos of each on the previous mage
Peter, I wouldn't silver solder, it'll soften the bronze. Soft solder should be good enough. I just loctited some small bars in a steel housing to minimize the bronze consumption