Source for Cast Iron/Durabar in *small* dimensions (0.125" x 0.3 x 13 -- for gibs)

Source for Cast Iron/Durabar in *small* dimensions (0.125" x 0.3 x 13 -- for gibs)

I can buy Durabar in reasonably large sizes (1"+ in all dimensions). However, I don't know of anywhere to get some that is 0.125" thick. I would like to make some replacement cast iron gibs for some small machines, and the finished dimensions will be 0.125" x 0.3 x 13 (yes, I know I could use brass or steel, but C.I. would be my preference).

Is there a way to get some thin Durabar without cutting my own from a thick bar?

Alternatively, is there somewhere that sells it already ground in 0.125" thickness (like one can buy 01, etc.)?

I've only found Durabar in larger sizes, that I had to machine down. We last purchased it from Peerless Steel.

Good luck, and please report back if you find anything better!

I'd want to cut a chunk for a gib out of the middle of a thicker bar to get more stable metal. The durabar I've used for a variety of projects is already pretty good but why make your life more difficult?

L7

McMaster-Carr offers ductile iron stock in various shapes and the price is pretty reasonable as well. No cutting charges etc. I just bought 2 ea 8" dia, 1" thick discs for around $40 each.
ITs 65-45-12 ductile iron, they just don't do a great job of describing it clearly.

catalytic said:

I can buy Durabar in reasonably large sizes (1"+ in all dimensions). However, I don't know of anywhere to get some that is 0.125" thick. I would like to make some replacement cast iron gibs for some small machines, and the finished dimensions will be 0.125" x 0.3 x 13 (yes, I know I could use brass or steel, but C.I. would be my preference).

Is there a way to get some thin Durabar without cutting my own from a thick bar?

Alternatively, is there somewhere that sells it already ground in 0.125" thickness (like one can buy 01, etc.)?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't use Brass or Steel, either. I'd surely consider a Bronze, though.

What I would NOT consider is a 13" long 1/8"-minus gib in CI even if the semi-finished material were handed to me free and with two spare blanks.

Too hard to keep flat. Too easily broken. Too much like work, and HARD work, at that.

Bronze would be better, regardless. Takes a bow during preparation? Just straighten it and carry on.

cast iron breaks easy when bending. ductile iron more like steel and much harder to snap.
.
i cannot see buying cast iron at .125 thick
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at junk yard cast iron up to 3/4 thick you can break with a sledge hammer you try that with ductile iron or steel and usually hammer will bounce and got to watch out you dont hit your self with the hammer

"grey" iron, or class 30 has a lot more free graphite than ductile iron. Depending on the overlap of the components in the slide and the normal travel, I always thought there was benefit for the gib to be about the same or softer than the major components, unless the gib was hardened and ground.

All that said, if the sliding parts are CI, probably around class 30 attributes for many CI components, then it probably does not matter and for non-taper 1/8" thick gibs, even steel is probably fine. If the slide castings are harder (class 40 or ductile) then a softer, better bearing material may be in order.

smt

stephen thomas said:

"grey" iron, or class 30 has a lot more free graphite than ductile iron. Depending on the overlap of the components in the slide and the normal travel, I always thought there was benefit for the gib to be about the same or softer than the major components, unless the gib was hardened and ground.

All that said, if the sliding parts are CI, probably around class 30 attributes for many CI components, then it probably does not matter and for non-taper 1/8" thick gibs, even steel is probably fine. If the slide castings are harder (class 40 or ductile) then a softer, better bearing material may be in order.

smt

Click to expand...

Here is one of the gibs I'm thinking of making a replacement for. It is 0.125" x 0.3" x 13" (not tapered -- just a rectangular bar), and it's the x-axis gib for a little Rusnok milling machine table (Rusnok Milling Machines and Attachments). The pic shows the original, which I believe to be cast iron, though I could be wrong. One clue is that it develops hairline cracks somewhat easily when bent (shown in the pic).

Also, someone at the company that made them told me they were ground.

Having never purchased iron before, I'm relatively unfamiliar with the grades, and I could very well be wrong about exactly what material it is.



edit: hmm, no matter how large of a pic I upload, it seems to show up pretty small when clicked on.