Where are you sourcing your oilite bearings/bushings?

[RazorAntilles]

The best I've been able to find are 1/4" sleeve and flange bearings and bushings, while two online sources that allegedly carry what I'm looking for have incredibly arcane ordering processes that I haven't yet figured out how to properly get through.

I'm looking for 3/16" inner diameter as well as 1/8" inner diameter (two LAs and one Typhoon... so far...).

[TuptubBuilder]

If you reside in the USA, McMaster-Carr. Shipping is expensive so I batch my orders.

[RazorAntilles]

If you reside in the USA, McMaster-Carr. Shipping is expensive so I batch my orders.

You are my hero of the day, good sir: not only am I in the US, I can actually drive to their facility and pick up orders as I'm local to their warehouse.

[Albacore 569]

McMaster-Carr is more expensive, but their various items are comprehensive and good and can be the only place to obtain part (s).

There are in many areas' local distributor storefront warehouses. You can order online and they can ship to you, or better, save shipping and drive down t the local brick mortar store. They may not have the part there, but it's in their system and they will ship it to your nearest location for you to pick up. it is often faster and cheaper than home delivery.

The stores have a clean immaculate auto supply store atmosphere there. Tell them what you are building it for, (rc subs and you become an instant 15-minute celebrity...lol.). The people there are very helpful and friendly.

[Subculture]

PTFE tubing makes great bearings. Can get a metre on ebay for a couple of quid,enough to make dozens of bearings.

[RCSubGuy]

PTFE tubing makes great bearings. Can get a metre on ebay for a couple of quid,enough to make dozens of bearings.

Great idea. I find Teflon problematic to glue to, however. You'd have to make a sleeve or something to capture the teflon lining.

[Albacore 569]

Great idea. I find Teflon problematic to glue to, however. You'd have to make a sleeve or something to capture the teflon lining.

Maybe grind a grove in the polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), then design and 3D print a sleave to slide around the Teflon part? Create a line of Teflon shaft bearings?

[TuptubBuilder]

PTFE tubing makes great bearings. Can get a metre on ebay for a couple of quid,enough to make dozens of bearings.

If it isn't too much trouble, could you provide a URL? I am interested in dimensions and tolerances. I will note that, back in my day, 300 series stainless steel shafts did not work well with sintered bronze, oil impregnated bushings. Also, what do you do when a flanged bearing is required?

[Subculture]

Just search eBay for ptfe tubing, I purchased my tubing ages ago and the vendors come and go. They sell it by the metre, used a lot for Bowden feeds on 3d printers amongst other things. Bear in mind the tubing needs reaming to size. If you want ready to fit plastic bearings and ones with flanges then IGUS make some nice ones. E.g. https://www.igus.co.uk/plain-bearings-shop

[TuptubBuilder]

Just search eBay for ptfe tubing, I purchased my tubing ages ago and the vendors come and go. They sell it by the metre, used a lot for Bowden feeds on 3d printers amongst other things. Bear in mind the tubing needs reaming to size. If you want ready to fit plastic bearings and ones with flanges then IGUS make some nice ones. E.g. https://www.igus.co.uk/plain-bearings-shop

Thank you for the information. I have successfully used IGUS bearings back in the day. It might be worth noting that reaming should occur after press fitting the bearing material. I have found that an expandable reamer is necessary with plastics and it must be very sharp. Otherwise it just pushes the material out of the way. As for the bronze bushings, seating in a compliant material such as plastic and using a slight interference fit should not require any post processing to maintain the proper ID. If it does, ball broaching, not reaming is the correct method so as not to smear the sintered surface.

[Subculture]

I find a normal reamer sufficient, I only tend to work with shafts sizes of around 2-4mm diameter, and with the speed and loads involved things are very forgiving.

[QuarterMaster]

++ on Andy...

A better alternative, designed for the wet:

Rulon Bearings, been using them since the 90's. Install-forget-run

Made of naturally slippery plastic so you’ll never have to add lubricant. They’re ideal for clean environments where you need to prevent oil drips or graphite flakes. Compared to metal bearings, they are lighter and will never rust.

With no moving parts, sleeve bearings are the simplest way to support the load of a rotating shaft while reducing friction. Also known as plain bearings.

High-Load Moisture-Resistant Rulon LR—Won’t swell in wet or humid places, similar to acetal, but can support higher loads. These bearings also operate smoothly from cryogenic to oven-like temperatures.

Ultra-Low-Friction Rulon J—These bearings glide effortlessly for applications with frequent starts and stops, such as conveyor systems.

Sleeve Bearings

Flanged Sleeve Bearings

Flanged also serve dual purpose as your thrust bearing. I install two for both Forward and Backing bells.

Most folk here would say they're overkill, but I'm not most people...and after 37 years of driving and diving, I don't listen anyway.

Good luck with whatever you choose

[Subculture]

With PTFE I choose something with a large diameter that the tubing, then machine it down carefully so it’s a snug fit inside the tubing, that’s generally more than sufficient to keep it in situ, as the material has a bit of squish to it,

Ready made bearings are very cheap too, sometimes tricky to find if you want very small shaft sizes- below 2mm, and Rulon seems to be a trademark not well known outside the US. IGUS make some very nice plastic bearings designed to run in the drink. Norbert Bruggen sells them in Germany or you may find a more local distributor, but lots of things that work.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

McMaster-Carr