Ed Huntress wrote:
"Nick Müller" wrote in message
...
Ed Huntress wrote:

Hardened steel journals running in mild steel bushings actually
aren't bad if the loads are light and the lubrication is good. The
best hardened steel on hardened steel bearings used no lubrication
-- or, more accurately, they ran with dynamic air bearings, with
about a 0.001" clearance or less, down to 0.0002", and had to run
at high speeds because they dragged with air film around with them
("dynamic" and "static" lubrication mean the opposite of what we
usually think).

OK. Hard steel on hard steel works. But, as you said, with little
load and high rpm. Not what you find in the fork described. I still
would not do it _now_, even if H.D. did it _then_.
It was in the 40's when bearing bronces made a big evolutionary step.
So, it was _past_ H.D.'s decision for steel on steel.

I have no idea what the "fork described" is, nor who made a
steel-on-steel decision. I just saw that thread drawn out much longer
than it should have taken, with no apparent resolution, so I dumped a
load of bushing-material data the way you might dump powdered lime on
a magnesium fire. g

Yes about the '40s. Implementation mostly in the '50s.

It was about the springer forks on my '39 Harley WL . I'm reworking the
rocker links at the bottom , they were bushed with steel , and use steel
pivot studs . Hey , even aftermarket replacements are steel ...

--
Snag aka OSG #1
'76 FLH "Bag Lady"
BS132 SENS NEWT
"A hand shift is a manly shift ."
shamelessly stolen
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