Originally published at: How steel balls are made | Boing Boing
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Ouchie ouch ouch…
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That was highly educational.
Now I know the origin of the phrase “flashing your balls”.
Also, to avoid breaking, use oil not water. Wise words!
(I did not like the bit about grinding the balls, but at least it was followed by a bit about polishing balls.)
Apparently, ultrasonic waves wash off any oil or dirt from the balls. Do not try this at home!
A machine inspection can check the size of the balls but checking with human eyes is also important. Very true!
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heh
“balls”
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Why? Do you have a dog? I can assure you, it’s just a matter of the right device, and the right wavelengths.
Probably best to keep oil or dirt off the balls in the first place, then - I don’t trust the wavelengths to be right for my balls, to be honest.
Your dog has balls, then.
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Every day’s a school day! I’ve often wondered how steel balls for bearings are made so accurately and in such numbers, so thank you for posting that up! Very much appreciated.
Thank you.
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For some reason, I had gotten it in my head that things like steel shot were made by dripping molten steel through a perforated plate at the top of a tall tower. Surface tension would draw the molten steel into a sphere, and they were cooled by the fall through the air enough to not deform when they hit the bottom. Not practical for bearings?
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Lead shot was made that way, I don’t know about steel but I’m taking an educated guess that the drop to cool would be too high to be practical and the tolerance too low on their shape.
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Ball bearing plants outside of Hammelberg were always on the Allies’ hit list in the TV show Hogan’s Heroes.
How It’s Made is going to have to up their game.
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How steel balls are made:
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