# Tool Talk > Machines >  Making steel balls for large bearings - GIF

## Jon

And _that's_ how baby wrecking balls are born.  :Cool: 

Actually: making steel balls for large bearings. I really like the use of a worm gear type mechanism here to convey the balls. And to cut them too? What happens if two of the balls strike each other while they're rolling down the slides?



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Previously:

Forging a large flange in China - video
Forging titanium - GIF and video
Forging crankshafts GIF
Freehand forging a corkscrew GIF
Forging a crown wheel - GIF and video

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Moby Duck (Oct 6, 2018),

Seedtick (Sep 24, 2017)

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## Frank S

Since those balls appear to be about 100 mm in diameter the argument could also be made that many of them might be destined for use in a ball mill to pulverize cement clinker into dust

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## Hans Pearson

I make these balls between 150 - 200 mm. If they were destined for crushing cement, would they not be made of cast iron?

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## Frank S

> I make these balls between 150 - 200 mm. If they were destined for crushing cement, would they not be made of cast iron?



When we used to work the shut downs at the TXI plant in Midolothian TX They would sometimes change out the balls in the mill and run them through a qualifier any balls less than 40 mm or just a little over 1 1/2 inches went to the scrap pile 40 to 80 mm were saved to be placed in a different mill above 80 mm were returned to the mill new balls for their largest mill were 100 mm 
They could be torch cut in half so I doubt if were cast iron
Cast iron could be poured and made into round bar stock and passed through a die much the same as what was shown in the video

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## Jon

Full video. Note the use of the Archimedes Screw mechanism for moving the balls at one point in the process. Not too many machine guards in place, but a fascinating, almost Rube Goldberg-like process.

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## mklotz

Can you imagine the _double entendre_ conversations when someone asks one of these guys what he does for a living?

You gotta have big balls to do what I do. etc...

I've seen that screw-forming of nice consistent balls somewhere else but can't remember where. Some sort of pastry or pasta thing where precise balls of dough were formed into cups or shells or something. It was probably more for volume metering rather than the need for nice spheres but it was similar.

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## Frank S

here is another way to make steel balls these would be the more precise balls used in bearings

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## marksbug

Ive had german steel balls with flats on them in vw bug steering boxes.....made that way...not on purpose. I replaced them all with china hardened balls. I somewhat trust the china bearings&balls now days but 20 years ago they were pure ****. wheel bearings that last 3-6 months...not so good of a deal at the parts store...$3 bearing or $5 bearing...well I had to try then at least 1 time. I changed them to timkin or gkn and they went 18 years pluss( I sold it after that.) old vws are known for the death wobble in the front end.it's due to people know knowing how to adjust the wheel bearings. they have to have preload!!!and a good amount of it for beaings that small and they also fit the spindal like **** so thats another reason why they have to have a good amount of preload. american cars are correct fit and much larger and do not require much preload at all.and some racers run them with no preload....but shouldent.

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