Yes, that's why I raised the deposit after two sets of tooling stayed gone for several months. It used to be $50.00, which was not quite a break-even situation on parts, and didn't cover lathe time to make all the parts work right. I refund $75.00 when the tooling is returned in good shape, and I still have 3 sets on hand.
I've got a couple of other projects in the pipeline, one of which is a machining jig for getting a set of Babbit rods ready for insert bearings. I'll leave the big end of the rod about .002" undersize, and let my friendly local machinist finish the job with his Sunnen hone. I'm not quite ready to spend over $5K for a rod hone and tooling for the occasional rod converting job. The boring jig will also serve as a rough-out tool for changing the bore size of a Babbit rod prior to scrape-fitting it and shimming for clearance. I just bought two Ebay rods for 99 cents plus shipping, but they're .040" undersize. With the boring jig, I can make 'em standard, 10, 20, or 30 under to fit whatever crankshaft I'm working with.
Later on, I'm considering getting set up to pour Babbit, such as the main bearings on the 1929 Model A Ford engine I'm rebuilding. At least Stovebolts don't have poured main bearings!
Jerry
