I have turned oilite bushings inside and outside many times. They are rough on HSS tools and it is necessary to use very sharp carbide. Reaming them is possible but a nice new sharp reamer is needed and it is not nice and sharp when you have finished. I also have heard the story about sealing off the pores with reaming but I think this is a bit of a fairy tale. These are just sintered bronze; i.e. gazillions of little spheres fused together at theirs points of contact by heat and pressure. Turning or reaming might smear the material so it does not have the mat appearance any more but I do not see how it could effectively stop the oil from permeating. |