What the thread found

• Thrust bearings are generally too thick for use between arm posts and gimbal handles, as excessive height creates stress concentrations that can cause handle failure where the post clamps
• Delrin or Teflon washers thinner than one-sixteenth inch provide better friction reduction than thrust bearings for arm post and gimbal connections
• Hard anodizing on both the arm post and gimbal interior surfaces provides natural lubricity and should be preserved; sanding away anodizing exposes soft aluminum that galls more easily
• Before anodizing, arm post diameter should measure 0.738 inches plus 0.000 to minus 0.002 inches, accounting for the approximately 0.001 inch thickness that hard anodizing adds to each surface
• Surface irregularities and distortions on arm posts and gimbal interiors cause binding; these can be addressed through light sanding or emery cloth treatment
• Specialized arm post bearings from certain manufacturers may perform better than simple washers while avoiding the thickness problems associated with standard thrust bearings
• The concern about thrust bearing thickness creating failure risk primarily applied to older gimbal designs with split clamps; modern gimbal handles may better accommodate bearing height

Depends on

• Discussion primarily addresses older gimbal designs with split clamps on handles; applicability to modern gimbals unclear
• Specific bearing products mentioned were not fully evaluated within the thread
• No quantitative performance comparison between different washer materials and specialized bearings was provided
• Custom arm posts used with non-matching equipment may require different solutions than standard setups

Parts

Arm Post

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