Linotype?

[archmaker]

Ok, I have searched through various threads before I posted.

What i have was said to be linotype, but I don't have a a single "type letter" what it is, is mainly thin strips. About 1" in width, 1/16th to 1/8th in thickness various lengths. Melts fairly quickly (around 400ish, but I may have mixed two alloys, maybe not, see the next description).

The other pieces are bars, .75"x.25" various lengths (One that I just measured was 6" long), the all have three holes in them that run the length of the bar. There appears to be a "casting line?" on the top and bottom of the bar. A series of thes cast lines semi-circular in appearance, about 3/8ths of inch apart.

So is it just linotype?

[sargenv]

Without you being able to test hardness, it could be linotype or it might be the harder and richer Mono type, foundry, or stereotype..

[archmaker]

Ok, using some pure lead (I am sure it is pure) as the basis and then a stainless steel ball bearing as the indenting material, I then dropped it onto the samples from the same distance (propane torch, placed ball in tip and let fall onto sample).

I even put the ball between the pure lead and the unkown bar, and gave a good hit to the lead bar.

Regardless of how I do it, and the number of times I measure using two different instruments I get about 12-13 bhn. (Using pure lead at 5).

The metal is nice an silver in color and even with some moisture and being stored outside in a 5 gallon bucket for a year, has not changed color.

Seems to soft to be lino, if I am doing it right (Lead indent .266" and unknown .169").

[Defcon-One]

....About 1" in width, 1/16th to 1/8th in thickness various lengths. Melts fairly quickly....

That is a perfect description of LINOTYPE!



....The other pieces are bars, .75"x.25" various lengths (One that I just measured was 6" long), they all have three holes in them that run the length of the bar. There appears to be a "casting line?" on the top and bottom of the bar. A series of thes cast lines semi-circular in appearance, about 3/8ths of inch apart.

This could be large spacers of Linotype metal or possibly, Monotype!


A photo helps, not as much as XRF testing, but it helps.

[evan price]

The pieces that have the hollow tubes in them are usually lino, but could also be monotype. They are used to mount things like oversize letters or custom graphics to be added into the column spacing for the linotype run. They are also used for maintaining column spacing. I've got a lot of them in my lino. There's also flat thin spacers, too.

[lwknight]

When you cast linotype ingots in a good sized mold like 5-10 pounds the surface will harden long before the middle and the result will be a slick wavy surface.
Other alloys generally have a sink hole in the middle.

[archmaker]

Thanks, i guess i just have linotype. Because they do tend to harden from the outside in (drop them early and it comes spilling out).

I will try to get a picture of the bars with the holes in them, I was curious what they were being used for.

[fredj338]

Most likely spacer bars for the type sets. I haev several 50# boxes & they are all mixed together, type bars & blank spacers.

[gbrown]

Ok, I have searched through various threads before I posted.

What i have was said to be linotype, but I don't have a a single "type letter" what it is, is mainly thin strips. About 1" in width, 1/16th to 1/8th in thickness various lengths. Melts fairly quickly (around 400ish)

The Linotype I have seen is thin plates with print on them, like military dog tags or the items you describe above. Monotype is big, block letter-like things. I have a mixture of both. All of it comes in hard--like 22-23 bhn. Your melting temp is about right for either. Not an expert, by far. Test and play with it. My "Pure Lead" is not. I mix "pure lead" and lino, which should come out at 14-15 Bhn, and mine comes out to about 19. It's good stuff for me, so I don't worry.

[rmark]

linotype is 'lines of type' - partial sentences used in printing, often several inches long and originally remelted after use. Monotype is individual letters that were reused and is typically harder than linotype. Foundry metal is still harder and was reused over and over such as for seasonal announcements or repeating page headers.

[Fritz D]

I will try to get a picture of the bars with the holes in them, I was curious what they were being used for.

I'm not sure what alloy you have, but these bars are very likely produced on an Elrod Strip Casting Machine. Your mention of "semicircular cast lines" on your original post is a characteristic of Elrod material. Nonprinting slugs have the holes in them that you describe. The following is a description of material that was produced on Elrods:

Rule cast from typemetal (which of course prints)
Leads (which are nonprinting)
Nonprinting slugs (essentially wider, shorter leads)
Base (wider nonprinting material used to underlay plates)


Here is a link to the website where I found this information:

http://www.circuitousroot.com/artifice/letters/press/stripcasters/index.html

[archmaker]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/89494fc58530cfb9f.jpg

You can see the wavy lines in the background, should have moved the tape back, but you can see the line just barely at the front edge.

Just curious as to what this was used for.

Thanks!

[evan price]

Those are spacers used for setting column or line space between printed elements.
My linotype I'm selling is chock full of 'em.
Usually these are extrusion cast out of whatever type metal the shop is using however they CAN be Monotype alloy when bought from a supplier.
I consider them Linotype, unless they have the Monotype 'nick' groove which runs down the entire length of the bar- those with the nick I know are Mono.