Homebrew Linotype???

[LarryM]

Is there any readily available sources of material to allow a fellow to homebrew an approximation of Linotype?

Of course the lead and tin are pretty easy to come by but the only readily available source of antimony is sometimes 95/5 solder.

Mostly I'm looking to bump up the antimony content with out going to mail order.

Thanks

[runfiverun]

look for the antimony man on the net you can get antimony from him
but it aint no fun to mix in your lead can be done though

[Scrounger]

Best thing is to buy Enrichment Metal. Already has tin and antimony mixed with lead, you add a certain amount of lead or maybe wheel weights, and you got Lyman #2.

[calsite]

where can you find the stuff?

[HeavyMetal]

I think making Lino would be pretty hard. The tough part would be getting the antimony to blend with the lead and tin. Antimony requires a higher heat, I'm trying to remember what and 1100 degress come into my head, so you have to heat a pot of lead alloy to 1100 degrees then add the antimony and then flux the snot out of it as you cool it down so it wouldn't seperate out of the mix.

I won't even mention the fact the lead give off vapors after you hit 900 degrees.

What I have done here in L.A. is search through all the metal recyclers and found one or two that specialize in type metals. Yes lino machines are still in use.

My mom retired last year (at 75) and her company about freaked. She was the only one who knew how to run the press and set type! They used a lino machine!

So consider it a "treasure" hunt if you must but I'll bet you can find someone to buy type metal from if you try real hard.

[Scrounger]

Any dealer that sells antimony or lead should have it; The Antimony Man probably has it too. Got to be others.

[wiljen]

I did a group buy for enrichment metal awhile back. Most Foundrys that do lead work can make it up, but they prefer to sell several hundred lbs at a time.

47% Sb / 37% Pb / 18% Sn with trace arsenic was my recipe for it.

Mixed 1:10 with lead you have WW alloy
Mixed 2:10 with lead you have hardball / Magnum alloy
Mixed 3:10 with lead or 2:10 with WW you have lino


oh, and in arriving at my formulation I looked at melting point. To try and do an alloy with no lead raises the melting point beyond what is reasonable for most of us.

[oso]

I've gotten my antimony from U.S. Antimony Corp in Thompson Falls, MT. (It pays to watch the spot price of the metal.) It's not that difficult, but time consuming, to dissolve antimony using a casting furnace if you add tin to the lead first, then submerge the antimony with a screen or sieve - or a metal can with a perforated bottom that fits the pot. Don't know what is available in your neighborhood, but I couldn't do this without some kind of delivery service.

[JRR]

Doesn't magnum shot have antimony and a bit of arsnic?

[Ricochet]

Yes, but that link I just posted in the shot composition thread says it's 4% antimony with a trace of arsenic. Rather like wheelweight metal.

[jhalcott]

One problem with buying USED linotype is NOT knowing how much tin has been burned out of it. I bought some lino a few years ago and it was only about 18BHN ,not the 22 BHN it should have been. I added some tin/lead solder and got it back to 21+ and used it.

[mroliver77]

The Antimony Man has a low temp flux and antimony "fines" to enrichen lead alloy. He also has alloy like what wiljen mentions. None of it is cheap though.
J

[weakhand luke]

If the used lino is obtained in molded type, then it is ok to assume that the alloy is correct, right?