Have you seen this linotype before?

[exdxgxe4life]

Hey everyone,

I'm about to give this guy a call but before I do I figured I would check in with the experts. Have you ever seen linotype like this before?

For the price even if it isn't perfect, as long as it fills a mold I'll be happy.

http://www.armslist.com/posts/5156679/milwaukee-wisconsin-reloading-for-sale--bullet-casting--linotype--

Thanks

[JeffinNZ]

Yes. I have two bars like that in the garage right now.

[Uncle Grinch]

These appear to be Linotype base alloy, i.e., what is used to form the actual print block letters.

Window weights, from many years ago, look similar, but we're usually made of steel, however, I have seen lead window weights.

[runfiverun]

if you smack that on the corner of the curb it should break and have a very crystalline look to the inside of the bar.
for a buck a pound I don't think you'll get hurt.

[Kraschenbirn]

Yup...those should be primo!! Not too long ago, I was given a couple just like that by a non-caster shooting buddy and asked the forum pretty much the same question you have.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?293324-Linotype-ingots

Bill

[exdxgxe4life]

As usual, the community comes to the rescue! Thank you!

[clintsfolly]

Grap one end and lift off the ground tap with a hammer or something hard. If it rings buy all you can afford!

[tazman]

We used to have a print shop near here that had bars like those. They molded their own type.
When they closed down, all their old lead and all the bars disappeared except for about 2 five gallon buckets of type that I managed to get. The people who owned the print shop said it grew legs and walked out when they weren't looking one day.

[Shiloh]

An old caster said they used these to 'replenish' the alloy after it had been used a lot. Good price.

SHiloh

[carbine86]

I have bought lino spacers from him before. He is a nice guy and honest with my dealings with him.

[rockrat]

Buy it all--good price!!

[bangerjim]

Those are lino pigs used to feed in the back melt pot of linotype machines. Normally they are the standard alloy for lino. Do a net search. Most shops used it to replenish the machines, and normally did not recast it in pigs. Those came from the foundries.

Very good stuff.

All the window weights I have ever seen were about 14" long and were cast iron. You WILL recognize those!!!!!!!

[Cherokee]

Buy it !! Great stuff, then you can mix with pure lead to make a lot of bullets. That is the form in which I usta buy linotype, now all I can get is the letters, if I can find that.

[Bruntson]

I seen those back in the 1960's at the newspaper office. They are how linotype came from the factory and it was placed into a special furnace to be melted for use at the printing plant. That is true unused linotype!

[JeffinNZ]

Buy it all--good price!!

It's getting so rear any price is a good price now. The last lot of about 80lb I got was a gift. It was a wonderful day. That's an awful lot of .224 bullets.

[SWANEEDB]

Looks like there is around 240 lbs there(give or take a few), best you buy it all.

[mdi]

Yep, lino pigs. They are attached to a chain/hook and slowly lowered into the melting pot on a linotype machine. I operated a linotype machine in college. Had to keep an eye on the pot going dry (I used to get distracted reading what I was typing/assembling and forget to keep track of the lead...

[retread]

160946I have a dozen like them in my casting room right now. Got them from a Print shop that had gone out of business a number of years ago. The only warning I would have is, are they really linotype? The reason I say this is that when I bought my bars from the shop they threw in several bar molds that they recast the type in. If I were so inclined(a dirt bag) I could pour new bars that looked like the real thing out of any alloy. I still have the molds but they are too big for my use. I have thought of sawing them into shorter sections and brazing ends on them(since they are cast iron but have not done so as yet). Just a casual warning. At $1 a pound I would take my chances.

[flint45]

I have lino bars just like that abuck a pound is a barginI would buy it.

[mdi]

160946I have a dozen like them in my casting room right now. Got them from a Print shop that had gone out of business a number of years ago. The only warning I would have is, are they really linotype? The reason I say this is that when I bought my bars from the shop they threw in several bar molds that they recast the type in. If I were so inclined(a dirt bag) I could pour new bars that looked like the real thing out of any alloy. I still have the molds but they are too big for my use. I have thought of sawing them into shorter sections and brazing ends on them(since they are cast iron but have not done so as yet). Just a casual warning. At $1 a pound I would take my chances.
Would a print shop, one that used Linotype alloy go to all the trouble of getting scrap lead to cast in Linotype molds just to screw someone? :confused::lol::lol:

[SWANEEDB]

One way to tell if lino or just lead, lino pigs are around 20/22 lbs, other leads are around 25/26lbs. Yes there could be some shady folks who would cast if they had the org ingot molds----------E-BAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FISH4BUGS]

I have a half dozen of them at 25 lbs per piece. They are, as bangerjim says, linotype pigs. They hung over the lead tank and were gently fed into the melt as needed.
Buy all you can get that price. I bought mine 15 years ago for .75 per lb.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Down to 1 and 1/2 of another of those ingots of lino. However I still have about 100 +/- lbs of the letter print strips to go thru. Yes, buy all of that than you can.Robert

[RogerDat]

If lead then be assured that $1 per pound for lead in clean ingot form is a decent price. For Lino it is a very good price, about 1/2 price of what I would sell some of mine for. Assuming I would sell any :-)

You could expect to pay around $1 a pound for WW lead, or plain lead, or isotope container lead sold as ingots here on the forum. More from an online supplier. So considering what wonderful rich bullet making material Linotype is you should beat feet to get that deal.

Expect (a guess based on mine) is each one will go around 24 or 25 lbs. If it was me I would break open the little piggy bank and snag all I could afford. If nothing else you could resell here for a modest profit to reduce your cost and still make some other casters very happy. I found a piece a few inches long, and nothing else "printers" to speak of for around a year of steady looking. Then one day boom I scored and have so far not regretted hitting the savings account to buy that stash. Use it (cut with plain and WW's it casts beautifully) Swapped some for stuff. Sold some for money to buy stuff. Good Lino or other alloy is money in the bank as far as I'm concerned.

[FISH4BUGS]

With my half dozen 25 lb pigs and 200lbs of type, I am set for linotype for the rest of my life. I also have over 2500 lbs of wheel weights that I got for free when a friend sold his tire shop.
I use 1lb linotype to 5 lbs ww's. That is supposed to give the Lyman #2 hard cast alloy. Works for me. No leading even after 30 round magazine dumps on full auto.

[RogerDat]

....
I use 1lb linotype to 5 lbs ww's. That is supposed to give the Lyman #2 hard cast alloy. Works for me. No leading even after 30 round magazine dumps on full auto.

Pretty close to what I use, I add a little tin from solder or pewter to the mix since Lino to WW's I have on hand was coming up short of tin by a bit. But it does cast lovely bullets, bullets that just work great. Nice thing about mixing own Lyman #2 is that it cuts well to a less rich alloy for plinking revolver ammo. Making a pot of Wad cutters in 38 special just don't need the alloy as rich but Lyman #2 is balanced so bringing it down with plain lead or WW's is easy math.

[drfroglegs]

Just picked up 13 of these the other day at $1/lb.

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag158/drfroglegs/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_122739_zpslvcphgms.jpg (http://s1303.photobucket.com/user/drfroglegs/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20160220_122739_zpslvcphgms.jpg.html)

[CHeatermk3]

I just called and spoke with him--he has 3 left and does not want to ship...Crum!

[brassrat]

I don't have an oz. of lino-sniff.

or a wheelweight :razz:

[pappyo]

Yes I've gone through 6 of them over the years for rifle boolits. Weighs about 25 lbs, although I had a couple 30 lbs. it's getting scarce and not be too long before there's none.
.