Spacers and slugs hardness.

[cwlongshot]

Question for you guys...

I was able to get a tray of spacers and slugs. I was always under tge asumption most of these where mono type or harder. On my borrowed LBT tester they are a 15. I have had lino that measured 18. I was expecting 20+. (OK, OK I was HOPING!)

I am aware its more a referance number. But I am suprised its as soft as it is.

CW

[Grmps]

Pictures please

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Melt some of your spacers and slugs (separately), then cast a few boolits, let air cool, measure hardness in two weeks.
This will give you a more accurate reading.

[kevin c]

I was under the impression that spacers could (but not necessarily) be softer than the pieces with the actual type element to be printed (which are the slugs, aren't they?) since they didn't have to bear up to the wear of being repeatedly and forcibly pressed into paper

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I was under the impression that spacers could (but not necessarily) be softer than the pieces with the actual type element to be printed (which are the slugs, aren't they?) since they didn't have to bear up to the wear of being repeatedly and forcibly pressed into paper

Probably? but not necessarily.
there have been differing posts here about spacers being softer, while others say they are the same alloy as 'lines of type'.

My experience:
When I first started casting, I bought 3 MFRB's of linotype. The boxes were a mix of spacers and 'lines of type'. Me, not knowing any better, I melted them all together into ingots. I've cast boolits with those ingots several times since, they always measure 19 Bhn (±0.5). So I have to conclude, the batch of spacers I got, must have been very near or same alloy as the 'lines of type'.

[cwlongshot]

Pictures please

CW

[cwlongshot]

HAHAHA

OF COARSE, Ill do that. But I would like to see if someone knows the answer BEFORE I get there.

[cabezaverde]

The ones with the crescent shaped marks were likely made on an Elrod machine. Probably close to pure lead.

[lightman]

I've cast with lots of different type metal in the past and the few spacers that I had were hard. I've read post on here about other members finding spacers that were softer than type. It would be pretty easy to separate those long ones by bending each one. Personally I would probably keep the spacers separate and put them in with the next batch of wheel weights that I smelt.

[cwlongshot]

The ones with the crescent shaped marks were likely made on an Elrod machine. Probably close to pure lead.

HAHA. Well thankfuul this is not the case with what I have...

I checked all
Of it. Just suprised it was Lyman #2 hardness is all.

CW