I hope this helps when Buying Lino Spacers

[boatswainsmate]

Sample 1 PB 83.6% SB 11.8% SN 4.6%


Sample 2 PB 83.8% SB 12.2% SN 4.0%


Sample 3 PB 83.6% SB 12.5% SN 3.9%


Sample 4 PB 79.8% SB 15% SN 5.2%


Sample 5 PB 83.8% SB 12.3% SN 5.2%

[kevin c]

Thanks for posting the data!

I haven't seen a lot of Lino spacers. The ones I got with regular Lino strips were very thin, basically the same as the type bearing strips but without lettering. Of course, it was all the same size (points?), so maybe what I got was all from the same print run.

[Minerat]

Thanks just helped me identify a bunch of them (120 lbs mixed - $26.00) I picked up cheap the other day. The buckets had a bunch these shapes, some of shavings & small pieces, very thin spacers and a few lines of text intermixed.

[boatswainsmate]

I'm glad the info helped someone!

[mike69]

Thanks have a some of this on hand that I'm getting ready to mix up into different alloys . i'm using the lead alloy calculator . do you figure that these are close enough to the lino to just use that way and come out close enough . planing on making lyman #2

[Bookworm]

Thanks have a some of this on hand that I'm getting ready to mix up into different alloys . i'm using the lead alloy calculator . do you figure that these are close enough to the lino to just use that way and come out close enough . planing on making lyman #2

That's exactly what I did. I used the alloy calculator, pewter, and just about every style of spacers shown in the original post.
I mixed up 50 pounds, sent some off to BNE to check, and it came out perfectly. 90/5/5.

[mike69]

That's exactly what I did. I used the alloy calculator, pewter, and just about every style of spacers shown in the original post.
I mixed up 50 pounds, sent some off to BNE to check, and it came out perfectly. 90/5/5.

Thanks that's good to know. I've got some tin ordered to mix some up .

[RogerDat]

I have had batches of spacers go from monotype to less than linotype. Once upon a time I sorted them and in the couple of batches of lino the spacers I tested they just didn't vary much. So I stopped. Mine were less than linotype as I recall. Now I do as large a batch as I can and get it tested. Sometimes accumulating batches until I have enough to do a sizable batch all the same. I get better use out of 100# of same alloy than I do out of three or four different batches that sorting would yield.

Always a plus to big batches when using scrap. Even actual linotype can vary in alloy composition due to the alloy being depleted or fresh. Big batch levels those differences out. I'm another that uses the alloy calculator to add pewter to printers lead such as lino to get 90/5/5 of Lyman #2. Nice thing about linotype or mono type is it can bump up the antimony. I don't really know of any other scrap that is especially antimony rich so as to bring up COWW to 5% Sb. Solder, pewter, and assorted high tin scrap can be found, just not much high antimony scrap.

Also mono & foundry type spacers can be harder and look about the same. I have one batch of those that went Sb 18 & Sn 6 so about 1.5 times linotype from a mix of the whole batch of spacers. The source of those spacers was batch of individual letters not linotype lines of type. I think that made the difference. All the mono or foundry spacer batches have been richer alloy than the linotype itslef or the spacers from linotype.

Might be nice if someone could test a batch of spacers from foundry and monotype to get that recorded for compare to linotype and posted.

[madsenshooter]

I've got some rules, very fine 2 point lines that a fellow fed me a story on. I knew they didn't come from a linotype, so he says he took his lino to the foundry and got it melted down and renewed, they he took that to the typecasting place to have his rules made. They were meant to print on a letterpress, but they were very soft. About equal to 90-5-5 in hardness.