Most sensible way to repackage linotype ingots.

[Don1357]

I just got a hold of a substantial amount of lino from a warehouse full of old linotype equipment. This is about half of it, 30 pound square bars, 20 pound triangular bars:



Come spring I plan on getting rid of about half of it. The question I have is; what would be the most ideal way to break this down? I usually cast the stuff I use on the Cast Boolit/Redneck gold molds but a lot of folks don't seem to like lino that is cast into unknown bars... For the stuff that I'm planning on selling, would it be more desirable if I cast them into bars, or just break these pigs and sell them as chunks?

[AlHunt]

Find a commercial caster to take it off your hands and ship that pallet to them.

[dbosman]

I suggest you find someone with an XRF "gun" and get a print out of the analysis for each bar or lot you sell.

A question - is shipping from Alaska as bad as the cost to ship to Alaska?

[Don1357]

I suggest you find someone with an XRF "gun" and get a print out of the analysis for each bar or lot you sell.

I seriously doubt that a significant number of folks selling some lino are doing that...

A question - is shipping from Alaska as bad as the cost to ship to Alaska?

Is the same, meaning that we can stuff flat rate priority mail boxes for the same prices everybody else pay.

Find a commercial caster to take it off your hands and ship that pallet to them.

But something like this would probably be pretty horrible, both the shipping and how much they may be willing to pay for it. Every time I see Rotometals selling half a ton of lino for $3,500 I have to wonder if they actually move that stuff.

Bottom line I'm not in a hurry, I'll get around breaking it down. Is just that when the time comes I'm wondering what the best approach would be.

[Harter66]

Build a mould the same dimensions as the ID of the SMFRB . Send 25# at a time ><.

[kevin c]

That's an awful lot of time, effort and propane to recast the pigs into smaller ingots that potential buyers might question more than the original form. OTOH, I've heard of lead in lino pig form that wasn't lino, just random allow poured into a salvaged mold. I had one myself (lead and antimony, no tin at all), though the yard I bought it from only represented it as scrap lead (everything else in pig form XRF'd out as Lino).

I guess there's no way to completely eliminate the concerns tied up in buying from a stranger on line, but maybe documenting your purchase, getting an analysis, keeping it in recognizable form and offering it at a tempting price would help?

[kevin c]

?..Every time I see Rotometals selling half a ton of lino for $3,500 I have to wonder if they actually move that stuff...

They get special rates on freight

They're local to me, and I talked with the owner. Their rates are so good it's cost effective for them to ship in dross by rail to process at one of their sites and sell at a profit.

[Don1357]

That's an awful lot of time, effort and propane to recast the pigs into smaller ingots that potential buyers might question more than the original form. OTOH, I've heard of lead in lino pig form that wasn't lino, just random allow poured into a salvaged mold. I had one myself (lead and antimony, no tin at all), though the yard I bought it from only represented it as scrap lead (everything else in pig form XRF'd out as Lino).

I guess there's no way to completely eliminate the concerns tied up in buying from a stranger on line, but maybe documenting your purchase, getting an analysis, keeping it in recognizable form and offering it at a tempting price would help?

Oh, I have 0 doubt of this being lino...

These were the machines they were being used on:



And the linotype machine operator, who still uses one of the machines for rubber stamps, was busy casting them from lino lines on this puppy:



Not to mention that I snap one in two over a steel pipe just to see how brittle they were. They ain't lead.

[Conditor22]

break/cut them down and sell them in MFRB

[Brass&Lead]

Use a saw to cut it to fit a FRB. Double box, tape and ship.

[JimB..]

Break it into pieces that fit in a MFRB, don’t overthink it.

[lightman]

I would cut them into a length that would fit a flat rate box. That way the buyer can tell that it was originally a linotype bar. Most any type of saw with a course blade will cut them. Catch and save the chips too!

By the way, nice score!

[Don1357]

But overthinking it is half the fun! :}

I figure eventually I'll get rid of just part of it so I can finance this impulse buy. I prefer to recast what I use myself into the 2# Cast Boolits/Redneck gold molds, but I'll see if this moves by just chopping it into manageable pieces.

[kevin c]

Sorry, I didn't mean to say you yourself have any doubt. I meant that it's more a matter of convincing the buyer. Maybe less of an issue if you sell here, but if you were to put this up on eBay or Craig'slist where caveat emptor ought to be the rule, a potential buyer might be looking for more indicators that the product is as advertised.

The ingots I had all broke with a firm hammer blow to a chisel over a scored line in the bar.

ETA:

At least here it seems you're having no issues selling Lino recast in smaller ingots.

[Don1357]

Sorry, I didn't mean to say you yourself have any doubt. I meant that it's more a matter of convincing the buyer. Maybe less of an issue if you sell here, but if you were to put this up on eBay or Craig'slist where caveat emptor ought to be the rule, a potential buyer might be looking for more indicators that the product is as advertised.

The ingots I had all broke with a firm hammer blow to a chisel over a scored line in the bar.

ETA:

At least here it seems you're having no issues selling Lino recast in smaller ingots.

I think if I was selling lino letters it would move faster... I do have a few buckets of those. Now that I'm not about to hurt for linotype anytime soon I may pack a few of those to see if there is any difference.

[smithnframe]

Ship it to me in south Texas!

[colchester]

Thats a nice Nolan remelter they have I have the same one

[Conditor22]

I would cut them into a length that would fit a flat rate box. That way the buyer can tell that it was originally a linotype bar. Most any type of saw with a course blade will cut them. Catch and save the chips too!

By the way, nice score!

I have found molds for linotype bars and people that use them for other alloys, but so far they have not been trying to sell them as linotype.

I'd recommend MFRB, costs more but you pay less for shipping for the amount you get.

I'm not doubting your word or trying to scare you, but.

IF it's not what you say the first person that gets it will let you (and everyone else) know.

A simple test is, get some drawing pencils and a chisel, clear a smooth spot on each ingot and see if the pencil (F #2 pencil) doesn't scratch it then it's harder than 18 BHN

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-testing-trick

[468]

Use me as a Ginny pig. Bust a bar up, stick it in a flat rate box and send it to me here in south Louisiana!...For a fee, of course. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get here.

[Ban]

Thats a nice score & with current challenges to freedoms I'd likely keep it unless....

Back when i started i couldn't afford to sit on those scores. I'd smelt it all. I'd pour half the score in an angle iron mold i made. Five ingots would bulging fill a sfrb. We used newspaper band with clearance cheap duct tape to cage the ingots then fold the sfrb around them & packing tape the box.

We hold a record of 27.45lb of pure in a sfrb. Sent out mucho pure & lino that way. Never an issue with demand or a bar falling out. Always warn the unlucky postal employees. VERY HEAVY machine parts.