No luck from THE ANTIMONY MAN

[Jimmy10mm]

Bringing this thread back......

Any current info on if the Antimony man is still in bussiness??

Following many attempts I finally got an answer to a phone call to the number listed on the website. His daughter told me that Bill has Alzheimer's disease and effectively there is no more business though the website is still up.

They, the family, have not gotten into taking care of the computers and all of that. Sounded as if she is not a computer person so I don't know if that will ever be cleared up.

[cbrick]

That's down right sad. He was quite the gentleman to do business with & he has been missed I'm sure by many.

Rick

[sleeper1428]

That's down right sad. He was quite the gentleman to do business with & he has been missed I'm sure by many.

Rick

Agree completely. Not only was he very knowledgeable in regard to metallurgy, he was happy to talk to you about anything related to that field. I had several long and very informative telephone conversations with him back in the late 1990's and he most certainly will be sorely missed. I wonder if, with some encouragement, his family might consider carrying on his business?

sleeper1428

[bangerjim]

Agree completely. Not only was he very knowledgeable in regard to metallurgy, he was happy to talk to you about anything related to that field. I had several long and very informative telephone conversations with him back in the late 1990's and he most certainly will be sorely missed. I wonder if, with some encouragement, his family might consider carrying on his business?

sleeper1428

He has/had a large volume of knowledge from his years & years of experience. I doubt his family even knows anything about metallurgy or what he did......other than make money doing what he liked.

I know my kid sure do not know (or care) anything about process instrumentation/machinist/horology/woodworking/mechanical technology that I deal in! When I leave this mortal coil, all that knowledge will be lost forever. I wish I could clone my brain & store it for future generations. I am sure many of you out there are the same way.

banger

[alamogunr]

Bill has published several articles on the "net". I tried to print most of them but I'm not sure that I got all of them. I also printed some of the email correspondence we had 10+ years ago when I first ordered from him. At that time I tried talking to him on the phone but it seemed to be a chore for him and I know it was for me.

He must be nearing 90 years old by now. I always got a kick out of his posts on the CB-L. He had a way with words.

[mold maker]

It's extremely sad to see all the hard won knowledge lost. Old age and disease seem to claim more than is saved.
I too had several very enlightening discussions with Bill, and treasure the insight he gave me.

[slim1836]

I too had correspondence with him in the past and he sent me literature and advice to help me get started. He will be missed by many.

Slim

[PbHurler]

This is sad to hear, Bill will indeed be missed. Years ago, I called Bill to order some tin (@$7.00/Lb) & LET's Flux. Bill asked me what I was alloying & we had about a 40 minute conversation with him explaining to me how to acheive what I was wanting to produce without mixing such an "expensive alloy". He included a neat pamphlet with my order with various alloy mixtures & optimal loading scenarios with hand written notes within the borders.

One hell of a nice, & knowledgable man.

[rattletrap1970]

That is a damn shame for sure. I'm glad we have the internet now to pool all this knowlege before it's lost.

[GLL]

Bill was a great guy to talk to. A simple question could end up with a one hour conversation ! !
Sad indeed !

Jerry

[M-Tecs]

I only talked to him once. I called with a simple question and it was over an hour conversation. I wish him and his family the best!!! Alzheimer's is a terrible disease to deal with.

[bhn22]

I really appreciated Bill too. Everything said so far has matched my observations. He's quite a guy. I hope he finds peace.

[13Echo]

That is sad. Alzheimer's is one of the cruelest diseases. It robs the victim of his mind but leaves the body intact and puts unbelievable stress on the family. It's like a 36 hour day of constant care and stress with no escape. There are some things worse than dying.

I hope his family is holding up and I hope for the best for Bill. He was a real prince.

Jerry Liles

[Littleton Shot Maker]

Bill was great, talked with him a few times, he always was good humored, quick wit, loved the people he would meet in the coarse if doing business, I had wondered what happened he stopped answering the phone, And no his kids (not kids really) are not into the lead, antimony business or have the knowledge Bill had.

[WilliamDahl]

That is a damn shame for sure. I'm glad we have the internet now to pool all this knowlege before it's lost.

But on private sites like this, the knowledge will still get lost eventually since it's not like the owners of the site will keep it around *forever*. There's still stuff in the USENET archives from the early days of USENET, but with private forums like this, we are subject to the whims of the site owner.

[dikman]

NineInchNails, those two ladles look like they're handforged - very nice find!

[DrDucati]

Regarding the loss of knowledge, the best way to keep it alive may just be the good old printed book. For those of you who are experts in the field or enjoy editing, consider publishing something.

[jmort]

Antimony is not worth the trouble. Very high melting point and toxic. Too many lead/antimony alloys available to make it worthwhile.