Help please !

[bfuller14]

I have what I thought was lead. It is a bar about 18" long, 2" thick, and 4" wide. It is dark dull gray and I could not cut it with a hand saw. My small propane torch would not melt it. I did melt it with my big torch. My propane burner would just keep it in a liquid form, and as soon as I poured into my ingot it started to solidify instantly. It has a gold tint to it from the ingot. As soon as it was cool enough to pick up I tested it and it showed to be 24-26 BHN.
Any ideas what this could be? Thank you for any help.
Barry

[454PB]

I suggest you try breaking the ingot. In that hardness range, it could be either especially hard linotype or monotype. Either of those alloys will shatter easily when struck with a heavy object and reveal an extremely crystalline structure at the break line.

Usually, a gold tint indicates pure lead, but not at a hardness of 24-26 BHN.

[bumpo628]

Tin is also gold...but pure Tin is very soft - around Bhn 7 or so.

[bfuller14]

Thank you 454PB, and bumpo628.
I mixed 3 parts WW to 1 part of this stuff and cast a few boolits. As soon as they cooled enough I tested the boolit. it was 22 BHN. I also hit the ingot with a hammer with it propped up in the corner of some concrete. Did not break. I don't even think it bent. It did make a small indentation where the hammer hit. It is some very hard stuff. I'll retest the boolits every day abd see what they do.

Thank you again,
Barry

[firefly1957]

Tin has a lower melting point than lead . Why could you not cut it with saw did it just gum up the blade? or was it another reason? Lead is hard to cut with a saw because it gums up the teeth it is also a pain to drill lead.

[bfuller14]

The saw would just make a scratch on it. This stuff acts like monotype or steriotype but I have never had any dealings with either of them.