Printer's type 61/12/27?

[selmerfan]

I purchased some "Printer's type" a few years back when I was starting this game, advertised at 61/12/27 composition, Lead/tin/antimony. This is close to foundry type composition, but not the same. What else could it be? It's still in individual digit form. Any ideas on what it might be? I never asked the seller how he knew for sure what the composition of the alloy was.

[selmerfan]

The alloy is in separate letters and numbers, ranging from tiny font to pretty good sized pieces, 1"x1"x1.5" I don't know the differences between linotype, monotype, and foundry type in use, other than linotype was generally a "line of type", right? So I assume monotype was individual letters/numbers?

[Defcon-One]

FYI: This is the second link you posted to a site that requires a sign on ID and password. Nobody can see it!

[selmerfan]

Hmm - thanks! I'll remove the link. Didn't know you couldn't see, GB has gotten even more draconian...

[bumpo628]

12% tin, 27% antimony, 61% lead

It looks like another form of foundry type. I found this chart on the lasc.us website. Here is a link to the page: http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletAlloy.htm

http://www.lasc.us/img168-2.gif.jpg

I usually see 15% tin, 23% antimony, 62% lead as the specs for foundry type. I'm sure different printers had their preference and ordered it the way they wanted. Sounds like some boolit casters I know...[smilie=1:

[Fritz D]

The alloy is in separate letters and numbers, ranging from tiny font to pretty good sized pieces, 1"x1"x1.5" I don't know the differences between linotype, monotype, and foundry type in use, other than linotype was generally a "line of type", right? So I assume monotype was individual letters/numbers?

Linotype is always a "line-of-type" . . . max length is 5" but sometimes they are cast or trimmed to shorter lengths. Foundry type and Monotype are individual letters/numbers.

[selmerfan]

These are individual letters. I contacted the seller, he was told it was foundry type when he bought it from a print shop that was going out of business, and he also ran the test that Rick Jamison published by casting boolits from pure and then casting the same boolit with the "unknown" alloy and comparing hardness, melting point, and weight. I think that is where he got the composition numbers from.

[madsenshooter]

Foundry type often contained a bit of Cu also, so you're going to get varying numbers.