Alloy Composition???

[Dipperman]

I have the opportunity to buy several hundred pounds of lead alloy at what I think is a good price. What I am looking at, for lack of a better description, are slugs that came from a print shop. Each slug has a single letter on the end. As I understand it, when a job needed to be printed, the letters were selected by hand, set into some kind of holder, and then taken to the press. I do not have a hardness tester, but this stuff seems to be harder than linotype.

Does anyone have an idea as to what the composition of this alloy is?

Thanks in advance.

Al (AKA Dipperman)

[felix]

Lead, with high antimony content, at least 12 percent, tin at least 4 percent. ... felix

[454PB]

That's what we commonly call linotype, the larger ones are monotype. I have a bunch of it on hand, and it's a great alloy. A little too hard for most applications, but works great to sweeten softer alloys.