HOYT ingots

[Harry O]

I got a 3-lb ingot of something that has HOYT by the National Lead Company on it (cheap). I did a search here and several other people have the HOYT bars, but it does not seem like anyone knows for sure what is in it.

It is a lot harder than any of the other lead mixtures I have. This would seem to agree with some posters who thought it was used for Babbitt bearings. I am just afraid that making it hard enough to handle crankshafts was done with zinc.

Has anyone here used their HOYT bars? How do they cast?

[jsizemore]

Why do you think there's zinc? Does it fizz when you drop HCl or Muriatic acid on it?

[Retumbo]

10 seconds on Google. It is not Babbitt per say. My guess would be something along the line of WW lead


The brochure has a foreword discussing Hoyt Hardlead. It "can be stamped, formed or cast in any shape desired." It can also be substituted anywhere that regular sheet metal would be used. On the inside back cover is a list of Hoyt Hardlead installations on bulidings

http://www.historicnewengland.org/collections-archives-exhibitions/collections-access/collection-object/capobject?gusn=GUSN-269161

[Retumbo]

Bingo, I would bet money!

128153

[madsenshooter]

Any other ID on the bars? Their babbitts were named. Genuine A, Trojan, Eagle, Faultless, Diesel Oil Engine, Standard #4. Check the hardness, I have a list. I don't believe zinc was used, but all were high Sb.

[Harry O]

Retumbo. That looks good. Antimony rather than zinc. Thanks.

madsenshooter. There is no other ID on the bars. Just the NLC and HOYT. I will check the hardness tonight. I have not checked it yet, but it is hard, harder than WW's. They are three ingots joined together that look like cupcakes with a short bar connection between each of them. It was obviously longer originally, with one of the connections on one end melted in two.

[Smoke4320]

The ingots you describe were typically made for plumbers for melting for old cast iron lead joint fillers. Pack joint with Oakum then pour lead to seal joint. They were in 5 ingot strings . 15 LBs total .
I handled my fair share in my supply house days ..
Most of what we sold was pure or close to pure lead though.. interested to find out your alloy

[Harry O]

I just checked the hardness. It is between Bhn 15 and 16. That is a good deal harder than most of my WW's, but not as hard as I thought it was. It could easily be that hard from antimony alone. I may try mixing it into a melt sometime and see what it does.

[madsenshooter]

14.3 was the BHN of Standard #4 babbitt. Specific gravity of it was 10.67. None of NLC's solders were that hard or dense. Sounds like you have some usable stuff.

IF, it is only Pb, Sb, the percentage of Sb can be found based on the liquidus temp.