Down to my last 15 lbs of linotype - now 25 lb pigs

[FISH4BUGS]

I smelted my last 15 lbs of letters and spacers yesterday.
I cast all my handgun caliber bullets with 5 lbs ww to 1 lb linotype.
Currently casting for 1500-2000 44's and will size/lube/reload into 44 special.
Yup...I cast and load in very large batches.
The only linotype I have now is 25lb pigs - 5 of them.
They used to hang them and feed them into the lino machines.
So now I need to cut them up into smaller sections - preferably about 1 lb per piece.
Suggestions?

[shootinfox2]

What are the dimensions of the pigs? Hatchet and sledge, melting, separate melting in an empty pot for ingots. Multiple options.

[rcslotcar]

I use a dewalt sawzall. Also cut into smaller pieces to recast into ingots.

[Ozark mike]

Band saw

[Conditor22]

Jusr smelt them, I know it's more work but it will be easier / more accurate in the long run

[FISH4BUGS]

What are the dimensions of the pigs? Hatchet and sledge, melting, separate melting in an empty pot for ingots. Multiple options.

Probably 3 feet long by about 2" triangle.

[Martin Luber]

Just lower them into your pot and let them melt off.

[Chad5005]

hacksaw,bandsaw or sawzall

[Ozark mike]

Didn't someone here the other day mention a chainsaw i dont know that i recommend it but might be possible

[baogongmeo]

Place them across two pieces of angle iron and hit them with a big hammer.... lino is kind of brittle.

[kevin c]

^^^

Set it up as baogongmeo describes. If you score the bar deeply where you want it to break, turn it over and hit a hatchet or chisel held exactly opposite the score, usually it breaks there. Not super precise, though. It's good enough to shorten a pig to fit a box for shipping, or into a processing pot to melt and pour into smaller ingots as is or mixed into another alloy.

[fredj338]

When I was getting lino for 25c/#, they delivered a pallet of 25# pigs. Just mark off about 1# sections with a Sharpie & hold it in the pot. Lino has a low melt point so melt off about 1#. Easier than cutting.
FWIW, unless you are running magnum pressures/vel, your ww/lino mix is a bit rich imo. I do pure lead 4-1 for most of my handgun needs. Straight ww will get you pretty far up th vel/pressure ladder. I would cut back to 6-1 ww/lino.

[ABJ]

Metal band saw is the easiest and cleanest. be sure to keep the band lubed with cutting oil or water.
Yes a chain saw will work, but lots of big chips going over a large area to clean up.
All the other things will work also I'm just to lazy and chose the easy way.
Tony

[Lloyd Smale]

Place them across two pieces of angle iron and hit them with a big hammer.... lino is kind of brittle. I didnt worry to much back in the day when it was readily available and cheap but today i just hate loosing the 1/4 lb give or take you loose evertime you cut a piece with a saw.

yup they will snap in pieces using a hammer. Chain saw, reciprocating saw or skill saw will work too. Best way suggested is just melt them down and make one lb ingots out of them i use a turkey cooker and snap them about in half and throw them in.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

When I was a teeny bopper I worked for a newspaper in my home town. The linotype operator came to work he was treated like royalty. I like to watch him make letters out of the melting metal.

[reddog81]

Realistically for .44 Special you shouldn't need any linotype. I'd test some with just using WW's and see how that goes. Unless your using 100% stick on wheel weights you'd be fine up into the .44 Magnum range