Final tally on my type metal score

[Soundguy]

I finally finished smelting my type metal score. While it was mostly common linotype with alloy with entire sentenc3s on short plates, there was some monotype and foundry type mixed in.

Due to it being old and already oxidizing from the scrap yard storing it outside, I decided to smelt all of it vs trying to bucket store it.
Some of that decision came from the wife after she noticed I was taking up too much of the porch with buckets...

I originally paid for 422#.. Had hoped to get up to 400# of ingots.
I hit the flea market for some old cornbread molds to help me cast faster than just using my home made angle iron mold and lee mold.

All said and done... 493# of clean ingots.
I made a combination of corn pone, angle iron and lee mold ingots as well as mini muffins. I also , at the suggestion of a few cadters, made many 'coins' in the mini muffin mold to use as small batch 'sweetners'.

All said and done.. Figuring my purchase, tax, propane, extra molds and a tip to the guy at the scrap yard, I have 1.53$ per pound invested.

I'm ecstatic!

[JimB..]

Good score!

[MrWolf]

You did very well. Congrats

[jakharath]

That's excellent!

[kevin c]

Nearly 500# of type metal should keep you in boolits for a very long time!

If you managed to combine the different type into just a few large lots, a sample of each can be XRf analyzed for exact content, allowing (if it matters to you) exact alloy mixing.

[lightman]

That was a nice score! And at a fair price.

[RogerDat]

Good job rescuing that lead from becoming some boring part someplace. Along with doing so at a good price. Should give any stash a great boost.

[Soundguy]

I may send some off for x-ray test just to know exactly what I have...will see.

Just got my booster shot and am moving slooow.

[Winger Ed.]

I may send some off for x-ray test just to know exactly what I have...will see.


Unless you're doing something real exotic with it:
I'd save my money for gunpowder and Whiskey.:bigsmyl2:

[RogerDat]

Unless you're doing something real exotic with it:
I'd save my money for gunpowder and Whiskey.:bigsmyl2:

Is that the old guy version of spending all my money on women and drugs?

There is a member here BNE who for a pound of lead will test a sample. Cost you the shipping of the lead. You do have to be able to follow his directions on what he wants for the sample and the information that should accompany each sample. You can send more than one pound of lead and more than one sample in the same SFRB (small flat rate box) but not providing the sample of the proper size and the requested information makes it harder for him to provide this valuable service, so pay attention to the directions he will send when you PM him to ask if he is still doing the testing, or if he can do the testing at this time. It is a sideline so he has to have the time free. That said you can't beat an xrf test from him for letting you know exactly what you have.

One trick is if one has made ingots from several batches of the same general lead is to to drill out some shavings from a few different ingots to melt into a single sample to test. Gives you a better idea of what that batch is and avoids having a single ingot define the whole large batch. Might be useful if you have several batches of ingots from the same buckets of type for example. Different parts of the bucket may have a different mix of mono & foundry, or spacers. Even different batches of linotype can be more or less depleted of tin. Random samples smooth out those differences.

[kevin c]

I’ve had the same concerns about ingot to ingot variation, even batch to batch variation, all from the same source (of scrap, which may not be entirely consistent).

If I want consistency across batches, I cast each batch as a group of equal number and size of ingots and recombine the batches making each new batch from the same number of ingots from each of the original batches. Then I send one sample of the recombined alloy off to BNE that gets me an analysis valid for all the new batches.

Alternatively, if I don’t want to commit all the metal to the recombined batches, I’ll sent one sample from each batch for analysis and keep each batch segregated or at least uniquely marked. Then I can take what I need from any batch, knowing it’s content and therefore what I need to add to get what I want.

I’ve kept BNE pretty busy at times ;^]

[lightman]

I’ve kept BNE pretty busy at times ;^]

Yeah, I have too. I hope he understands how much we appreciate his service.

I usually cut the corner off of an ingot and tape it on a piece of cardboard with any info that I have on the lead. Clip-on weights, stick-on weights, ect. Then I take a picture of the card with my phone. I usually send him a full small flat rate box of his choice of lead even though I don't send him near that many samples.

[RogerDat]

I’ve had the same concerns about ingot to ingot variation, even batch to batch variation, all from the same source (of scrap, which may not be entirely consistent).

If I want consistency across batches, I cast each batch as a group of equal number and size of ingots and recombine the batches making each new batch from the same number of ingots from each of the original batches. Then I send one sample of the recombined alloy off to BNE that gets me an analysis valid for all the new batches.

Alternatively, if I don’t want to commit all the metal to the recombined batches, I’ll sent one sample from each batch for analysis and keep each batch segregated or at least uniquely marked. Then I can take what I need from any batch, knowing it’s content and therefore what I need to add to get what I want.

I’ve kept BNE pretty busy at times ;^]

Yep cross mixing batches is only way to get consistency from scrap. Especially when it is mixed type spacers or organ pipe or other same item but varies in alloy content scrap. I tend to use bread loaf pans for big batches then take same number of those slabs from each batch to cross mix. Then bug BNE to test a sample of the cross mixed batches.

I really do feel bad sending him several samples and try to make sure the box of lead he gets makes it worth his while. Without his support I would be looking at a very mixed bag of who knows what. Instead I have all known alloys and many are mixed to duplicate commercial alloys such as Lyman #2 or Hardball. His help allows me to collect a bunch of odds and ends of solder rolls from scrap yard and garage sales to melt into a batch of known usable tin. The two members that have contributed the most to my lead stash are Bumpo with his alloy calculator and BNE with his testing.