Dad’s Monotype

[Green Frog]

I’m cleaning up my late father’s loading corner, and in one of the darker recesses I found about 100# plus of monotype in large letters. From what I’ve read, this stuff has a much higher antimony content than anything I ever cast… in fact other than the relatively small amounts in COWWs. The question is, should I leave it as factory cast letters to make it obvious what it is, or go to the extra effort to smelt it into ingots to offer it for sale. I’m thinking the letters are big enough to pack almost as efficiently as ingots, less work for me, and no doubt about what they are. Your thoughts?

Froggie

[M-Tecs]

I’m cleaning up my late father’s loading corner, and in one of the darker recesses I found about 100# plus of monotype in large letters. From what I’ve read, this stuff has a much higher antimony content than anything I ever cast… in fact other than the relatively small amounts in COWWs. The question is, should I leave it as factory cast letters to make it obvious what it is, or go to the extra effort to smelt it into ingots to offer it for sale. I’m thinking the letters are big enough to pack almost as efficiently as ingots, less work for me, and no doubt about what they are. Your thoughts?

Froggie

Leave it as is. That is your proof it is what you claim.

[Rickf1985]

I agree, leave it as is, not only prove to buyers but also to you in the future when you are looking at a pile of lead wondering what the hell it is.

[Green Frog]

Thanks for the responses so far. You are sort of affirming what I thought I knew, and it is good to have the confirmation.
I’m guessing I’d need a whole bunch of lead to soften all of this down, and a few pieces (large letter blocks) would go a long way towards hardening lead for even the hardest pistol or even rifle bullets.
As mentioned, I’ve been using COWWs with a little tin added for most of my pistol bullets and pure lead and pure tin mixed 25-1 for schuetzen rifle bullets. I don’t have any experience with these extra hard, antimony rich alloys.
BTW, Dad also left me some of the little strings of bricks of Linotype, which I was told was used to re-harden Linotype alloy after it had been reused many times. Is that correct?

Froggie

[Winger Ed.]

I'd leave it the way it is and add to the pot knowing what it is for making your own alloys.

As for recasting it into ingots:
Don't make extra work for yourself. Plenty of other people are more than glad to do that for you.

[lightman]

I'm kind of in this position myself but not from my Dad! From me! I've got 3 buckets of Foundry type that I've had for over 40 years. I've left it in its original form.

Clip-on wheelweights have always done whatever I needed. I know I could melt this stuff down and blend it with some soft lead to make a useful alloy and I probably have enough soft to do this. But I just don't need it!

When I first got it and not knowing any better I cast some with it. The bullets filled out great but were hard to get to drop out of the mold and were so hard they didn't shoot well.

[imashooter2]

Thanks for the responses so far. You are sort of affirming what I thought I knew, and it is good to have the confirmation.
I’m guessing I’d need a whole bunch of lead to soften all of this down, and a few pieces (large letter blocks) would go a long way towards hardening lead for even the hardest pistol or even rifle bullets.
As mentioned, I’ve been using COWWs with a little tin added for most of my pistol bullets and pure lead and pure tin mixed 25-1 for schuetzen rifle bullets. I don’t have any experience with these extra hard, antimony rich alloys.
BTW, Dad also left me some of the little strings of bricks of Linotype, which I was told was used to re-harden Linotype alloy after it had been reused many times. Is that correct?

Froggie

I can’t picture what "little strings of bricks" are. Could you clarify your description?

[kevin c]

Do they look like this?

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?366857-Bimetallic-type&highlight=Bimetallic

I still have them, but never checked content as I have other lead alloyed with Sb and Sn.

[Green Frog]

I can’t picture what "little strings of bricks" are. Could you clarify your description?

They are strip castings with each little block (or “brick”) a couple of pounds, all tied together by a thin piece of the alloy between successive pieces. In use, you break off one or more blocks and throw them in the pot to “sweeten” the alloy. Apparently antimony is lost or “burned out” with successive castings and need to be periodically replaced in later melts. At least that’s how it was explained to me.

Froggie

[Green Frog]

Do they look like this?

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?366857-Bimetallic-type&highlight=Bimetallic

I still have them, but never checked content as I have other lead alloyed with Sb and Sn.

No, not at all. These are factory cast letters for a monotype press. They are made in single unit letters, but each letter block is the same all the way through. The various lead alloy charts list monotype as being harder than Linotype and more wear resistant.

Froggie

[colchester]

They are strip castings with each little block (or “brick”) a couple of pounds, all tied together by a thin piece of the alloy between successive pieces. In use, you break off one or more blocks and throw them in the pot to “sweeten” the alloy. Apparently antimony is lost or “burned out” with successive castings and need to be periodically replaced in later melts. At least that’s how it was explained to me.

Froggie

Are these what you have https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?409057-WTS-Linotype-Plus-Metal

[Green Frog]

Are these what you have https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?409057-WTS-Linotype-Plus-Metal

Yep, those are just like the ones I had. It’s looking more and more like I need to find a bunch of pure lead to go with all this hardness!

Froggie

[JimB..]

They are strip castings with each little block (or “brick”) a couple of pounds, all tied together by a thin piece of the alloy between successive pieces. In use, you break off one or more blocks and throw them in the pot to “sweeten” the alloy. Apparently antimony is lost or “burned out” with successive castings and need to be periodically replaced in later melts. At least that’s how it was explained to me.

Froggie

I do not know, but I believe that burning out tin and antimony is a myth. I’m guessing that as they recycled lead the soft spacers were incorporated, so to get the alloy back to the proper hardness they had to add these higher percentage alloys. But like I said, don’t really know.

[Dusty Bannister]

BTW, Dad also left me some of the little strings of bricks of Linotype, which I was told was used to re-harden Linotype alloy after it had been reused many times. Is that correct?

Froggie[/QUOTE]

You probably have a three segment bar of enrichment alloy which is used to freshen lino after some of the ingredients are lost. It is higher in tin and antimony, but I would have to look it up to see exactly what it is. The ingots are usually less than 5 pounds per segment. It might be marked "Linotype Plus".

11 tin- 18 Antimony- 71 Lead