Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting What is Linotype worth?

A local old time printer is calling it quits and wants to sell me 1300 pounds of Linotype. What's it worth? It's mostly in 22 pound pigs and has been used and reused for several years in old Linotype machines.


Bb

Rotometals has new/unused (so to speak) lino for $1.99/# in 1000 pound lots. I'd offer 75 cents a pound. All he can say is no.

Burleyboy

When they cast and recast linotype in print shops, after a while they burn most of the tin out of the metal. Most old type setters knew that and they frequently "recharged" their linotype with tin to keep it in balance so the antimony would stay in the lead and maintain a uniform hardness. The antimony is what makes linotype hard and it will not stay uniformly suspended in lead, but it will in tin. I'm sure your old typesetter knows all about all of that, but you need to ask him if he has kept the tin in his linotype metal.

I bought all the linotype metal of the Laurel Leader Call newspaper when they switched from physical type setting to digital production, but I didn't know about the issue of low tin content and "recharging" the linotype. Dumb ass me, I thought linotype was linotype because they said it was linotype. But the paper knew they were not going to be using linotype any more, so they quit recharging it with tin. The result was when I got it and started casting it, I had to add the tin and that increased the per pound cost up to about what I could have bought new linotype for in the first place.

So before you buy what they are calling linotype, make sure that it is actually linotype and not a bunch of burned out lead and antimony. Good linotype should be 84% lead, 12% antimony, and 4% tin. You shouldn't be able to scratch it with your finger nail and it should be bright and not dull like pure lead.

If you can get 1300 pounds of good linotype for what Craigster has suggested, jump on it quick. But if it is over used and burned out, you might want to offer less or pass on the deal. Best of luck and let's hope the metal has been kept in the proper composition and you are getting a good deal.

I bought all the linotype metal of the Laurel Leader Call newspaper when they switched from physical type setting to digital production.
Bob, you from the Laurel area, or is there another Laurel leader call?
Ronnie

Paying scrap lead retail (daily scale price) would be absolute max in my world and 70% of that is more realistic.

I once lived there.

It's probably going to cost me at least $1 per pound. It's shinny and hard but some pigs look better than others. He has recently produced lines on type with it and it formed up nicely. I bought some of the lines of type a while back but haven't tried to cast anything with it. I assume I'll be mixing it with lead or WW to come up with good bullet material.

I can hardly find ww's in my area anymore and think this may be my last chance to buy Linotype. I hope to be able to sell about half for $1.50 or more per pound to offset my cost of my own some. If I buy it I'll send some samples to whoever the campfire casting gurus are and we'll see what they think of it.

I wish I had a good local source for pure lead scrap but I dont. I'm thinking blending it with pure lead should produce a good alloy although like you said I may have to add some tin which isn't cheap. I'll ask if tins been added over the years to keep it up. I've already got a guy I trade with wanting a decent amount at a little more than I'll be paying. I'll probably get flamed on here for making a profit but even after 8 years under Obama I still can't bring myself to think capitalism is all evil.

Bb

You can get flamed on the Camp Fire because the frigg'in sun came up this morning, so don't pay any attention to those azzholes who do it. It is absolutely the most unfriendly internet forum out there because it has no forum monitors to control the azzholes. They couldn't get away with the crap they do around here on the Shooter's Forum because the monitor's over there would delete it and ban them. Around here we have to either ignore the bastards or hand it right back to them. I hate to have to get into a pissing contest with them, but I'll be dam if I'm going to let them get away with it, so I always give as good as I get and throw in a little extra for good measure. Fugg'em and the horse they rode in on.

Just curious, I grew up in jones county, went to school in Ellisville.
Ronnie

Scrap yards around here pay like .25 s pound max for scrap lead. Any lead that is not assayed is scrap lead. Then they try to retail it, but that's the spread.

Lino isn't bullet ready alloy, it needs 2x pure lead to get it right for bullets.

Keeping in mind you can get correctly alloyed lead delivered for a buck a pound in over 1000# lots so it's not a good idea to overpay.

Call around and offer him 20% over what the local scrap yard will and that is about fair. I see folks trying to sell zinc-ed up lead all the time for a buck a pound, and they probably find some unaware buyers.

It's ok to sell small lots at a profit. One has to pay for packing and shipping...it's a fair amount of work.

If you have to buy lead, it's much easier to buy correct alloy from a supplier.

Where can I get correct alloys for $1 pound delivered? Most of the cheaper stuff I've seen is ww or range lead with unknown quality. I may be better off going that route but I still think this Linotype may be a decent opportunity and one I may not get again.

Couple guys over on castboolits sells Clip on WW and Stick on WW for just over a $1 a pound for 60 pounds ,delivered. Also there are some on there whe will analyze your alloy for 1 pound of lead,Lino etc.
Ronnie

I'll have to get on castbullets and make some contacts. Hopefully I can get some analysed and make sure it's good and then I'll sell half of it.


I'm excited to get casting and need to get set up to powder coat. PC looks like the way to go for me because I like to make a bunch and store them for a while. I always hated messy lubes and that whole process.

Thanks,
Bb

Also if you have $49.99 to spend, roto metals will do it .
http://www.rotometals.com/Metals-Analysis-XRF-Testing-s/59.htm
Ronnie

Most good scrap yards will shoot a sample with an XRF gun for nothing, especially if you have quantity and are interested in getting a bid/price. Do you have a Schnitzer yard near you? Call and talk to a rep. / buyer.

That is what I was getting at. To find out what the going rate is, contact the local scrap buyers and see what they will pay...that's what it's worth.

I took some in to have it tested and it tested:

7.73 tin
17.74 antimony
74.53 lead

It has more tin and antimony than most linotype.

Bb

Burleyboy,
I could use some linotype. I've got some range scrap I need to harden up a bit.
Shoot me a pm when you're ready to sell.

There are many more types of type casting metals than just Linotype. If all you pigs are of similar composition then your alloy is closer to Monotype C which contains 7% Tin and 17% Antimony with a BHN of around 26.

Linotype actually has about 3 different alloy configurations A,B & C with only about 1.5 BHN difference between the three with the only real difference being the presentage of Tin A-5%.B-6% and C having 7%. Linotype in new mfg. pig form will only contain a Max. of 12% Antimony while Monotype versions A thru G contain on average 15 to 19% antimony.

Not sure if the old printer use a regeneration metal or not which was used to refresh old Lino as it would contain around 9% Tin and 16% Antimony as that could explain the high Tin/Antimony content.

Does anyone know of a lab that can assay composition and what the service might charge?

Burleyboy must, looks like he had his tested.

Ed

I have some linotype that could be bought. I can get 50 pounds in a $13.50 USPS box.
PM offers?

I took mine to a scrap yard that had an X-ray gun. They only tested one pig but the guy I got them from said most of it was from the same batch. He said they used to send some to a lab and the lab would send them back alloy and tell them how much to add to bring it back up to spec. At least I know it's got the right 3 metals in it and nothing else. I plan to mix it with wheel weights as needed.

Bb

That ought to work fine BB. You don't have to know the exact percentages of the metals to cast good bullets. If you add linotype to wheel weights, you are going to have a good, hard bullet and you will not be able to mark it with your thumb nail. I cast a lot of bullets using that same combination of metals and have always been pleased with how they cast and shoot. You will too.


All the best.

Outstanding!