Alloys For Mechanical Composition
Most mechanical typesetting is divided basically into two different competing technologies: line casting (Linotype and Intertype) and single character casting (Monotype).
The manuals for the Monotype composition caster (1952 and later editions) mention at least five different alloys to be used for casting, depending the purpose of the type and the work to be done with it.
Although in general Monotype cast type characters can be visually identified as having a square nick (as opposed to the round nicks used on foundry type), there is no easy way to identify the alloy aside from an expensive chemical assay in a laboratory.
Apart from this the two Monotype companies in the United States and the UK also made moulds with 'round' nicks. Typefounders and printers could and did order specially designed moulds to their own specifications: height, size, kind of nick, even the number of nicks could be changed.
Type produced with these special moulds can only be identified if the foundry or printer is known.
| Sn/Sb (%) |
Liquid at (°C) |
Solid at (°C) |
Hardness (Brinell) |
Purpose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6/15 | 261 | 240 | 23.0 | Routine |
| 2 | 10/16 | 273 | 240 | 27.0 | Dual (machine & hand composition) |
| 3 | 9/19 | 286 | 240 | 28.5 | Routine machine composition |
| 4 | 13/17 | 283 | 240 | 29.5 | Catalogues |
| 5 | 12/24 | 330 | 240 | 33 | Display type, heavy duty jobs |
In Switzerland the company "Metallum Pratteln AG", in Basel had yet another list of type-metal alloys. If needed, any alloy according to customer specifications could be produced.
| Usage | Sn/Sb (%) |
Liquid at (°C) |
Casting at (°C) |
Remelting at (°C) |
Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typograph | 3/12 | 250 | 280…290 | 310…330 | 19 |
| Ludlow | 5/12 | 245 | 270…285 | 300…320 | 21 |
| Lino/Intertype a | 5/12 | 245 | 270…285 | 300…320 | 21 |
| Lino/Intertype b | 6/12 | 243 | 270…285 | 300…320 | 21.5 |
| Lino/Intertype c | 7/12 | 241 | 270…285 | 300…320 | 22 |
| Stereotyping | 5/15 | 265 | 320 | 320…340 | 23 |
| Stereotyping | 7/14 | 258 | 315 | 320…340 | 23 |
| Monotype a | 5/15 | 265 | 350 | 330…350 | 23 |
| Monotype b | 8/15 | 260 | 360 | 350…370 | 25 |
| Monotype c | 7/17 | 280 | 370 | 360…380 | 26 |
| Monotype d | 9/19 | 285 | 390 | 380…400 | 28.5 |
| Monotype e | 9.5/15 | 270 | 360 | 350…370 | 26 |
| Monotype f | 9.5/17 | 280 | 380 | 370…390 | 27.5 |
| Monotype g | 10/16 | 275 | 370 | 360…380 | 27 |
| Regeneration a | 9/11 | — | — | — | — |
| Regeneration b | 9/12 | — | — | — | — |
| Regeneration c | 9/16 | — | — | — | — |
| Support metal a | 1/2 | 310 | — | 360…380 | 6 |
| Support metal b | 3/5 | 295 | — | 340…360 | 14 |
| Support metal c | 5/5 | 280 | — | 340…360 | 16 |
| Typefounding | 5.5/28.5 | 360 | — | 420…430 | 29.5 |
Read more about this topic: Type Metal
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