174 ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 



(5) Electrolytic Method. The electrolytic process may also 

 be utilized in the production of metallic antimony. The process 

 of refining metallic antimony is very difficult and few understand 

 the details of modern practice in the industry. 



Uses of Antimony. Antimony is used extensively in alloys. 

 In general a mixture of antimony with other metals renders 

 them more lustrous, hard, and somewhat brittle. The alloys 

 of antimony, like those of bismuth, expand upon cooling, there- 

 fore they make fine, hard, sharp castings. An alloy consisting 

 of 86.5 per cent, lead and 13.5 pei cent, antimony is 4 times 

 as hard as pure lead. An alloy consisting of 35.86 per cent, 

 lead and 64.14 per cent, antimony is 11.7 times as hard as pure 

 lead. 



Type metal consists of lead, antimony, and often tin in vary- 

 ing proportions. Ten varieties of type metal are well known. 

 The first of the series consists of 75 parts lead and 25 parts 

 antimony; another of 75 parts lead, 20 parts antimony, and 5 

 parts tin. Type metal must cast readily and be capable of tak- 

 ing sharp impressions. It must be hard enough to resist crush- 

 ing in the press and so soft that its edges will not cut the paper in 

 the process of printing. 



Stereotype metal consists of 112 parts lead, 18 parts antimony, 

 and 3 parts of tin; britannia metal, 140 parts tin, 9 parts anti- 

 mony, and 3 parts copper; pewter 89.3 per cent, tin, 7.1 per cent, 

 antimony, 1.8 per cent, copper, and 1.8 per cent, bismuth; 

 argentite 85.5 per cent, tin and 14.5 per cent, antimony; the 

 luster of the latter alloy so closely resembles silver that it is 

 sometimes difficult to distinguish the white metal from the 

 alloy that carries no silver. This alloy is used extensively in the 

 silver ware of commerce. 



Babbitt is the name applied to a wide series of antifriction alloys 

 used extensively in the journals of cars, locomotives, and other 

 rapidly moving machinery. It consists of antimony, tin and 

 copper, with small amounts of lead, zinc, bismuth and nickel. 

 The tin always exceeds 50 per cent, and the copper may be 

 entirely replaced by antimony, or the antimony by copper. 



Antimony alloys with aluminum in all proportions at a com- 

 paratively low temperature. With less than 5 per cent, of anti- 

 mony the alloy is vastly superior to aluminum in hardness, te- 

 nacity, elasticity, and malleability. It is more sonorous when 

 struck. It resists the corrosive action of the gases of the at- 



