Ilon Gábor szerk.: Pápai Múzeumi Értesítő 6. (Pápa, 1996)

Bronzkor a Nyugat-Dunántúlon - P. I. Maclaen - J. G. Mcdonell: New archaeo metrical investigations of the bronzes in the Carpathian Basin. Újabb természettudományos adatok a Kárpát-medencei bronzok összetételéről

antimony in alloys for printers type. One may also consider the metalloid's use in conjunction with other elements, high Cu-Sb-Sn (and As) alloys often exhibit low liquidus temperatures (as low as C.650 °C) which would mean that at 1000+ °C the melt would be extremely fluid and easy to pour. 2. Tin substitution - the use of antimony as a direct replacement for tin. During the Bronze Age tin is seen as a rare and valuable commodity with only a few areas able to supply the metal (an example being Cornwall in Southwest England). The argument for tin replacement has been put forward by a number of workers previously, with antimony acting as a substitute during periods of tin scarcity or used as a means of indépendance from tin supplies (Davies 1935, Miske 1908). A more recent example of such a practice is recorded from experimental work conducted during World War II (Charles 1980, 170-172). Copper-Antimony 'As-cast* Alloys Hardness Values 450 , . 60 o 1 1 1 1 1 ! Copper 95-5 90-10 80-20 70-30 60-40 Composition by Weight Cu-Sb Figure 2: Workhardening and destruction of antimony bronze alloys 2. kép: Az antimon-bronz ötvözetek ridegsége és törése az összetételfiiggvényében 3. Colour - the use of metalloids such as antimony (and arsenic) for colorant purposes have been argued as one of the primary motivations for their inclusion in copper alloys for material dating as far back as the Chalcolithic period (Shalcv & Northover 1993). The addition of increasing amounts of metalloids within a copper matrix will change the colour of the alloy from a copper red through to a golden colour and the use or combination of more than 15% of these elements in copper will produce a silvery appearance. Antimony possesses tarnish resistant properties which may have been desirable, however after an extended period (in cases more than a year) the alloys will eventually tarnish to a colour similar to that of heamatite. 4. Ritual and status - perhaps the most difficult of areas to demonstrate conclusively. It is known from 17th century references that antimony had a significant alchemical importance (Needham 1974). In contexts outside the Carpathian Basin antimony bronze objects have been argued as status indicators for elite groups (M. Marcus pcrs.comm.).