223 USG (lead?) soft metal square

[treasurehunter313]

What the heck was this used for? Found in an older park with history of glass manufacturers. It's smooth, light, and I feel that I could scratch it or mark it with my nail. It rang up around 40 on my AT Pro.

 

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[Ant]

They used lead to make glass way back when, and I think they still use it to produce lead crystal. I've also found smaller surrogated blocks of marked wt lead that were used to seal joints and connections on water pipes.

 

[treasurehunter313]

They used lead to make glass way back when, and I think they still use it to produce lead crystal. I've also found smaller surrogated blocks of marked wt lead that were used to seal joints and connections on water pipes.

interesting, would they just melt it down or something?

 

[shawninNY]

Doesn't look like lead, generally old buried lead will have a white appearance( lead oxide ) you stated it feels light could be graphite

 

[treasurehunter313]

Doesn't look like lead, generally old buried lead will have a white appearance( lead oxide ) you stated it feels light could be graphite

it does remind me of graphite, but is graphite metal? It hits really strong it's not a real choppy signal

 

[Bramblefind]

I wonder if the USG might stand for United States Glass -- there is a list of the different glass companies / factories that were part of it here - maybe the site you are detecting is listed?

United States Glass Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[treasurehunter313]

I wonder if the USG might stand for United States Glass -- there is a list of the different glass companies / factories that were part of it here - maybe the site you are detecting is listed? United States Glass Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

nice find, the factory isn't listed in that list but there was three glass factories within two miles of where I found it. I bet they bought these blocks of graphite from USG for whatever they were used for. They are used in glassmaking, but I'm not positive for what.

 

[Bramblefind]

Going with ShawninNY's graphite idea -- I found this --

IDK but thought I would throw it out there

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184421796/graphite-paddle-for-flameworking-tool-25?ref=market

Smooth, high quality graphite with no metal on the face.
The durable handle is heat resistant.
Graphite paddle for flameworking or glass blowing.
Great for glass Bead Making.
Used to shape and form hot glass.


1/2" thick x 2.5" long x 1.5" wide
Handle is 6" long

 

[treasurehunter313]

Thanks... Glad I found out what it was used for. I'm sure I will find another. This whole park is on top of glass scrap from the factories. Almost every hole I dug there was chunks of glass (thankfully it isn't sharp) some of it is very nice color

 

[Ant]

Graphite (a crystal form of carbon) is used as a reducing agent in smelting, that's why they use graphite crucibles so it may be the similar in glass making chemistry, just an observation.

 

[shawninNY]

it does remind me of graphite, but is graphite metal? It hits really strong it's not a real choppy signal

, it's not a metal , but single frequency machines give a positive hit on buried partially burned coal( whites machines comes in low like fat ih eagle cents and nickle, ) Carbon conducts .Very deceiving on older spots , . Brambles research Always blows me away ! Nicely done!