✅ SOLVED Cleaning Unknown Item - Pic Added

[Benbuck6]

OK - I was hunting outside an old campground/park on a lake that is fed by MS River. A lot of trash - but outside the bathroom area about 100 ft from the water's edge I get a hit. It was deep but my shovel hit and I felt it so I knew it was big. I dug it up and it was about 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch thick. Really no shape or form...one side sort of rough and indented. The other side smooth. There are some edges that are pretty sharp. There are places you can tell that if cleaned there is some luster/shine to it...silvery looking. It is HEAVY and definitely metal. How do I clean to post a pic to find out what the crap it is.

 

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[ThTx]

Re: Cleaning Unknown Item

Use a brush - NOT wire bristles - warm water and soap.

 

[Benbuck6]

Re: Cleaning Unknown Item

i got it cleaned and waiting onwife to get home with camera to post pic. Honestly, nothing about it looks man made. There was no rust on it when I dug it so it is not mild or carbon steeel. It is approximately 4.75 inches long and 1 inch wise and about a half inch thick. It weighs 10 oz to 1 lb in weight. Just no clue.


added pics

 

[Benbuck6]

So anyone know what this is?

 

[DCMatt]

It looks melted. Slag? Meteorite?

does a magnet stick to it?

DCMatt

 

[Benbuck6]

it appears that it is not magnetic - so meteor is out i think. I though of metal - stainless steel or nickel something like that...but I dont see the typical campfire melting something this dense to this point.

 

[DCMatt]

it appears that it is not magnetic - so meteor is out i think. I though of metal - stainless steel or nickel something like that...but I dont see the typical campfire melting something this dense to this point.

What did it read on your MD?

If it is not magnetic, I suspect it is a melted soda/beer can. My machine goes off like the alarm at Ft. Knox on those things.

DCMatt

 

[Benbuck6]

Well, I brought it to work (I am the Controller for a Steel Fabrication Center and we also own a Steel Service Center we sell steel to the public through). I gave it to a shop foreman first - he said it is heavy for the size - first thought was molten lead - but upon examination it was way to hard. Then given to company owner and Safety Supervisor in a morning meering. Their prognosis is that it does not sound, feel, or look like lead. They feel it had been melted they feel, but not by a campfire - it took some heavy duty heat to melt this thing if indeed melted. Then I took it to a steel salesman - his first reaction was lead - but then said it was way to hard to be lead, and felt it had nickel in it. So maybe some sort of slag.

All knew the exact place I found it and said a very outside shot that some sort of steam-river boat explosion produced it...but it has been through some SERIOUS heat.

Joking around - the two that are the most knowledgable (owner and safety man) said it was silver or from out of space, and also felt there was some glass in it. I laughed as they did, but both said that neither could be ruled out.

 

[IronSpike]

Could be tin/lead solder from an old car seam. A friend of mine once found a piece :

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,248019.0.html

 

[NHBandit]

Maybe babbitt metal ? There are several threads about this. It's usually a fairly heavy alloy, not lead & dosn't rust. Commonly found near railroad yards but was used for many different kinds of things over the years.

 

[DCMatt]

Maybe babbitt metal ? There are several threads about this. It's usually a fairly heavy alloy, not lead & dosn't rust. Commonly found near railroad yards but was used for many different kinds of things over the years.

Correct. Babbit metal was used for all kinds of stuff way back when - including the main bearings on automobile engines well into the 1950's.

Is babbit metal magnetic?

Benbuck,

What other things did you dig around it? Maybe there is a clue.

DCMatt

 

[Benbuck6]

My other finds - NOTHING. LOL - People use this site to party. Since the site is no longer a government run park (there is just a boat ramp that is still used and old structures) no one cleans up after their "functions" here. Alot of beer cans and trash is what I found. Really thought what I had was trash until I got it clean and couldn't find anything similiar at first look.

Took it to our most versed Supervisor and guy that has been around metal the longest. It stumped him. He said he has worked with titanium, platinium, and all sorts of wierd metals and this one is different in some way. Had to be under 2,000 to 3,000 degree heat.

He took it to a guy he knows that is in to collecting odd metals and fossils...and has been doing it alot longer than I. Going to get his opinion and bring it right back.

If we don't know what it is after that - on Monday our scrap-yard we deal with is coming to look at a demo job we are bidding - she said she will bring her gun and "shoot it" and she should get a reading of what it's main make-up is.

BTW - IronSpike - what I have looks similiar to that but at least twice the size and probaly 3 times heavier.

 

[DCMatt]

Are you in the path of the space shuttle crash?

DCMatt

 

[Benbuck6]

I'm at least 200 miles Northeast Wikipedia debris map.

 

[Tony in SC]

Maybe babbitt metal ? There are several threads about this. It's usually a fairly heavy alloy, not lead & dosn't rust. Commonly found near railroad yards but was used for many different kinds of things over the years.

Correct. Babbit metal was used for all kinds of stuff way back when - including the main bearings on automobile engines well into the 1950's.

Is babbit metal magnetic?

Benbuck,

What other things did you dig around it? Maybe there is a clue.

DCMatt

Babbitt is not magnetic. It looks like lead but is harder. The piece in question does look like some kinda slag. Tony

 

[Benbuck6]

thinking slag too - my guys tell me no - but i say most likely candidate right now. One thing it is, it something that will stay on my desk because everyone who has come in has asked about and tried to figure it out. For the business I work around, it is a neat conversation piece. So far, we have only ruled out what it is not.

ALL my metal workers immediately say molten lead when they see it. As soon as they pick it up and play it with it they are stumped and immediately rule out lead.

 

[DCMatt]

she said she will bring her gun and "shoot it"

Yikes! Sounds like my ex...

DCMatt

 

[Benbuck6]

OK - went to the guy who searches this area a pretty good bit and he has NEVER seen anything like it. They had some "quick" tools to test what it could be or not...here is what we found.

1) It is not lead or lead based
2) It is not carbon based/if any carbon at all in it
3) It is not ore of any kind
4) It is not babbit - I was actually impressed that he said that w/o any prompt - I did not even know what it was until this thread.

Another Supervisor (Young Gun) came in and said that's lead and picked it up and felt it and immediately said nevermind it's Zinc. Did a scratch test (it does not scratch) and said Zinc should scratch but it sure looks like Zinc to him. Said he and his dad used hunt around a place that had some Zinc around the area and it reminded him of it.

 

[trixie charger]

Could it be a Nickel / Palladium or Rhodium mix?

 

[Breezie]

If it is nickel, a magnet will attract it.

If you think it is silver, you can do the ole 'spit test.' (sorta gross, but it works) Spit in a folded piece of aluminum foil, wrap the object in the spit (probably an end area unless you have alot of spit,) leave it wrapped 10 seconds. As you unwrap it, take a deep smell. If it smells like rotten eggs, it's silver. The smell is very pungent, so there will be no mistaking it.

Good luck on finding out what it is. Breezie