This one has stumped the best please read if you know about raw metal,,gems,,etc

[am433am]

OK he res the story,,years ago i was digging bottles from a old well and i found this one old mustard bottle dates around (1900) with a round rock inside the top of the bottle had some type of metal on top and was sealed in wax..well i took the old rock out threw it in a junk box and there it sat for 20 years..well a few years ago me and a buddy was looking threw the junk box and found the rock..as we looked at it more closely we started thinging it was metal..so i gr abed my trusted heath kit metal detector and wow it is metal..so we started home tested it ( Drunk hillbilly style ) we tried scratching it,,nothing,,we put it under a drill press,,broke the bit,,,well a few more beers later,,we gr abed a blow torch,,after about 5 minutes it started to get a little warm...so them we gr abed a sledge hammer and whacked it more than a few times,,,,nothing...also found out in the process its non magnetic..so after a few more years in the box i took to a local rock hound he tested it for gold,,silver,,platinum..stainless steel,,garden rock...he was stumped,,he wanted me to let him hold it for a few weeks to test more i said no maybe another time back in the box it sits,,anyone have a clue?

 

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[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

..so i gr abed my trusted heath kit metal detector and wow it is metal..

Q) Have you tried ID'ng it on another detector?? Don't forget the hot rock syndrome and the proper setting on the detector.? Incidentally which detector is that BF, TR, IB, or?? It also could have veinlets of metal inside.

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we tried scratching it,,nothing,

a) Many minerals are harder than a knife ?

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,we put it under a drill press,,broke the bit,,

A) As sphere is extremely difficult to drill? unless you set up a jig. will break a drill every time.

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we gr abed a blow torch,,after about 5 minutes it started to get a little warm..

A)? Possible, some have great heat transference? abilities

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.so them we gr abed a sledge hammer and whacked it more than a few times,,,,nothing..


Q)? what was it mounted on when you whacked it?? Many are extremely hard.

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d.also found out in the process its non magnetic..


a) Most minerales aren't.

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i took to a local rock hound? he tested it for gold,,silver,,platinum..stainless steel,,garden rock...he was stumped,

q) I am curious, from the picture it doesn't look metallic, so why test it for those things?

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,,anyone have a clue?

A) shehes not I? for sure at this state?? Need more information.

One thing is clear, it is definitely man made.? To go to such an effort means that it was considered? valuable as a specimen or for colorization.

I want a follow up on this if you ever find out.

p.s.? They made marbles like this in the last century. (1800'?), although most were of glass. The older marble playing generation can identify with the tem my "AGGIE"

Have you tired a specific gravity analysis?


Jose de La Mancha? ( I tilt windmills )

"I exist to live, not live to exist"

 

[am433am]

yes i have tried a newer detector,,and it is metal,,the pin size nick it made when on the drill press to me it looks stainless,,and just to follow up a little,,the local rock hound is a underwater salvage man and has a local pawn shop where he sells gold and silver and gems and stones,,and when we wacked it we put in the street and it crushed the asphalt,,the well i dug it out of was in downtown atlanta where in the civil war it was called fort no. 7 found many civil war items in and around that well,,i grew up in that house by the way,,and always years ago on the same lot we were digging in the back yard and found 2 and three foot clay pots buried around a old rock circle found some old slate tags with what looked like indian markings,,well needless to say after that strange things began to happen,,so my mother made us kids fill the hole back in ,,all the pots got broken wile digging not sure what happen to then,,the slate i think was throwed back in the hole,,my mothers mother was half indian so my mother hade bad feeling about the dig so there it stopped,,i dont know if the rock was found years befor me in and around or what and the put into the well,,the lot has lots of history thats for sure..

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Is it perfectly round like a pinball or ball bearing?.... I cannot tell by the picture.

 

[am433am]

also im in georgia ?was dug in downtown atlanta and why would you say its man made??

 

[am433am]

no it is kinda egg shapped,,if you like i can scan some more detailed pics and send to you this page only lets you post 128kb or smaller pics my email is [email protected]

 

[rvbvetter]

? ? ? IF it is round, it looks like (when I was a kid) what we called a steelie or a Boulder steelie. (ball bearing) ?Used in playing marbles. ? ? ? ?uh oh....if it's non magnetic, then disavow any knowledge of what I just said. ? ? ? ?Good luck on it ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? HH

 

[rvbvetter]

Just thought about it. Have you tested it for mercury. If not, be careful til you do.

 

[JakePhelps]

Mercurys liquid at room temp There is certain bottle stoppers that incorperate items like that into the top to seal the bottle, shermanville might know, he seems to know his bottles.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

What about Nickel, Titanium, Beryllium, Chromium, or a few others I can't think of. I think if someone tests for specific gravity it would help ID, but I can't remember how. If it is egg-shaped it is not a ball bearing.... Maybe its a mineral rock worn in a river...just a wild guess.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I found a way for you to test for specific gravity (relative density) of your mineral.?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific-gravity
It looks complicated but I think the method on the bottom of the page may work:? The method uses 3 measurements. "The mineral sample is weighed dry. Then a container of water is weighed, and weighed again with the sample immersed. Subtracting the last two readings gives the weight of the displaced water. The relative density (specific gravity) result is the dry sample (mineral) weight divided by that of the displaced water."? Then compare that figure with the spec. gravity of metals on a density chart. Here is a good one: http://www.reade.com/Particle_Briefings/spec_gra.html
A chemist or chemistry teacher could do this also.
bigcypresshunter

 

[rvbvetter]

Actually, because it appeared to be sealed when found. I was concerned about mercury on the surface of it. Not that the object was mercury. HH

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

We used to play with Mercury in school when we were kids. It would really make a silver quarter shine. We just didn't know any better.

 

[beeper]

yep- i use to carry mercury around in my pocket quite a few times, dropped a dime sized puddle in my room, had lots of tiny balls all over my room. geeeeeeze louise

 

[JakePhelps]

I found an old thermometer with mercury in it once, didnt touch it but played with it with my trowel, its fun :P

 

[bk]

Maybe its kryptonite.

 

[ClamBob]

Don't know what the item is, although I do like the idea of a 'steelie.' But non-magnetic. Hmmm. I like the idea of a specific gravity test. But so many alloys are also non-magnetic and probably close to each other on the specific gravity scale. Try to get a very accurate measurement. Maybe do it three times and get an average.

As far as Mercury (Hg) goes, liquid Hg is not dangerous on it's own. You could actually drink the stuff (though I'm not recommending it) with little or no effects. Hg vapor, on the other hand, when inhaled is very nasty indeed. Just the action of rolling Hg around in your hand is enough to volatize a portion of it. Never Never clean up Hg with a vacuum cleaner. That is a recipe for disaster. I'm not an expert on the subject but I did sleep at a Holiday....no, I did write a research paper on Hg.

Please post if you do the S/G test.

HH,
BobJ

 

[SomeGuy]

A simple specific gravity measurement:

Borrow or purchase (about $10 from a scientific supply house, I think) a graduated cylinder. This is just a glass cylinder with marks for 1cc up to 100cc. Weigh the item in grams. Partially fill cylinder with more than enough water to totally submerge item. Insert item and note new water level. New level minus original level = volume (displacement) of object. Weight/volume = specific gravity. 1cc=1milliliter. Pure water weighs 1gm/cc.

BTW, Uranium is harder than steel and denser than lead...

 

[gord]

Re: This one has stumped the best please read if you know about raw metal,,gems,

Actually, they used Hg during the war as a 'field' (quick) laxative.
Gord

 

[bk]

Certain types of stainless steel are non-magnetic.