Slag? From what? Idyllwild, Ca Update....

[Nuggets4me]

Okay so, this was found while metal detecting in a camping area off Apple Canyon Rd. (wooded area, streams, etc..) It is not magnetic. It was about 6 inches down. I took what pictures I could before my batteries went dead Just curious what the heck it might be....

[ole_grisley]

looks like aluminum that has been melted my spelling is bad today .the weight might tell more if it is or not.

[Nuggets4me]

looks like aluminum that has been melted my spelling is bad today .the weight might tell more if it is or not.

I think that's right! It is heavy-I forgot to mention that...the one on the top left corner weighs 122.7g. The one on the top right is too heavy to weigh on the scale I have...It registered an error.

[tapoutking]

Cryptonite! I can't go near it....

[Nuggets4me]

Cryptonite! I can't go near it....

ha ha ha......

[tapoutking]

Ok, if not Cryptonite, I vote aluminum. :P

[stevemc]

See if you can cut into it. If easily, it would be lead. Maybe it is silver, hard to tell from a picture. That looks like aluminum cans that were melted in a fire. I have found stuff that looked and felt like lead too. I never have found out exactly what it was, too hard for lead, but was heavy like lead.

[kuger]

Agreed,melted allum. can.Very common around campgrounds/beaches

[Nuggets4me]

See if you can cut into it. If easily, it would be lead. Maybe it is silver, hard to tell from a picture. That looks like aluminum cans that were melted in a fire. I have found stuff that looked and felt like lead too. I never have found out exactly what it was, too hard for lead, but was heavy like lead.

Hmm, thanks I will try that. Aluminum sounds like the general consensus- although this is not a place where campfires are allowed. That is not to say that some one didn't have one anyway.

[mrs.oroblanco]

You can't tell (sometimes) what is lead, and what is silver - especially melted.

We collected this stuff, just because we didn't know.

After many opinions, we broke down and took it to a place that assays and buys gold and silver.

Turned out to be mostly silver, and he had it melted into a silver bar - which, after we saw it, just couldn't bear to sell it to him!

This is what it looked like before the bar was poured.

[img][/img]

Beth

[Bigcypresshunter]

I would imagine melted silver can be found on rare occasions but melted aluminum is an extremely common find that can be found almost anywhere. Its a common beginners find. Melted aluminum blobs can be heavy. If its real heavy may be lead. To be sure take it to any pawn shop to test.

[CC Hunter]

Nuggets4me,

The top two pieces are most likely melted lead, or lead alloy, based on the description and accompanying photos. Considering the left piece weighs around 1/4 pound, and the one on the right weighs even more, could rule out a lightweight metal such as aluminum. Additionally, aluminum will actually burn at high temperature rather than simply melting, resulting in spots of crispy charred material opposed to uniformly smooth melted material. In many areas where silver has been mined, the ore would sometimes be found in the form of a natural lead sulfide known as galena. I've seen and recovered melted lead/silver, that had been crudely smelted, from around mining areas in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The areas near Idyllwild, as well as around San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and surrounding regions, are historically noted more for yellow oro, than the lesser value white plata metal. Therefor, crudely smelted and melted galena containing silver can likely be ruled out due to geographic and geologic location.

If I'm not mistaken, the coin in the middle for size reference, appears to be a coronet type U.S. large cent 1837-1857, or is it a gold coin? A "half cent" of similar design and era also, would change our viewpoint slightly on actual size reference.

The bottom two pieces appear slightly different in color and composition. There is the possibility they may be comprised of a different metallic alloy than the two larger pieces.

My own early years of exploring old mines and searching for treasures, actually began in the deserts of Southern California a few decades ago. 8) The recovery of large globs of metal in the high mountains or dusty desert can certainly cause the heart to skip a beat.

CC Hunter

[Bigcypresshunter]

I remember reading about some kind of heavy babbit metal found around rr tracks may be another possibility and around old auto body repair can be found another melted alloy. Solder is also a very real possibility not yet mentioned. We can only guess at what it is "most likely." It should not be hard for a pawn shop to test the metal with a drop of acid solution. I mix my own Potassium Dichromate/Nitric Acid solution but I think a silver testing mix can be purchased at Kellyco. Yes aluminum will eventually burn. Everything from lounge chairs to beer cans are thrown in the fire and will leave melted blobs of all shapes and sizes even smoother blobs. I find them all over the beaches or anywhere there was a campfire or any fire.


http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,248019.0.html

[CC Hunter]

Great info Big Cypress, with the acid test details.

Specific gravity testing can confirm further, where the acid is not able to clearly differentiate, as with aluminum, lead, tin, etc..

Lead has 4x the specific gravity of aluminum. There is a formula for weighing an object in water, versus weighing in air, that determines specific gravity.

http://www.reade.com/Particle_Briefings/spec_gra.html

CC Hunter

[stefen]

Hmm, thanks I will try that. Aluminum sounds like the general consensus- although this is not a place where campfires are allowed. That is not to say that some one didn't have one anyway.

If the melted aluminum cans were found at the Riverside Park Campgrounds you will find that the camp grounds were part of the former Taquitz Boy Scout Camp and before that it was a part of the CCC and logging camps dating back to the turn of the century.

All of the former cabins and outhouses have been removed.

The whole mountain was logged in the late 1800's early 1900's. And the road from Hemet to Idyllwild was formerly a horse drawn logging trail.

My cabin is adjacent to the Park entrance and was built in the mid-60's...and the park improvements began in the 70's and mid 80's.

By the way, there are several (protected) areas containing ancient Native American hieroglyphs...

The whole area has quite a history much of which can be see at the parks Visitors Center...

Did you know that Zane Grey (author) lived in the village at one time and had a horse camp in Taquitz Valley at the top of the trail?

[Nuggets4me]

Hmm, thanks I will try that. Aluminum sounds like the general consensus- although this is not a place where campfires are allowed. That is not to say that some one didn't have one anyway.

If the melted aluminum cans were found at the Riverside Park Campgrounds you will find that the camp grounds were part of the former Taquitz Boy Scout Camp and before that it was a part of the CCC and logging camps dating back to the turn of the century.

All of the former cabins and outhouses have been removed.

The whole mountain was logged in the late 1800's early 1900's. And the road from Hemet to Idyllwild was formerly a horse drawn logging trail.

My cabin is adjacent to the Park entrance and was built in the mid-60's...and the park improvements began in the 70's and mid 80's.

By the way, there are several (protected) areas containing ancient Native American hieroglyphs...

The whole area has quite a history much of which can be see at the parks Visitors Center...

Did you know that Zane Grey (author) lived in the village at one time and had a horse camp in Taquitz Valley at the top of the trail?

AH! I was hoping you would put your two cents in...No-I didn't know that Zane Grey lived there. Although I heard quite a few famous people lived up there. Given your familiarity with the area-if you had to guess what it was what do you think? Also, I was reading something about the hieroglyphs online. I do vaguely remember visiting some caves at Pathfinder Ranch when I was about 11. (30 now) But, the hike was long, it was cold and I was much too young to appreciate something like that. I was farther down, not in the actual park-but where there are free sites to camp near the little waterfall. I'm sure you are familiar with that?

As for the "logging road".....I was under the impression that the "old" road that was used to get to Idyllwild was the control road? Is that correct?

[stefen]

Not sure what the 'Control Road' is...all I know is the road from Hemet to Idyllwild was formerly the logging road...logs were brought down the mountain by horse pulled wagons...the saw mills were located in Hemet...or San Jacinto...

I agree with the others...Believe you found a melted beer or coke can..probably in a former camping area...in fact maybe it's mine from my teen years...

There are some hieroglyphic rocks in the Riverside campgrounds near the bowl...and others near the former Fern Valley Plank Steak Restaurant...also numerous grinding rocks...lots of oaks in the vicinity...

The log Fort located in the center of the village at one time was occupied by the Idyllwild Inn and Bowling Alley. This was where Zane Grey resided...as teens we hung there also...obviously after his time...

Not sure of the other famous people who lived there...at least it's not as touristy as Big Bear or Lake Arrowhead...do get a lot of people from downhill Palm Springs...

Kick ass area with a lot of history...

And there is gold in them thar hills...

[Bigcypresshunter]

Great info Big Cypress, with the acid test details.

Specific gravity testing can confirm further, where the acid is not able to clearly differentiate, as with aluminum, lead, tin, etc..

Lead has 4x the specific gravity of aluminum. There is a formula for weighing an object in water, versus weighing in air, that determines specific gravity.

http://www.reade.com/Particle_Briefings/spec_gra.html

CC Hunter

Here is some more information and links on silver testing I found online.

What is Schwerter's solution ?
See Silver testing , here _
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_dichromate

How to
http://shorinternational.com/TestGoldMakeSolution.htm
http://www.lacywest.com/t_goldt.htm
http://www.testforsilver.com/index.p...uct_info&produ...

Schwerter's solution indications
Brass - Dark Brown
Copper - Brown
Nickel - Blue
Palladium - None
Gold - None
- Silver Pure - Bright Red
- Silver .925 - Dark Red
- Silver .800 - Brown
- Silver .500 - Green
Lead - Yellow
Tin - Yellow

[Nuggets4me]

Nuggets4me,

The top two pieces are most likely melted lead, or lead alloy, based on the description and accompanying photos. Considering the left piece weighs around 1/4 pound, and the one on the right weighs even more, could rule out a lightweight metal such as aluminum. Additionally, aluminum will actually burn at high temperature rather than simply melting, resulting in spots of crispy charred material opposed to uniformly smooth melted material. In many areas where silver has been mined, the ore would sometimes be found in the form of a natural lead sulfide known as galena. I've seen and recovered melted lead/silver, that had been crudely smelted, from around mining areas in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. The areas near Idyllwild, as well as around San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and surrounding regions, are historically noted more for yellow oro, than the lesser value white plata metal. Therefor, crudely smelted and melted galena containing silver can likely be ruled out due to geographic and geologic location.

If I'm not mistaken, the coin in the middle for size reference, appears to be a coronet type U.S. large cent 1837-1857, or is it a gold coin? A "half cent" of similar design and era also, would change our viewpoint slightly on actual size reference.

The bottom two pieces appear slightly different in color and composition. There is the possibility they may be comprised of a different metallic alloy than the two larger pieces.

My own early years of exploring old mines and searching for treasures, actually began in the deserts of Southern California a few decades ago. 8) The recovery of large globs of metal in the high mountains or dusty desert can certainly cause the heart to skip a beat.

CC Hunter

Thanks for your response! I truly appreciate it. I need all the help that I can get as I am new to detecting/panning. As for the penny-I understand what you mean. I just grabbed the first thing I saw...which from what I understand is a U.S. penny that my husband bought for 15 bucks! I don't know where it is at the moment. We found something today that closely resembles gold, seems to be some quartz in there. I will be posting pics tomorrow. I hope you can weigh in on that for me!

[Nuggets4me]

Hey everyone, Thanks for all your help with my mystery slag! I may have another post here pretty soon. We found something today that looks like gold and I would love to have everyone's opinion. I can't wait to hear what you guys have to say. To be continued...