Need help iding this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

[Muddy Treats]

Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

Hello, I'm posting this for a friend. He dug up this very heavy metal bar about 2 years ago. It was located at 1 foot deep next to what used to be a railroad track. The track is now gone. He thinks it is silver mixed with some kind of other metal. We tested it using a silver acid test from a coin store. We think the results are showing there is silver in this thing. I took pictures of him testing some shavings from it. He drilled a hole through it to get some clean shavings from it. It needs a good cleaning. Does anyone know of a safe way of cleaning it? The bar weighs almost 56lbs. It is 10.5 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 1 3/4 inch thick.
Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

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The last picture are the directions for the silver acid test.

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

I believe Nitric Acid will only turn green on copper or brass. Will a magnet stick to it? Looks like steel or iron.

 

[Muddy Treats]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

I believe Nitric Acid will only turn green on copper or brass. Will a magnet stick to it? Looks like steel or iron.

i thought steel or iron too. i'm not sure if a magnet will stick to it. I will find out tomorrow. have any clue what it could be? thanks for your reply.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

no sorry.

 

[Muddy Treats]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

It looks more green than black to me, but then again, I wear glasses.

The magnet test will confirm or not.

It turned a rusty color. so what will the magnet do if there is silver in there?

 

[trikikiwi]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

The magnet will not be attracted to Silver - Magnets are attracted to Iron (Ferrous) based metals.

Mike

 

[Muddy Treats]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I just called my friend and asked him about the magnet test and he said he did it and the magnet will not stick to it. Any ideas on how to get it checked out and confirmed?

 

[SandFiddler]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

your photos seem to show two different "bars". One is rough and rectangular and the one being drilled is square and has a smooth surface. What does this mean?

 

[72cheyenne]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

your photos seem to show two different "bars". One is rough and rectangular and the one being drilled is square and has a smooth surface. What does this mean?

The first pics are of the bar in question. The block with the drill shavings on it is just where he applied acid to the shavings.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

10% muratic acid for a few hours, turn that bar back to it's original color.

are those shavings from the bar, used to test?
the bar is soft?

 

[SandFiddler]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

your photos seem to show two different "bars". One is rough and rectangular and the one being drilled is square and has a smooth surface. What does this mean?

The first pics are of the bar in question. The block with the drill shavings on it is just where he applied acid to the shavings.

Thanks for the info.
Try this link for silver testing http://shorinternational.com/TestGoldMakeSolution.htm

 

[findstuf]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

spark test it.

http://www.sweethaven.com/sweethaven/BldgConst/Welding/lessonmain.asp?lesNum=1&modNum=4





"The bar weighs almost 56lbs. It is 10.5 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 1 3/4 inch thick. "


density = weight / volume
density of your thing is 877 pounds per cubic foot


specific gravity = density of your thing/ density of water
specific gravity of your thing is 14.06~ish (depending on the accuracy of your measurements)


specific gravity of tungsten carbide is 14.29, which is closer than silver which is 10.4

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

spark test it.

http://www.sweethaven.com/sweethaven/BldgConst/Welding/lessonmain.asp?lesNum=1&modNum=4

12 volt and jumper cables...

careful...

 

[stefen]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I just called my friend and asked him about the magnet test and he said he did it and the magnet will not stick to it. Any ideas on how to get it checked out and confirmed?

Take the metal piece to a Precious Metals Foundry and tell them you want $9000 in cash.

If its not silver, you have nothing to lose.

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

It sure looks like good ole steel to me.

 

[deepskyal]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

Awful heavy for it's size...heavier than a chunk of iron or steel of the same size....and as pointed out...heavier than silver of the same size.

Could be a mix of metals like aluminum and lead. Steelmakers make some strange metals for a variety of industries. Where I work, it is common to see pallets of aluminun/nickle bars used in making stainless steel.

Found along rr tracks Maybe a chunk of scrap fell from a rail car.

Al

 

[Muddy Treats]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

Thank you all for the replies. My friend calls me back to tell me he used a bigger magnet and it did stick to it. I wasn't too thrilled to hear that. Alot of the replies on here make alot of sense. You guys are great!

I guess it could be some old scrap metal that fell from the train. Could he take it to the scrap yard? Do they take these kind of things? It is so heavy for it's size and yes the metal is SOFT and very easy to dril through. It couldn't be nickel?

 

[findstuf]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

fyi, if that is tungsten carbide scrap... it's worth about $250. big if. They did use tungsten carbide tampers on r/r.

EDIT: it's soft?, there are only a handfull of metals with a specific gravity that high. Are your dimensions and weights correct? or are they rough guesses?

 

[Rmeav8r]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

"the metal is SOFT and very easy to dril through. It couldn't be nickel?

Since it is so soft it sounds alot like "low carbon" or mild steel. Steel with a low carbon content has properties similar to iron. It's cheap compared to carbon steel and is used where hardness is not needed.

 

[Muddy Treats]

Re: Need help id'ing this 55lb metal bar. Thanks!

fyi, if that is tungsten carbide scrap... it's worth about $250. big if. They did use tungsten carbide tampers on r/r.

EDIT: it's soft?, there are only a handfull of metals with a specific gravity that high. Are your dimensions and weights correct? or are they rough guesses?

He claims he measured and weighed it. He said it weighs almost 56lbs. I don't know the exact weight. The next time i go over there i will take the measurements and weigh it myself to be sure.

Thanks for the tunsten carbide info. I'll check into it.