Need help with ATP find

[Normsel]

I was digging an old foundation and found what i thought was melted pieces of lead because of the weight. Well I brought them home and decided to melt them down. They took a lot more heat to melt than lead but I thought maybe due to the pieces being buried and having 3 dark gray tint it may have taken a bit more heat to melt. The pieces rung up in the 83 -85 range on the vdi. After melting one of the pieces when it cooled off it wasn't malleable like lead is. It seemed to be more like thin metal than lead. It is shiny like silver and of course melted lead is shiny as well. Due to the density and weight I pretty much ruled out tin but not sure. Being a plumber in a past life I have melted enough lead to know it isn't lead.

Anyone have any suggestions. I would love to think maybe it is silver but highly doubt it.

 

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[Potts]

Come on Normsel .... With you being a Senior Member on TN I would expect to see some photos rather some chunky cheese explanation as to your finds... GeeWiz...

 

[Normsel]

Ya you would think that wouldn't ya but my camera is in my truck and I am to lazy to go get it. Besides a picture of melted metal sure won't do much. To me it's like taking a pic of a dirty quarter and asking what it is. I thought maybe someone knew something about metal or came across something similar. More often than not some people actually try and help rather than making smart alec remarks.

 

[Potts]

I know to never reply to your postings.

 

[cooper1841]

Could be babbit, I think it is a little harder than lead

 

[BJ in Okla.]

I was digging an old foundation and found what i thought was melted pieces of lead because of the weight. Well I brought them home and decided to melt them down. They took a lot more heat to melt than lead but I thought maybe due to the pieces being buried and having 3 dark gray tint it may have taken a bit more heat to melt. The pieces rung up in the 83 -85 range on the vdi. After melting one of the pieces when it cooled off it wasn't malleable like lead is. It seemed to be more like thin metal than lead. It is shiny like silver and of course melted lead is shiny as well. Due to the density and weight I pretty much ruled out tin but not sure. Being a plumber in a past life I have melted enough lead to know it isn't lead.

Anyone have any suggestions. I would love to think maybe it is silver but highly doubt it.

My guess would be Babbitt also..
Melting point
Lead 621 F
Babbitt like 650 to 959 F.....
Babbitt use to be used in car's, years ago,,, they use to call the motors,, " Babbitt Beaters "
Silver 1615 f to 1761 f....
Hope this helps.. BJ

http://www.kitco.com/jewelry/meltingpoints.html

 

[badpenny]

I dug a bunch of this stuff too. I thought it was melted solder and wondered why it would be all over the place where I was detecting. I now assume that the fields where I search were once plowed and this was the material that was used on the bearings and such. Yes/No...

 

[perry2]

If you want to test the hardness of your sample-- melt and cast a gob about 1" dia and at least 1/4" thick
Also make a similar pc of pure lead (best if both have a flat top and bottom)
use a steel ball bearing 3/8-3/4 dia and squash the ball between to get a nice dent in both (about 1/2" is good) Measure the Dia of both dents
then look up Brennel hardness and get the comperison data as I remember lead is Brn-5 ---Its been 30 yrs since my bullet making days/// Perry


As I remember a dent in the sample of 1/2 size of the lead is 2x the hardness ?? Perry
pure lead= BRN 5
pure Al =BRN 15
copper=BRN 35
steel = 120

 

[RobRieman]

I dug a bunch of this stuff too. I thought it was melted solder and wondered why it would be all over the place where I was detecting. I now assume that the fields where I search were once plowed and this was the material that was used on the bearings and such. Yes/No...

Very possible badpenny. That was used in bearings of much of the old machinery.

 

[badpenny]

Thanks Rob, I know the fields were plowed nearly one hundred years ago. I found a few old tractor parts but that was about it, tons of this stuff everywhere too. At first I thought it was fired bullets, closer examination showed it wasn't lead. Then I thought one of the neighbors, long since dead, who was a plumber, I thought he was un-soldering stuff and this was the result (clumps of metal everywhere) but this stuff had no rime or reason as to where I found it so why would he un-solder it everywhere; didn't make sense so that scenario was thrown out. Now I realize old Mr. McGinns used Babbitt in the bearings of his equipment and as it got hot this was the result. And now I know the rest of the story.... THX!

 

[Normsel]

It's possible it is babbit but it was used in bearings etc and I doubt one would find that much in one place. There isn't that much babbit in a bearing. Again it could be possible because people used to use for casting things.