Silver or Aluminum?

[jwvanno2]

Any ideas on how a layperson can tell the difference between a chunk of Aluminum or Silver?

Found this piece on the beach today...

Have I found a beer can that got too close to a fire or a Spanish silver nugget?

 

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[JakePhelps]

is it heavy or light for its size, also you could do a specific gravity test

 

[jwvanno2]

is it heavy or light for its size, also you could do a specific gravity test

I'd call it heavy for it's size, but it's not very big, so it's very hard to tell... I've attached another image with a dime for scale.

Maybe a jeweler could tell??

 

[jreamy4]

I found something a few days ago that looks just like that. it came off of a construction site and seems light so i'd go with a hunk of melted aluminum. I went outside this morning and the workers had started a fire out of anything they could find to keep warm and i saw they had thrown a hunk of aluminum siding in the fire. (probably just to mess with me in a year or two )

BTW......anyone know the name of those silvery layered rocks that you can find in red clay?

 

[ZumbroKid]

is it soft? Can you bend it? If heavy it is lead. If so go wash your hands. You do not want to handle lead and then eat food.

 

[DeadLizard7]

Probably solder from an electrician.

 

[JakePhelps]

If it is solder then technically there is some silver in it probably.

 

[BADDOG]

I was recently over on the east coast and was talking to so other hunters and they were telling me about how they have found Titanium, from the Challenger shuttle.

Now you have three choices. Did you clean it? It looks pretty bright.
If it was aluminum from a fire I wouldn't expect it to be so clean.

Good Luck and HH

Baddog

 

[jeric2]

Looks like lead. I find a bunch of it every time I go out.

 

[beeper]

Take a knife and press the blade in it, if it mark REAL easy it's lead, some what easy aluminum, hardly at all silver or such.

 

[Rich]

Any ideas on how a layperson can tell the difference between a chunk of Aluminum or Silver?

Found this piece on the beach today...

Have I found a beer can that got too close to a fire or a Spanish silver nugget?

Very good question!!! - one that will trick people unless they do thier research on minerals and metals...lol,..

But looks to have been melted and then trown into a bucket of water.... - to shiney to be lead,or peweter,....id have to put my money on melted silver?....

Alum- i never would think of goin threw the hassle of melting a vast amount to procure a nugget lookin / water hit silver....

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Whenever there is a large campfire, someone is going to throw their aluminum soda or beer can in the fire. It will melt and eventually burn away. Usually the fire will not be hot enough, long enough, to completely burn away. I find melted pieces of alum like this wherever there was a campfire. I don't know why it is so shiny. Silver is not shiny either after exposure to salt. Maybe the waves polished it.
I made a test solution by mixing nitric acid, a pinch of potassium dichromate, and a little distilled water. Here is a site on test solutions: http://shoreinternational.com/TestGoldMakeSolution.htm

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

I don't know why this link for silver testing is not com ing up. I will have to type some of it from my copy.
To Test
File a notch in test piece, apply a drop of solution- watch for color reaction.
Brass--Dark Brown
Copper--Brown
Gold--None
Nickel--Blue
Lead--Yellow
Tin--Yellow
Silver(pure)--Bright Red
Silver .925--Dark Red
Silver .800--Brown
Silver .500--Green
Palladium--None

I used this Nitric Acid/Potassium Dichromate/Water solution to test a large piece of metal i found on Treasure Beach. It showed yellow, and turned out to be lead sheathing from an old ship. It worked good on silver too ( Dark Red). I will have to try it on Aluminum.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

[
I don't know why this link for silver testing? is not com ing up.? I will have to type some of it from my copy.
To Test
File a notch in test piece,

A) AHAHAH, not if it is of value, look for an unexposed spot and remove any finish, then apply the test soloution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


apply a drop of solution- watch for color reaction.

A) Wait one minute, check the color of the soloution, wipe it off and check the color/mark on the metal for the following color.
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(start) ( after one minute )
Brass--Dark Brown --------------------------light brown
Copper--Brown--------------------------------cleaned copper
Gold--None-------------------------------------none
Nickel--Blue------------------------------------scarcely any
Lead--Yellow----------------------------------leaden
Tin--Yellow------------------------------------dark
Silver(pure)--Bright Red-------------------grayish white
Silver .925--Dark Red----------------------dark brown
Silver .800--Brown-------------------------dark brown
Silver .500--Green--------------------------dark brown
Palladium--None-----------------------------non
Platinum--Vandyke brown---------------none
Iorn --various -------------------------------black
Zinc --light chocolate---------------------steel grey
Auluminum---Yellow ---------------------no stain

A) then wipe the soloution off and look at he spot left on the metal.

A I appologize for injecting the wiped off colors in your excellent post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




I used this Nitric Acid/Potassium Dichromate/Water solution to test a large piece of metal i found on Treasure Beach. It showed yellow, and turned out to be lead sheathing from an old ship. It worked good on silver too ( Dark Red). I will have to try it on Aluminum.

Jose de La Mancha ( I tilt eindmills ) & Shboleeths

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Realde, Thanks for the wiped off colors chart; I will print this and save.
Yes, do not file something of value, look for an inconspicuous spot. Wash off when finished.
I love that bright red color of pure silver.

jwvanno2, mix up a small batch. Test a spot. And look for that pretty red. I'm afraid it looks like aluminum to me. Let us know

Nitric acid will sure clean copper! I use it sometimes before soldering a very corroded copper pipe or brass radiator.

Jose , Do you make a living tilting windmills, or is it a hobby.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Jose , Do you make a living tilting windmills, or is it a hobby.

A) Sniff, so far just a hobby, there desn't seem to be a great demand at the moment, however one can hope, no?. Do you have one that needs to be ----?


Jose de La Mancha ( I tilt windmills ) & shibboeths

 

[rjnail]

DO U HAVE TARGET ID ON UR DETECTOR? WHATS IT SHOW. ALSO USE 18KT ACID, ON STONE, IF ITS SILVER ,IT WILL TURN WHITE GREY ON STONE, IF I REMEMBER RIGHT,

 

[Sleeplessnights]

Wow I have read your replies and I have found many tarnished silver looking nuggets and I will try the knife test . ? The nuggets I have I took them home and washed them and they did'nt shine until I scraped it with a sharp knife . So where did you buy that testing solution at and what are your results !

 

[Kentucky Kache]

Jose , Do you make a living tilting windmills, or is it a hobby.

A) Sniff,? so far just a hobby, there desn't seem to? be a great demand at the moment, however one can hope, no?.? ?Do you have one that needs to be ----?


Jose de La Mancha? ( I tilt windmills ) & shibboeths

Don Keyhote, man of La Mancha,, right?

 

[Sleeplessnights]

I keep finding them and finding them but what in the....is it ? It can't be lead to light but I find so many of them can anybody help me out with this and has any one found a peice like this ? I did get it to shine after alot of hard work !