Solved...scrap metal blank or ingot

[M_M]

I've read about treasure "buttons" of gold before. I found this in a treasure area, but it was also by railroad tracks. Does anyone know if this looks like metal that bounced off a train load to a factory or possibly a silver button?

It is the diameter of 3 quarters put in a triangle. It has rough texture and seems a little uneven on the top edges which makes me think the cast was crude.

The angle from top to bottom reminds me of the angle from rectangle ingots. On the top is a oval gouge with a rough edge as if it was pried from a mold.

I don't have a silver kit to test. It does have some weight to it at 2.72oz. Dimensions 2"wide on top x 1" height x 1 1/2" base.

Anybody see this before?

 

[doublet2a]

Re: scrap metal blank or ingot

Looks like lead

Tim

 

[Tony in SC]

Re: scrap metal blank or ingot

Could be lead or babbitt. A common way to save scraps of lead and babbitt was to melt it and pour it into a muffin pan making ingots. Tony

 

[M_M]

Re: scrap metal blank or ingot

I looked up lead molds and this is what I found. Its probably lead.

Modified: I pulled out my old vlf bounty hunter and put the trash filter on high. All my lead bullets, aluminum pull tabs, iron ore, came out negative.

This button read a high positive, opposite of lead, aluminum, iron.

 

[batcap]

Re: scrap metal blank or ingot

I can't identify by sight, but I'd invest in a little silver test acid. It's dead easy to use. I ignore the stone that comes with the kit and put a drop directly on the object in question - then wipe it off with a paper towel. If you have a dramatic red or brown color change on the towel, you have silver. If you have colorless or faint green you can discount it. These test acids are available on Amazon or eBay for $20 or so and you get a full gold test set and a digital scale too. There's a little skill and practice needed to use the gold test acids, but seriously, the silver is easy.

If anyone does go for this on my recommendation: get the stuff with the white caps; the colored caps were a disappointment (but the American Weigh Scale has been just great).

 

[deepskyal]

I know you got it marked solved but you probably have a nickle alloy pig used in the steel making business.
They make the nickle alloy to minimize theft. Pure nickle bars were frequently stolen.
The mill I work at also gets alumi-nickle bars, nickle flakes and powder. Too hard to scrap or sell if stolen.
They also keep their copper bricks right in front of a camera...50# blocks..worth a few dollars.

Al

 

[NHBandit]

Since it was found near railroad tracks and dosn't show up as lead I'm betting it's babbitt metal. Melted slag from pouring babbitt is a very common find around railroad yards. It was used to pour new bearings for the axles and many other moving parts on the trains. Also the same stuff used for Model A engine bearings among other things. There are different alloys used depending on what it's being used for. Slugs like you found would be melted down to pour new bearings and the slag we commonly find around the railroad yards is what runs out onto the ground. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_(metal)