Strange metal possibly silver.

[17GoCubsGo44]

Hey y'all! Got another great find with the metal detector. It was inside and wrapped in a half rotted potato sack buried in a flatland opening of the foliage near a creek. It hit with high tones and kept saying silver. Now to some info about it:
It's almost like aluminum but it's really heavy!
A magnet does not stick to it
It doesn't bend (accept for the small end)
I hat a torch on it for 15 min, it got red, but never dripped, melted, our even changed
It looks almost like someone tried to make homemade ingots or some kind of bar was placed on it.

I have pics of the front and back and close ups.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

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[Backwoodsbob]

Please do nothing else to it. I will explain later.

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[trikikiwi]

Please do nothing else to it. I will explain later.

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I'm intrigued.

 

[Backwoodsbob]

Did it change colors after heating.

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[verbious]

Babbitt material?

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[mick56]

Most likely melted aluminum.

 

[verbious]

Even big hunks of aluminum are fairly light. What activity was in the area long ago?

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[kingskid1611]

This is very intriguing....I will stay tuned to this channel.

 

[17GoCubsGo44]

This area is now a a subdivision surrounded by thick protected woods, but is newly built. There was a bunch of 100+ year old mining in the area and the whole area is a big hill above the regular city

 

[verbious]

I'm gonna say babbitt material for sure. I've found some hunks of it myself. The area I detect had mining in the mid-1800s. The material is used to make bearings.

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[kcm]

Babbitt material?

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That's the word I was trying to think of this morning, but it just never came to me. From what is written, I have to go along with babbitt.

 

[Retired Fire]

Whoa, I am excited to finally figure out what it is. I know you will keep us posted. Please.

 

[mick56]

The OP says the metal was heated with a torch for 15 minutes. I think that babbitt would have melted pretty fast.

 

[kcm]

This is taken from Wikipedia:

Babbitt metal is most commonly used as a thin surface layer in a complex, multi-metal structure, but its original use was as a cast-in-place bulk bearing material. Babbitt metal is characterized by its resistance to galling. Babbitt metal is soft and easily damaged, which suggests that it might be unsuitable for a bearing surface. However, its structure is made up of small hard crystals dispersed in a softer metal, which makes it a metal matrix composite. As the bearing wears, the softer metal erodes somewhat, which creates paths for lubricant between the hard high spots that provide the actual bearing surface. When tin is used as the softer metal, friction causes the tin to melt and function as a lubricant, which protects the bearing from wear when other lubricants are absent.

When the metal runs out of tin, there is no lubricant and the entire bearing would overheat. It would take much more heat to melt than what a propane torch can generate.

 

[Backwoodsbob]

It's made to be just like it is. Just wanted to see if anyone would pick up on it. It was made by a Jesuit Priest. It tells a story so to speak. With this new information about mining even supports my claim. It could be platinum. They didn't use it back then and threw it out. It make since as the shape too. If you knew how to read it and there is information on it. There is a possibility that what it was in reference too may still be there. Usually they are caves with stone markers. That piece is the largest I've seen. Normally I see them in stone. I wouldn't show it to everyone and keep the location a secret. It's older than 1800s. Nice find


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[Backwoodsbob]

Babbitt material would be steel. Which is magnetic in most cases

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[GreyGhost]

Really easy to test it for silver with an acid test kit.

 

[NHBandit]

I'm gonna say babbitt material for sure. I've found some hunks of it myself. The area I detect had mining in the mid-1800s. The material is used to make bearings.

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^^^^^ This. Regardless of some Hocus Pocus BS Backwoods Bob may think it is...

 

[NHBandit]

Babbitt material would be steel. Which is magnetic in most cases

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Damn dude... Do you know how to use Google ? babitt metal is NOT steel smh.. Can't the mods do anything to stop this guy from posting bad info all over the site day after day ?

 

[kcm]

This is taken from Wikipedia:

Babbitt metal is most commonly used as a thin surface layer in a complex, multi-metal structure, but its original use was as a cast-in-place bulk bearing material. Babbitt metal is characterized by its resistance to galling. Babbitt metal is soft and easily damaged, which suggests that it might be unsuitable for a bearing surface. However, its structure is made up of small hard crystals dispersed in a softer metal, which makes it a metal matrix composite. As the bearing wears, the softer metal erodes somewhat, which creates paths for lubricant between the hard high spots that provide the actual bearing surface. When tin is used as the softer metal, friction causes the tin to melt and function as a lubricant, which protects the bearing from wear when other lubricants are absent.

When the metal runs out of tin, there is no lubricant and the entire bearing would overheat. It would take much more heat to melt than what a propane torch can generate.

BWB, did you not read what I posted? Trust me, I didn't make that up. Go to Wikipedia - that is copy-n-paste info on what Babbitt metal is like. Therefore, if it's soft, it is NOT steel!!