Strange metal with what looks like battery acid

[cam9457]

Hello everybody, over the past few weeks one area I've been detecting an area that has been actively used since the late 1600's of which the main attraction there for me were the mills that were there from the early 1700's up until almost 1900. Every now and then I dig a target that comes up on my detector as silver, which on my detector lead also comes up as silver. The pieces of metal in question I believe to be lead, but they have been coming up with what to me looks like battery acid that would build up on the terminal posts of a car battery. It's usually all over the metal and is a white and blue powdery substance. First thought for me was an old lead acid battery but upon examining the pieces they almost look like pieces of metal molding or something? Are their any types of metal that as they weather typically leave this type of substance? Just curious as I've never seen anything like this before anywhere else? Thanks for any help or ideas ahead of time

 

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[Keppy]

Hello everybody, over the past few weeks one area I've been detecting an area that has been actively used since the late 1600's of which the main attraction there for me were the mills that were there from the early 1700's up until almost 1900. Every now and then I dig a target that comes up on my detector as silver, which on my detector lead also comes up as silver. The pieces of metal in question I believe to be lead, but they have been coming up with what to me looks like battery acid that would build up on the terminal posts of a car battery. It's usually all over the metal and is a white and blue powdery substance. First thought for me was an old lead acid battery but upon examining the pieces they almost look like pieces of metal molding or something? Are their any types of metal that as they weather typically leave this type of substance? Just curious as I've never seen anything like this before anywhere else? Thanks for any help or ideas ahead of time

Do you have any pictures??

 

[cam9457]

No I don't, my sorry excuse for a computer keeps dumping off the internet every time I try to post a picture.

 

[thompy]

check if you have native zinc in the area, ive found it here, heavy like lead but shines up better, has white and greyish build up on it

 

[Urban Prospector]

Could be any number of non ferrous alloys, their corrode through electrolysis or oxidation rather then rusting like iron. Lead is very mailable (plyable) and will bend quite a bit without breaking zinc will crack when bent. Zinc has a high lead content so is similar. Alum will grow white fuss too but is light.

 

[cam9457]

That could be it Thompy, the build up reminds me of the powdery stuff you might find around a corroded battery terminal.

 

[thompy]

i would take a pic but still havent figured out how to post them yet, well to cut them down to size, will have to figure it out some time, i couldn't figure out what mine was, so i brought it to work, we have a gun that analyzes weld materials, it was 98.6 percent zinc