What in the world is this?

[Truth]

I found it perfectly sphere 7” deep no rust marks at all and it is solid.

 

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[Truth]

I think I got you covered here . I have to get into my shop and check and if it is what I think it is I know why you feel stronger when you hold it.....gimme a few hours

I’m so curious

 

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[3cylbill]

If you mean 173.4 grammes as a weight and 42mm as a diameter, then the ball has a specific gravity of 4.17

Assuming it is metal, not hollow, and not a shell around a core of something else, that pretty much rules out it being made from anything other than: an alloy with a fair proportion of aluminium (which has an S.G. of 2.7); or an alloy with a high proportion of titanium (which has an S.G. of 4.52) and is commonly alloyed with small amounts of aluminium for engineering purposes.

From the lack of corrosion I would guess the latter, and that it’s some kind of bearing.

here is what i have 1261 grams and 32 mm i believe they are cast iron they are from an 1800s 500 # platform scale the platform floated on 4 of them ...

 

[Red-Coat]

here is what i have 1261 grams and 32 mm i believe they are cast iron they are from an 1800s 500 # platform scale the platform floated on 4 of them ...

If your ball has a weight of 1261 grammes and a diameter of 32 mm then it has a volume of 17.16 cubic centimetres and an impossible density of 73.5 g/cc. If you mistyped and meant that it weighs 126.1g then it has a density of 7.3 g/cc which is indeed consistent with cast iron.

However, the ball posted by Fat was said to have a diameter of 42mm, which means it has a volume of 38.79 cubic centimetres. If it weighs 173.4 grammes as apparently stated then it has a density of only 4.47 g/cc. Unless it’s hollow, it can only really be an alloy with a substantial proportion of aluminium.

Aluminium wasn’t discovered until 1825, wasn’t in industrial production until 1856, remained an expensive metal not in common use until after 1886 and wasn’t extensively used in alloys for everyday items until WWI when the price dropped.

 

[Truth]

If your ball has a weight of 1261 grammes and a diameter of 32 mm then it has a volume of 17.16 cubic centimetres and an impossible density of 73.5 g/cc. If you mistyped and meant that it weighs 126.1g then it has a density of 7.3 g/cc which is indeed consistent with cast iron.

However, the ball posted by Fat was said to have a diameter of 42mm, which means it has a volume of 38.79 cubic centimetres. If it weighs 173.4 grammes as apparently stated then it has a density of only 4.47 g/cc. Unless it’s hollow, it can only really be an alloy with a substantial proportion of aluminium.

Aluminium wasn’t discovered until 1825, wasn’t in industrial production until 1856, remained an expensive metal not in common use until after 1886 and wasn’t extensively used in alloys for everyday items until WWI when the price dropped.

I’m going to re weigh it and measure it my batteries went dead

 

[ARC]

Looks like food grade stainless to me.

 

[Red-Coat]

Looks like food grade stainless to me.

Accurate measurements will at least tell us which metal(s) it could or could not be.

That information has been posted, changed and reposted... and now we're being told it still might not have been reliable! Really frustrating and - if the information is wrong - it has led to some fairly pointless speculation and discussion.

 

[Truth]

173.9 grams. 34.9 mm

 

[Truth]

Looks like food grade stainless to me.

I could see that

 

[Truth]

Accurate measurements will at least tell us which metal(s) it could or could not be.

That information has been posted, changed and reposted... and now we're being told it still might not have been reliable! Really frustrating and - if the information is wrong - it has led to some fairly pointless speculation and discussion.

For that I apologize i put the correct measurements at the bottom Red-Coat if you’re still interested I WOULD NEVER WHAT TO WASTE ANYONE’S TIME and for that again I apologize.

 

[Red-Coat]

173.9 grams. 34.9 mm

For that I apologize i put the correct measurements at the bottom Red-Coat if you’re still interested I WOULD NEVER WHAT TO WASTE ANYONE’S TIME and for that again I apologize.

Sure… I understand, and apologies are not needed, but confusion over measurements results in confusion over possible compositions.

Your revised diameter of 34.9mm means the ball has a volume of 22.26 cubic centimetres. With a weight of 173.9 grammes, that means it has a density of 7.81 g/cc which puts a completely different perspective on things.

That’s in the territory of austenitic (non-magnetic) stainless steels commonly used for bearings and other purposes.

 

[Truth]

Sure… I understand, and apologies are not needed, but confusion over measurements results in confusion over possible compositions.

Your revised diameter of 34.9mm means the ball has a volume of 22.26 cubic centimetres. With a weight of 173.9 grammes, that means it has a density of 7.81 g/cc which puts a completely different perspective on things.

That’s in the territory of austenitic (non-magnetic) stainless steels commonly used for bearings and other purposes.

I 100% agree thank you so much Red

 

[Gare]

a few years ago when i was a kid i used to have steel marbles of all different sizes. We called them steelies
. Not sure on what you have but i did have ALL sizes i would play with., I have no idea where most came from.

 

[crashbandicoot]

a few years ago when i was a kid i used to have steel marbles of all different sizes. We called them steelies
. Not sure on what you have but i did have ALL sizes i would play with., I have no idea where most came from.

A FEW YEARS AGO? When I was a kid,old wheel bearings and the like were readily available for the asking.We,d take them apart for the balls and shoot them in slingshots.

 

[Sam moser]

Where I worked we had paint pumps with check balls in them and Hydraulic machines with check balls too.