Good day!

[kurtak]

I have a question, is there anything that can be confused on an XRF with Osmium?

The answer is yes - just what element I don't know - it (confusion) in an XRF read out is going to depend on the elements programed into the XRF library (&/or not programed in the library)

This has been discussed here on the forum MANY times - which is why we tell people that you can not rely on an XRF read out - unless the XRF is programed for the object (elements) being shot with the XRF

In other words - if you shoot an object (element) with an XRF & the element(s) (object) you are shooting is NOT programed into the XRF library - the XRF will call that element(s) something other them what it actually is

An XRF is not a magic wand that you can just shoot anything & everything with & then expect the XRF to tell you exactly what everything in the object is made of

Why ?

Because - the cost of programing an XRF depends on the number of elements programed into the library - the more elements in the library the more the cost for the XRF

So - XRFs are made to serve particular industries to look at/for the elements common to that industry while at the same time excluding elements that are not common to that industry - in order to keep the cost of the XRF down --- in other words - there is no sense in paying for elements to be programed into your XRF if those elements are of no interest in your industry

Examples; ---------

# 1 - XRFs made for scrap yards - generally scrap yards have no interest in precious metals - so they buy an XRF with a base metal program in order to sort out different grades of base metal alloys as they can get paid more (or less) for different grades of stainless steel &/or different brass alloys etc. etc. --- but to keep the cost of the XRF down they exclude PMs from the program as they have little or no interest in PMs

Personal story - I took my very first refined gold button to a scrap yard & had them shoot it with their XRF & because their XRF did not have PMs in the XRF program the XRF called my gold tungsten - the XRF LIED

Then 2 or 3 years later a scrap yard that I worked with (not for but with) wanted to start buying not just common everyday base metal scrap but PM scrap as well - the cost of the XRF with both a base metal program and a PM program was like 8 or 10 thousand dollars more (don't remember exactly) then an XRF with just a base metal program

# 2 - like wise - companies that deal with PMs will buy XRFs programed to read PMs &/or common PM alloys but those XRFs will exclude elements from the program not common to the PM industry - so if the XRF sees an element that is NOT in the program - it will call that element something that is in the program

Again - personal story - I once saw a solid piece of elemental arsenic (the actual metalloid) shot with an XRF programed for PMs & because arsenic was NOT in the XRF program it called the arsenic iridium - the XRF LIED

You can read the full story about this here ----------

https://goldrefiningforum.com/threads/false-iridium-finds.28009/#post-295508
Bottom line; - an XRF is only as good as the programing in the XRF --- if you shoot something that is made of elements that are NOT in the XRF program - the XRF WILL LIE TO YOU & call those elements something that is in the XRF program

In other words - depending on the XRF programing AND what you are shooting with the XRF - the XRF may give you a true read out - or - it can give you a VERY FALSE read out

Kurt

 

[fishaholic5]

Thanks,
I don't use XRF, I rely on chemical testing and also do my own assays for the most part.
My question is for 2 reasons..
Australia has quite a lot of Osmium and other PGM's in some areas and I think the specifics of some of the things that can be confused by XRF in relation to Gold, Silver and PGM's would be very useful for people.

Cheers Wal