Need help stumbled onto this...

[goldsilverpro]

A simple way to test the unknown powder is to put a tiny bit on a sheet of white paper. Then use something like the back of a spoon and slide it over the powder, pushing down like you're trying to press the powder into the paper. If it's gold, it will show its true color. If it doesn't look gold when this is done, it probably isn't.

Dave

Thanks for the test. I tried and it still looks clay color, but I did find gold flecks and was able to pick out a few, but they are small. Guess I'm going to have to find another way to pay for the starter on my ol' car. I was hoping for a highlander :lol: . This has sure been fun hoping and dreaming. Always worth it if I learn something new, and that I have.

If the gold is clean, dry, and pure, the bright shiny gold color will be immediate and obvious. If the powder is damp or impure or, if it contains some acids, there may be little or no color change. That doesn't mean that the gold isn't high value.

The fact that some gold flecks occurred is good. I would put a pinch of it in a beaker and rinse it several times with a little boiling distilled water - pour in some hot distilled water, let it settle, and pour the water off. Repeat several times. Then I would dry it bone dry over slow heat. Then, repeat the test.

I used to just pick up some of the dry powder on my finger and then rub it hard against the side of a beaker. Then, look at the powder on your finger.

 

[Geo]

With a little study, you can test the powder yourself with some household chemicals that can all be purchased at Walmart. hcl/Cl will put a very small sample into solution and stannous chloride will let you know if gold is present. When dealing with small enough samples, the risk are reduced greatly. Using a few ml's of solution will give you a definitive answer. hcl can be purchased at Walmart as well as the bleach and tin fishing weights. With these three components (and some time studying, the material isnt going anywhere), you can test for gold yourself and know for sure.

 

[Twistie]

I wanted to let everyone know I sent a sample of each to Goldenchild. I am trying to keep my feet on the ground but I must admit the excitement has been creeping into my dreams. There are other items that I am trying to figure out, four sample bags with no labels, a gray rock which is heavy, non magnetic and looks to have some gold specs, plus what to do with the bag that says Pb with some Au. Thank you to all those who are hoping and praying for us, any amount of pay out would sure help with a pile of medical bills.

 

[necromancer]

is that

PD or PB ?

PD is palladium
PB is lead

 

[dannlee]

First - keep this all in safe places... No eggs in one basket Ms Twistie!

Pd = Palladium and according to the quotes on the bottom of the page is $770 an ounce today....

 

[Twistie]

It is Pb my mistake. I did take that heavy strange looking rock to a jeweler. At first he thought it might be a meteorite. However after telling him how I came to have it as well as him filing a bit of it away and seeing some crystals, he said he thinks it might be slag. So the mystery continues. Which is good as the anticipation is killing me. I have not been able to find anywhere in town where I could get some Nitric acid to do the test myself so it is all in the hands of Goldenchild.

 

[Pantherlikher]

Always nice having that feeling of something great about to happen...but what, or your case, how much.

I just got back from a local auction.
Spent $4.50 and got scrap, wires, printers, steel, etc.
I also happened to see a plastic bag slip under the box flap on the bottom. Pulled it n saw some chains in a nice bag.

Got home n 1 breacelet sized chain is SILVER...and the other necklace says 720 italy... Hmm... now how much GOLD is that?
No weights of guesses yet but hey...What do ta want for $4.50 right?

B.S.

 

[Twistie]

Always nice having that feeling of something great about to happen...but what, or your case, how much.

I just got back from a local auction.
Spent $4.50 and got scrap, wires, printers, steel, etc.
I also happened to see a plastic bag slip under the box flap on the bottom. Pulled it n saw some chains in a nice bag.

Got home n 1 breacelet sized chain is SILVER...and the other necklace says 720 italy... Hmm... now how much GOLD is that?
No weights of guesses yet but hey...What do ta want for $4.50 right?

B.S.

I admit this forum has become addictive. I have been reading threads all day long.

 

[Twistie]

I've been doing some research on the other items in my lot. I was wondering if anyone could confirm if I am correct in my findings. Strange thing about the rock / slag, when the jeweler put a small magnet to the rock it stuck. Here at home I have tried many magnets, both larger and of different strengths, and it did not attract in fact you could feel a slight repelling force. Any thoughts?

Thank you

PS If we did hit the mother load, consider this forum's yearly cost paid for sometime to come.

 

[Ian_B]

Always nice having that feeling of something great about to happen...but what, or your case, how much.

I just got back from a local auction.
Spent $4.50 and got scrap, wires, printers, steel, etc.
I also happened to see a plastic bag slip under the box flap on the bottom. Pulled it n saw some chains in a nice bag.

Got home n 1 breacelet sized chain is SILVER...and the other necklace says 720 italy... Hmm... now how much GOLD is that?
No weights of guesses yet but hey...What do ta want for $4.50 right?

B.S.

You sure its 720 and not 750? 750 is 18k

 

[Pantherlikher]

Could be Ian_B. I had my glasses on, big magnifying glass and an eye piece from a telescope and still couldn't be sure. It needs to be cleaned so.

Yes, I can't see in front of my nose anymore. Or farther then my arm reaches... Everything get's fuzzy.

Twistie, all those connectors on the units you pictured are plated with gold. Leading me to venture a guess that you either have 2 containers of copper with no oxidation, or Gold...

Can you weigh the containers and guess as to the volume of the container?

B.S.

 

[Geo]

The component with the connectors has a military part number so its all mill spec. I'm curious as to whats under the piece of aluminum.

 

[necromancer]

if you want a good magnet ask the guy at your local computer shop if he has a magnet out of a hard drive, tell him its to test rocks that you found

hard drive magnets are neodymium, there very strong, make sure you prepare yourself for the "pull" they have & do not get your fingers in the way.

 

[g_axelsson]

I've handled over thousands of meteorites and I don't think it is a meteorite. It looks more like a piece of complex sulphide ore to me. I'm quite confident that it isn't slag, slag usually have gas bubbles inside it, have a more fine grained and almost glassy texture.

To find out if it attracts a magnet or not it is best to tie the magnet to a string and dangle it close to the rock surface, then it is quite obvious if it is attracted or not. There could be spots which are more magnetic than the rest of the rock, places where certain magnetic minerals have clumped together.

I could take a closer look at the rock but I live in Sweden and it would probably be too expensive to send it.

Göran

 

[Anonymous]

Aww Goran send me some meteorites please. I'll cover the shipping! 8) 8)

Jon

 

[Twistie]

I've handled over thousands of meteorites and I don't think it is a meteorite. It looks more like a piece of complex sulphide ore to me. I'm quite confident that it isn't slag, slag usually have gas bubbles inside it, have a more fine grained and almost glassy texture.

To find out if it attracts a magnet or not it is best to tie the magnet to a string and dangle it close to the rock surface, then it is quite obvious if it is attracted or not. There could be spots which are more magnetic than the rest of the rock, places where certain magnetic minerals have clumped together.

I could take a closer look at the rock but I live in Sweden and it would probably be too expensive to send it.

Göran

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that. One person said it may be a very old meteorite that has had the outside layer "turned" into earth from compaction over the years. Maybe its something closer to compacted "earth" around the meteorite. English is my husbands second language so sometimes translations can get a bit fuzzy for us. Would this make any since to you?

Beth

 

[Twistie]

Those who have followed this thread may find these facts interesting as they gives some additional clues to the mysteries of my find. I must admit when I came across this information it did give me pause after our conversations regarding Cm (curium). However a man with this level of intelligence, and living until 90 years old, would most likely have some high safety standards

.....Received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1940, with a major in metallurgy and geology. During the war years he was employed by Union Carbide Company, and later as chief metallurgist of the company's uranium-vanadium operations under the auspices of the Manhattan Project. From 1946-1953 he worked with US Steel Corporation on taconite concentration, and then returned to Union Carbide where, from 1957-1964, he was manager of the Colorado uranium-vanadium operations. Before joining Hazen Research as vice-president in 1964, he was manager of Union Carbide's mining and geologic activities and was headquartered in New York...

I bet anything he would have LOVED this forum!

I also recovered an original copy (1933) of "Gold In Them Hills" by C.B. Glasscock, a Colorado Geological Survey with Topo & geologic maps surveyed in 1909 and Iron ore from the first shipment of Orinoco Mining Company from Venezuela, January 20, 1954.

Still digging!!!

 

[FrugalRefiner]

You are SO hooked! :lol:

Dave

 

[Twistie]

You are SO hooked! :lol:

Dave

SO VERY HOOKED. In fact, I just pulled 2 CPU's out of the dumpster, checking them out right now.

 

[g_axelsson]

I've handled over thousands of meteorites and I don't think it is a meteorite. It looks more like a piece of complex sulphide ore to me. I'm quite confident that it isn't slag, slag usually have gas bubbles inside it, have a more fine grained and almost glassy texture.

To find out if it attracts a magnet or not it is best to tie the magnet to a string and dangle it close to the rock surface, then it is quite obvious if it is attracted or not. There could be spots which are more magnetic than the rest of the rock, places where certain magnetic minerals have clumped together.

I could take a closer look at the rock but I live in Sweden and it would probably be too expensive to send it.

Göran

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that. One person said it may be a very old meteorite that has had the outside layer "turned" into earth from compaction over the years. Maybe its something closer to compacted "earth" around the meteorite. English is my husbands second language so sometimes translations can get a bit fuzzy for us. Would this make any since to you?

Beth

Not much sense, 98% of all meteorites contain free iron. That results in two things...
1. almost every meteorite is strongly attracted to a magnet.
2. almost every meteorite starts to rust as soon as it hits the Earth with it's toxic oxygen.

When a meteorite is newly fallen it shows a black surface with a glassy to sooty look. There are exceptions to that rule but they are rare. After a while the oxygen and moisture starts to affect the surface and turn the free iron into rust. Over the years the surface starts to crumble and fall off until the whole meteorite is turned into dust. Since rust takes more volume than the iron the meteorite is broken up from within. This process takes from hundreds to tens of thousands of years.
Meteorites in deserts and the ones frozen into glaziers is protected the best while in tropical and tempered zones the process is quite fast.
If a meteorite lies in the desert it can be sand blasted by the wind and get a surface covering of desert varnish. At first I thought that I could see that on your rock but when I zoomed in on the picture it disappeared and it looked more like a sulphide ore.

Göran