Help me ID this metal.

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Not familiar with the Garrett Stoney.

Search 'SG test' on the forum, tare a plastic cup of water on your scales and dangle slug in with cotton and do the sums suggested. Think there was also a thread that listed SGs of metals and common alloys but an internet search should produce a list.

Members may be able to hone in on possibilities if you have a ballpark SG.
 
SG means specific gravity. you need to weigh it in air, then weigh it in water. the formula is all over the net, you should be able to work out what metal it is once you know what its specific gravity is.
 
:) lol
Ok so I weighed up the metal at 60.1 g
Then I balanced out some water to 0 on scales.
Then I hung the metal by string into water and got a reading that hovered between .7 - .8 grams

60.1 divided by .75 = 80.1

Not sure I did that right, and I had to use the wife's cooking scales as the water was too much for my scales.
But I guess that rules out silver?
 
no stoney, Tape ur scales backward on a bench (so the weighing end hangs from the edge) get the end of an incense stick or anything strait and sit it horizontally across the scales. Tie your metal to thin string and attach to the 2 ends (after taring the stick and string weight) this will give you the weight in air. Now get a cup of water and sit the metal so its submerged in water. That is your "weight in water". the math can begin with those 2 figures.
 
You mentioned a fire on the area you were hunting? Could well be that this was either a handle or latch made of lead coated with tin or maybe a pewter ornament that has melted with the heat?
Given that most homesteads in that era wouldnt have had a great deal of silver in them perhaps a few spoons, some jewlry or a dish or two. Silver would seem unlikely.
Seems more plausible that its made of lead with a hard wearing tin coat or a pewter like alloy. Bearing in mind that lead and lead alloys werent recognised as being seriously poisonous until the early 20th century.
 
That doesn't sound right, how can the metal only weigh a couple of grams in water vs over 60 grams when dry, that would mean it would literally have to be floating. That second weight should be relatively close to the first one.

From memory, I think it was dry weight minus the wet weight, and then divide the dry weight by the difference from the first two.
 
I just tried my best to follow a YouTube video.
I'll try again tonight when I get home.

I know it's not rocket surgery, but I suck at anything to do with maths.

My wife's taking it to her jewellery friend tomorrow, just to shut me up about my piece of junk lol.

Yes Green Wanderer, that's what got me thinking. When I started at the site I found all different types of metal, that I just dismissed as slag and put it all together under a tree.

Later on I started to get a feel for the general layout of where the house was, and noticed a layer of burnt stuff covering a house size area.
I have talked with both my mum an Auntie, all they know is it wasn't there at all in the 1900's so we think it accidentally burned down, as it would have been a relatively new and house.

And I have found zero modern junk at the site, not one bottle cap or ring pull etc. the latest date able item I have found was an 1884 Penny.
Anyway, after learning this I went through my pile of "slag" and this piece was the most intriguing.
Here is what the site looks like, just a few bits of brick lying around, and some cow poo.
1399251736_image.jpg

I think I need to get myself one of those metal testing kits.
 
One mans junk is another man's treasure.

Don't give up on this one, you will be an expert by the time you solve the riddle, junk or not, it has already added value to all our lives. :cool:
 

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