Hot Rock?
- Thread starter kking
- Start date
kking
Junior Member
I was thinking that also but thought it would be magnetic if it had iron in it... ?
HuntinDog
Elite Member
looks like corroded aluminum slag
OP3CRIMSIN
Senior Member
Is it very lightweight for its size? Does it throw a spark if you grind on it with a grinding wheel? I mean, if you really want to identify it, you'll need to find out its specific density too. Does it conduct electricity from one cleaned up end to another using a multimeter?
This is what it looked like to me also...but aluminum would read a bit higher on the discriminator.? Maybe some sort of mineral/metal ore specimen?
OP3CRIMSIN
Senior Member
dlax
Elite Member
My old cheap detector did not have a ground balance feature and was annoyingly sensitive to hot rocks, which usually rang up as large silver. The hot rocks never once set off my pinpointer though. Hope that helps.
It may be Magnetite....Try putting a Compass next to it...See if the compass moves...Magnetite is not necessarily attracted by a magnet...Its part of the earths mantle and different pieces from different places react differently but all will affect a compass
kking
Junior Member
Glad I saw this Crimsin before I went home smashing it with a hammer and inhaling the dust... sounds like nasty stuff. Looks very similar.
OP3CRIMSIN
Senior Member
Is it extremely light and hard?
worm12ga
Elite Member
The odds of digging a piece of beryllium are pretty much zero if you are not in an area that has history of it's use or mining.
OP3CRIMSIN
Senior Member
Did you dig it? Did you put it through scrutinous tests? Did you pour over literature and pictures and videos describing Beryllium? Did you grind, polish, x-ray, electrical, and magnetism test the item in question? Did you phone universities inquiring about mass spectrometer usage? Did you discover its specific density hrough volume calculation? No. You just got back from a quick Google search and learned that there's one mine in Utah. This is twice I've seen you acting the expert and the police where your opinion isn't warranted nor relative.
kking
Junior Member
Its light and also brittle. I easily broke that little piece off with my thumb. It does not respond to a rare earth magnet either. (thought I would try that also)
OP3CRIMSIN
Senior Member
How badly do you wanna know what it is? The specific density is going to get you the closest.
http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/lessonplans/chapter3/lesson2
A simple link to a method but basically if you can find out exactly how much water the object displaces, you can get its volume. I would recommend removing its outer crust prior to the volume displacement test so that it doesn't interfere. This might be achieved with vinegar and a wire brush or a quick bath in muriatic acid. When you've obtained that figure, weigh it. Density is mass/volume.
http://www.goldhog.com/specific_gravity_chart_gold_metals.htm
There's a chart with the specific densities of many elements. If you're lower than aluminum in a melted state at 2.5, then it's most likely beryllium, as it's obviously mot cesium, calcium, or magnesium. Rubidium isn't listed but that's another obvious negative. And Lithium is very malleable.
worm12ga
Elite Member
Seriously uncalled for overreaction. I offered my opinion. It was relative to the topic.
