Posted 4 years ago
Collectabl…
(310 items)
For her birthday I bought my 10 year old Granddaughter a metal detector . So this afternoon we went to our local beach for our first treasure hunt. Well, we turned up some what I assume were molten silver ingots. I've done the magnet test and acid test which turned grey signifying silver. On further researching I read they may be molten beer or soda cans thrown on the fire after a beach barbeque. Does anyone out there know of simple test that could determine what these Ingots are made of. Thanks.
If you are using a precious metals test kit it won't react to aluminum and neither will a magnet unless there is an alloy mixed in. Simple test is lay it down and drag a key across it. Aluminum isn't a heavy metal and will scratch easily where silver is a dense or heavy metal.
Thanks fhrjr2 it does scratch easily but it could be pure making it softer and as you can see on the last photo it's 4.8 grams so it's not light. Neil
You might have silver someone melted down at home. I have been known to melt down both aluminum and silver to make my own ingots. The problem is when you go to sell it people tend to question the origin. Why would anyone in their right mind melt down such metal if it was legally obtained. I stopped doing that after my last sale and having to fill out six pages of questions about how I happened to have it. Thankfully I had before, during and after pictures. Now I just leave that alone.
I dont think these ingots were melted at home because they really do look as though they've been weathered by the sea and shingle. What do you think about the beer can theory ?
How many of these do you have? At 4.7g you would need 3 to 4 of these to equal one 12 ounce aluminum can. If your metal detector is adjustable tune out aluminum and run the detector over it where you know there is no metal beneath it. Test the ground first then set this down and see if it picks up with aluminum tuned out. I used to keep aluminum tuned out on my detector simply because of all the aluminum pull tabs.
We found two of them in the same area in about 15 minutes and they resembled pebbles, it's only when I got them home and cleaned them up did I realise they were some kind of metal. I'll do a comparison on a silver reading and then her ingots and see if that shows up anything tomorrow as its 6am here now.
Many thanks aura for the love.
Cheers kwqd for the love.
Thank you Jenni appreciate the love.
Thank you for the love vetraio50.
Thank you fortapache for the love does anyone know a test to determine aluminium v silver?
Cheers for your appreciation dav2no1
Silver wouldn't melt from a beach fire. Aluminum on the other had would. It weights too much to be aluminum though. If you did a acid test on it and it were silver it would turn red.
Thanks lugnuts the jury's still out on this one. My acid test turns brown or clear, clear for silver and brown for not. Neil
I found a nugget just like that one up on the north shore aswell, I still don't know what it is my first thought was silver.
Mine was found on Tor Cross/Slapton Devon Uk where the D day landings were rehearsed . 946 American soldiers lost there lives there back in 1944.