Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2022 14:38:58 GMT -5
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Post by vegasjames on Jun 11, 2022 14:58:59 GMT -5
Possibly iron sulfide. Did you test hardness? Or if you have some hydrochloric acid on hand try putting some on the metal and see if it develops a rotten egg odor of hydrogen sulfide.
I found a very old wreck, estimated to have gone down in the 1500s while diving off of California. The preserved wood had a gold colored metallic substance in the cracks of the wood that looked like it had been burnt in a fire. Looked like there had been a fire and gold melted in to the cracks of the wood. Long story short, it was explained to me by an underwater archeologist that the metallic looking material was actually iron sulfide formed by the presence of iron and hydrogen sulfide formed by decomposing food on the ship. The ship had been down there so long that the wood was actually chemically "burning" as well was petrifying with the iron sulfide.
So, I am thinking that if there was a lot of iron in the host rock as our fossil soups out here tend to have, a sulfur source such as maybe from a nearby wreck could form iron sulfide as the hydrogen sulfide reacts with the iron in the stone.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 11, 2022 15:06:39 GMT -5
Very interesting.
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Post by vegasjames on Jun 11, 2022 15:08:41 GMT -5
Very interesting. I as still hoping that the ship had caught on fire and that was all melted gold in the cracks. Even sent a sample off for assay. Some gold was present, but only traces.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 11, 2022 15:09:30 GMT -5
Very interesting. I as still hoping that the ship had caught on fire and that was all melted gold in the cracks. Even sent a sample off for assay. Some gold was present, but only traces. That would be awesome!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2022 16:33:16 GMT -5
vegasjamesThanks! I didn’t test it but it’s softer then other beach rocks which are mostly Quartz and quartzite with some other miscellaneous stuff. It’s undercutting pretty bad and seems to have differing materials in it. No acid on hand.
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fuss
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Post by fuss on Jun 11, 2022 17:46:11 GMT -5
Pyrite, possibly but less likely Marcasite. Almost all of those fossiliferous Limestone pebbles have some amount of Pyrite, and if you keep looking you may find some complete fossil pseudomorphs.
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Post by vegasjames on Jun 11, 2022 19:25:30 GMT -5
vegasjames Thanks! I didn’t test it but it’s softer then other beach rocks which are mostly Quartz and quartzite with some other miscellaneous stuff. It’s undercutting pretty bad and seems to have differing materials in it. No acid on hand. What is the hardness of the metallic areas?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2022 22:09:02 GMT -5
vegasjamesThat’s a good question! Let me get an answer for you in a day or two when I clean it out and change grits.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2022 11:43:54 GMT -5
vegasjamesWell I tried scratching it with a brass brush, a steel brush, a screw driver, a screw, and a piece is Quartz and nothing leaves a scratch.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 13, 2022 20:16:57 GMT -5
Ashley, those are so amazingly cool!!! I have no clue what the metal could be...but had to compliment you on those finds!!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jun 13, 2022 20:51:16 GMT -5
Ashley that's such a cool find! No clue how the metal got there, but it's awesome!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2022 20:57:07 GMT -5
jasoninsdThanks Jason! Maybe I can send you a piece or two to wrap!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2022 20:57:51 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 13, 2022 21:03:11 GMT -5
jasoninsd Thanks Jason! Maybe I can send you a piece or two to wrap! I really need to work on a technique for wrapping stones in their "uncut" state - meaning when they aren't cabochons. I've done it twice and I really wasn't all that impressed with how they looked. I had a lot of requests this weekend at the show about wrapping unworked stones. So, I'll look into it and get it figured out. I wouldn't mind wrapping a couple of these for you sometime soon if you'd like.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2022 21:11:38 GMT -5
jasoninsdThat would be great! I can send some you could wrap for me and some for you to keep!? Just let me know when you’re able to use your hands! When are you going to post and let us all know how the show went?!
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 14, 2022 0:44:47 GMT -5
jasoninsd That would be great! I can send some you could wrap for me and some for you to keep!? Just let me know when you’re able to use your hands! When are you going to post and let us all know how the show went?! I'm thinking it'll be about a month before I can start cabbing or wrapping...possibly sooner, knowing my patience level! LOL I'll probably get the show update posted tomorrow. It'll be my "verbose" type of post...and it's still kinda difficult to type without using the backspace ten times every other word. LOL
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2022 9:29:02 GMT -5
jasoninsdSounds good, keep me updated and don’t rush yourself! Looking forward to your post.
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Post by rmf on Jun 14, 2022 14:01:44 GMT -5
ashley As previously stated it is probably a sulfide mineral like pyrite. Pyrite should have a blackish greenish streak on white porcelain. Since you are near Chicago check with scrap recyclers to see if they have and XRF handheld for testing metals. See if they will test it for you should take less than a minute and it would tell Iron % if it is pyrite. If some other Iron, nickel etc is should give % of metal and you can figure out mineral from the % numbers. My wife won't let me buy one of those. They are only about $20-40K, I sure can't understand why.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2022 14:32:59 GMT -5
rmfYeah, that sounds like a reasonable price for a much needed piece of equipment lol! 😂 thanks for the info and advice!
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