# What is this metal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095 "2017-06-28T22:59:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/41 "2017-06-29T17:52:15Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > We have a $25,000. “gun” which analyzes metals, giving a digital printout to a hundredth of a percent for each of the main ten elements(assuming there are that many). This would be a good suggestion for the OP. Any Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) company would have a handheld X-ray fluorescence Positive Material Identification (PMI) device that could give you the exact chemistry of the metal in seconds. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/42 "2017-06-29T18:07:03Z")
Gold fillings from teeth??? ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/43 "2017-06-29T18:14:54Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Gold fillings from teeth??? Any dentists in the family tree? Or Nazis? ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/44 "2017-06-29T18:17:05Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Any dentists in the family tree? Or Nazis? I was thinking more of a connection at a crematorium, He may have been buying them. I think they are about 33% gold. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/45 "2017-06-29T18:19:11Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > You know, you could improvise a balance scale with stuff lying around your house. You would need something for a fulcrum, something for a cross-beam, a way to hold them together without the cross-beam slipping but with the ability to tip to ether side. Balance it out with some sort of empty container on each side, fill one side with the metal, fill the other side with coins until they balance. Google up the weight of the coins. Then hopefully you have some sort of measuring cup or something precise enough to measure the volume of the metal. From that, you can (somewhat crudely) calculate the density. Note that this will only be accurate if the coins and the mystery metal (or where they are hanging from on the cross-beam) are both the same distance away from the fulcrum. (Remember how the smaller kid can balance the teeter-totter by moving farther away from the center) ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/46 "2017-06-29T18:21:11Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Any dentists in the family tree? Or Nazis? Not to my knowledge (on both counts). I’d also be very surprised if he was collecting them, and there are mouthfuls full if that were the source. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/47 "2017-06-29T19:38:57Z")
> [@yearofglad](#): > > Here are more, hopefully closer, photos. > > [Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life](https://www.dropbox.com/s/7mua0hsufhsyjt5/2017-06-29%2012.13.44.jpg?dl=0) > > [Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life](https://www.dropbox.com/s/yp0qet4c41jtk88/2017-06-29%2012.13.53.jpg?dl=0) > > [Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life](https://www.dropbox.com/s/dlelcejgnsaouf0/2017-06-29%2012.15.59.jpg?dl=0) > > [Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life](https://www.dropbox.com/s/q4uggivdak3mz3f/2017-06-29%2012.16.05.jpg?dl=0) > > Six pieces in distilled vinegar overnight still shiny, no change in appearance. > > Pounded a piece with a hammer (one of the single pieces in the photos) - it flattened, no breaking. After I took the photos, smashed the other single piece shown, same result. > > There are some “cylindrical” pieces that look more like filings might - some of those may be visible in the photos. > > Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re going to get tested while I’m here. My dad has no interest in doing it (we were at the mall where the assayer is and he didn’t mention it - we didn’t have the substance with us or I’d have just gotten it done.) We’ll see. > > Edited to add: Actually, it looks like I neglected to take a post-hammering photo, but the result still stands. Much better photos. They _could_ be natural nuggets. Borrow a few from dad and send them to me. I’ll test and return. email me for my address if you do. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/48 "2017-06-29T19:49:45Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Much better photos. They _could_ be natural nuggets. > > Borrow a few from dad and send them to me. I’ll test and return. email me for my address if you do. **Darren Garrison** already tried that … ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/49 "2017-06-29T19:50:49Z")
Man, in the new pics, i think thats gold flake possibly. does not quite look like gold amalgam or what ever you call filling material, the color seems better. You might have a little treasure in your hands Take a piece into any jeweler or coin place, they should be able to atleast give you an informed idea ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/50 "2017-06-29T19:54:34Z")
I bet his dad will be headed for the jewelers before his car turns the first corner when he leaves. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/51 "2017-06-29T19:57:53Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I was thinking more of a connection at a crematorium, He may have been buying them. I think they are about 33% gold. From the MPSIMS “[Ask the Funeral Director who’s a] New Member” [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20310266&postcount=234): > [@\[Ask the Funeral Director who's a\] New Member \[edited title\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-funeral-director-whos-a-new-member-edited-title/584142/234): > > Gold and any non combustible items - such as surgical implants, hardware from the casket, detritus left over from any mementos that the family placed in the casket for cremation - are removed from the bones before the remains are processed to an aggregate substance resembling “ashes” - as to what happens to these items I do know that my local crematory disposes of these items, and I have heard of other crematories donating the metal to a charity for recycling. **It would be unethical for these items to be harvested and sold for profit.** Emphasis added. So, I find it improbable that anyone is harvesting dental amalgam from the deceased. At least, I hope that’s not what’s happening. Unethical. Illegal, at least in [some jurisdictions](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mortuary-worker-charged-swiping-gold-teeth-article-1.1502089). ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/52 "2017-06-29T19:59:17Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > [snip] … So, I find it improbable that anyone is harvesting dental amalgam from the deceased. At least, I hope that’s not what’s happening. Unethical. Illegal, at least in [some jurisdictions](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/mortuary-worker-charged-swiping-gold-teeth-article-1.1502089). Thus the Skippy jar down in the basement … ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/53 "2017-06-29T20:17:44Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Thus the Skippy jar down in the basement … Did he find toothless skulls in the basement too? Now THAT’S a mystery! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/54 "2017-06-29T21:03:35Z")
Yeah, new photos look more like gold. Note the more rounded appearance. Pyrite forms squarish crystals. ---
**Author:** ![yearofglad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b782af/32.png) [@yearofglad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yearofglad)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/55 "2017-07-02T01:58:07Z")
Okay, have sent a few small sample pieces off to get analyzed. My grandfather was really into electronics - I remember playing with an oscilloscope when I was a kid - could these bits all have come from disassembling electronics? (If it matters, my grandfather died ~1988.) A couple of the pieces, upon closer inspection, do appear to have small chunks of something else “stuck” to them, as if the pieces were “carved” off another object (rather than found in a river, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/56 "2017-07-02T04:20:50Z")
Congratulations! This is the first thread I’ve subscribed to to make sure I see how it turns out. FTR, from the first photos my first impression was iron pyrite. But seeing how rounded the samples are in the second set I’m really doubting my first guess. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/57 "2017-07-02T05:33:28Z")
I’m in the Colorado mountains. I’ve managed to pan out a tiny amount of what I would call gold dust. Total amount about the size of a bb. Just took a magnifying glass to it. Looks a lot like your pictures. When I saw a flake I thought might be gold, I would pick it up with a tiny wet paint brush, and dip it in a test tube. If it dropped off the brush to the bottom NOT like a rock, but a ROCKET, I new it was gold. It drops so fast in water, it’s almost like a magic trick. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/58 "2017-07-02T07:49:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > It drops so fast in water, it’s almost like a magic trick. Which of course is why panning for gold actually works (but you don’t see this happening in the pan due to sediment and other materials) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/59 "2017-07-02T11:03:07Z")
If it is gold, the peanut butter jar is not so mysterious. Storing something valuable in such a mundane container is a pretty good way to keep it from the attention of would-be pilferers, especially if they didn’t know what to look for. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2017, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095/60 "2017-07-02T12:18:53Z")
> [@yearofglad](#): > > Okay, have sent a few small sample pieces off to get analyzed. > > My grandfather was really into electronics - I remember playing with an oscilloscope when I was a kid - could these bits all have come from disassembling electronics? (If it matters, my grandfather died ~1988.) > > A couple of the pieces, upon closer inspection, do appear to have small chunks of something else “stuck” to them, as if the pieces were “carved” off another object (rather than found in a river, etc.) To me, they look like normal, unmodified, natural flakes of gold panned from a river. Not that I have personal experience with that, but they are consistent with the many photos on the net. As for the flat surfaces, in natural deposits, gold precipitates around quartz, including around large crystals (just google gold quartz for examples.) The flat surfaces could be where a growing lump of gold touched a face of a quartz crystal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-metal/790095.md?page=4)