From: REMOVE_THISdwilkins@means.net (Don Wilkins)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Tungsten Lumps: What Are They?
Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 03:38:14 GMT

On Thu, 18 May 2000 01:04:46 GMT, John Wasser
<NewsgroupPosting@John-Wasser.com> wrote:

>,;I have been finding small pieces of dense metal eroding out of the pile
>,;of sand left over from last winter's road sanding.   The sizes vary but
>,;the shape is fairly consistant:  Start with a cylinder about 1.5" long
>,;and 3/4" to 1" in diameter.  Chamfer both ends at a 45° angle to a
>,;depth of about 1/3 the diameter (fom a truncated cone where the small
>,;end is about 1/3 the diameter of the large end).  In the center of one
>,;end, drill (and possibly tap) a hole about 1/4 or 1/5 diameter.    On
>,;the 5 samples I have the hole is invariably filled with a rod that is
>,;broken off just below the surface.
>,;
>,;From some careful measurement the density appears to be 19.368 gm/cc,
>,;very close to the 19.3 of Tungsten and Gold.  They don't look like gold
>,;(and I'm not that lucky anyway) and they appear to be high-current
>,;electrodes, possibly from a nearby power substation, so I think they're
>,;Tungsten.   I sure hope they're not Uranium (18.7 gm/cc)!

I assume with your concern about Uranium that your density measurement
could be a tad high.

Tungsten carbide could be a cutting tool that might have found its way
to your "find".   Density ~ 17. Have they been removing a layer of
asphalt road surface with cutting tools lately in your area? I am
speaking of those occasions when you find a couple inches of asphalt
road surface ground off in preparation for applying a new surface.

This would probably be a cemented carbide.Try some muriatic acid on it
(not less than 20% HCl). That should dissolve enough cobalt to give a
bright blue color in concentrated HCl. If you get the blue color add
some water. If it turns pink then you have a cemented carbide.

(Adding water to concentrated HCl does not cause a problem)

I would do this by putting a couple drops of acid on the surface and
then blotting it up with some white paper (towel or toilet paper
e.g.).

Some of these cemented carbides contain tantalum and titanium as well
as tungsten carbides. This could have screwed up the wafer analysis
mentioned in another post if the operator was too hasty in coming to a
conclusion.


>,;
>,;One person thought they might be something called a "dispenser cathode"
>,;and used in some form of lighting.  Anyone care to provide a more
>,;definitive identification?
>,;
>,;
>,;On another topic:  What would be a good use for 1.5" bars of 3/4" to 1"
>,;Tungsten (aside from whatever their commercial use is).

From: REMOVE_THISdwilkins@means.net (Don Wilkins)
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking
Subject: Re: Tungsten Lumps: What Are They?
Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 03:38:10 GMT

On Thu, 18 May 2000 23:25:44 GMT, John Wasser
<NewsgroupPosting@John-Wasser.com> wrote:

>,;In article <39356641.47722088@news.cyberg8t.com>, Gunner
>,;<gunner@cyberg8t.com> wrote:
>,;
>,;> On Thu, 18 May 2000 01:04:46 GMT, John Wasser
>,;> <NewsgroupPosting@John-Wasser.com> wrote:
>,;>
>,;> > they appear to be high-current
>,;> >electrodes, possibly from a nearby power substation, so I think they're
>,;> >Tungsten.   I sure hope they're not Uranium!
>,;>
>,;> You have passed a Geiger counter over them, havent you?
>,;
>,;I have misplaced my Geiger counter so, no.
>,;
>,;A fellow member of the New England Model Engineering Society
>,;volunteered to get an analysis done on one but the machine he was
>,;planning to use got shipped to Texas so it will be a wait.  He was able
>,;to get  a surface scan on a wafer XRF analyzer.  The scan showed
>,;Tungsten (W), Osmium(Os), Rubidium (Rh), lead (Pb), Ytterbuim (Yb), and
>,;iron (Fe).  There is no evidence of Uranium, at least on the surface.

With all due respect I would discount all of this wafer analysis.
There is no way in hell that it contains Rubidium although Rh is
Rhodium not Rubidium. That combination of elements is not likely to be
found in anything you find chunks of along the road. Yb is one of the
rare earths and is not likely to be found without some of the other
rare earths.