jedijackie 0 Posted June 20, 2018 Hi everyone! I found a interesting rock with metallic luster here at home in Texas. I think it might be a mIneral rock but I have know clue as to what type of mineral. I am new to the forum and not very educated when it comes to rocks and mineral types. Thankfully we have sites like this one for rookies like me that don’t have a clue about rocks and fossils. I have posted pics of the rock and would love to know what everyone else thinks about what mineral type it could be, thanks y’all! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Tom 1,036 Posted June 20, 2018 Looks to me like a piece of Babbitt material from an over pour of a main bearing. You would have to give more statistics to determine more about it. Weight, is it mailable, has it been cleaned, etc. Looks very interesting to say the least. Old Tom Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jedijackie 0 Posted June 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Old Tom said: Looks to me like a piece of Babbitt material from an over pour of a main bearing. You would have to give more statistics to determine more about it. Weight, is it mailable, has it been cleaned, etc. Looks very interesting to say the least. Old Tom Hi old Tom, i did indeed conduct a streak test not sure if I did it right I will post a pic of the result Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jedijackie 0 Posted June 21, 2018 2 hours ago, Old Tom said: Looks to me like a piece of Babbitt material from an over pour of a main bearing. You would have to give more statistics to determine more about it. Weight, is it mailable, has it been cleaned, etc. Looks very interesting to say the least. Old Tom Ironically I found this rock outside my home in the dirt with other rocks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4meter 181 Posted June 21, 2018 The depressions in the sample make me think it was melted & poured; the coloration reminds me of an alloy (2 metals melted together) of some sort. I'm going with Old Tom's "Babbitt". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saul R W 741 Posted June 22, 2018 I second Old Tom's query for more info. Is it heavy or light for its size? Malleable or crispy-crunchy? Was the streak taken from the primary mineral? The piece appears to me to be composed of several distinct minerals, and I'm wondering if they would give different streaks? How hard is it using the Mohs scale? In one photo above, it almost looks like it left a mark on an index finger. Could the primary mineral be graphite? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reno Chris 427 Posted June 22, 2018 Its a piece of melted metal. If heavy perhaps Babbitt or lead, if light, perhaps aluminum. But its not a rock or a natural mineral. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saul R W 741 Posted June 22, 2018 2 hours ago, Reno Chris said: Its a piece of melted metal. If heavy perhaps Babbitt or lead, if light, perhaps aluminum. But its not a rock or a natural mineral. Chris, I thought so too, until I looked closer. Using the magnified view, there are what appear to be cleavage planes, very small, covering much of the surface. And then there are what appear to me to be several small pockets of crystallization (one of the more obvious pockets can be seen at bottom of second photo, just above thumb). I thought of a melted chunk of aluminum from a campfire, or maybe a chunk of Babbitt material like others suggested, or even some of the gunk that builds up under a grinding wheel, but the close-up view doesn't seem to bear that out. I could be wrong (and often am). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg L 21 Posted June 23, 2018 Saul, you nailed it worked stone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LipCa 357 Posted June 24, 2018 Definitely not a stone..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saul R W 741 Posted June 24, 2018 3 hours ago, Greg L said: Saul, you nailed it worked stone Hello, Greg. Hogwash. It's not "worked" anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Saul R W 741 Posted June 24, 2018 Here's a chunk of graphite that displays similar tiny cleavage under magnification. This entire discussion is pure speculation, though, unless we learn more about weight, hardness, et cetera. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg L 21 Posted June 25, 2018 I find the chunks of graphite and coal as well and think that was used to pigment the art pieces. When I washed the one I posted it lost a lot of detail, just one of my crazy theories though, no basis in reality. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reno Chris 427 Posted June 26, 2018 Quote there are what appear to be cleavage planes, very small, covering much of the surface. Although it has some angular features, it also has some very much melted features of rounding with probable bubble areas. Graphite rarely has a nice metallic surface, I think that photo is mostly a matter of photo reflection appearance. Graphite is only slightly metallic looking and also something that never looks melted. The metallic silver streak also says metal (Graphite has a steak that looks like pencil lead). In the end its impossible to be 100% sure. That's why identifying something from a photo or two is hard. The angular features could be an imprint of what it sat on in its melted form as it cooled. Also some metals will partly crystallize if they cool slowly. I'm still reasonably confident its some melted metal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
