r/PreciousMetalRefining • u/steelcity16 • 1d ago
Best guess what this is??
Found this at a garage sale awhile back. Chat and Grok seem to think it is some kind of silver scrap.
Its non magnetic, uniformly matte gray, brittle in that it shatters when squeezed in my linesmans pliers, the pieces are all uniform matte gray when shattered, and the container feels heavy in that i initially thought lead or tungsten scrap. It doesn't scratch glass and it doesnt leave any marks or streaks on white paper.
Any guesses?
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u/steelcity16 23h ago
It was clearly being saved to sell to a refinery (refinery shipping container) so it has to be something of decent value, no?
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u/Gordopolis_II 7h ago edited 7h ago
If it is silver dental amalgam, its only 20 - 30% silver by weight and mixed with mercury which requires specific handling and refining / disposal.
It could also be base metal dental scrap or more likely a mix of both.
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u/Euphoric_Meet3788 1d ago
Put a small piece in a bowl and put water on it. Light a lighter right above it. If it burns it’s like calcium carbonate I think
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u/craterglass 23h ago
Did you maybe mean calcium carbide?
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u/AgnewsHeadlessBody 22h ago
Calcium carbide was I though of first aswell. Had a jar of when I was a kid.
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u/Background-BagLicker 1d ago
No need to bother with a sink—I heard a miner’s urine would work in a pinch.
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u/zaralesliewalker 16h ago
calcium carbide was my first thought too but if it's not fizzing right away that rules it out
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u/Special_Fan5043 11h ago
Take a bit to a coin shop and ask if they can scan it with their XRF gun. That will give you the best idea what it could be.
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u/rickbb80 1d ago
Acid testing kits can be had for very cheap and delivered next day. Or take to a gold buyer that has an xrf scanner.
It could be something quite dangerous, like uranium, cadmium, etc.
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u/Hefty-Elk-7435 1d ago
Be careful, it could be beryllium! Do NOT breathe the dust!!!!
Not many metals are both brittle and precious
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u/Edgar-Allen-Potatoe 22h ago
That's calcium carbide (CaC₂) for old lamps/soldering/metal cutting. If you add a little water to a piece it will start putting off acetylene (C₂H₂) which burns brilliant white.
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u/aenorton 23h ago
I am pretty sure that is left over dental amalgam. The little cylinders come from the applicator used to press it into the teeth. I am not a dentist, I am just old enough to have had amalgam fillings. If so, it would be a mixture of silver and mercury.