Metal experts required - what have I got here??

[Stacktastic]

I went to a charity shop with my son and found a little 3d puzzle thing made of metal for £4. Right up his street. On the way to the pub I could hear the sound of it and immediately thought 'I hear a near silver sound', although it certainly was not silver. See below for the sound - video. 

I thought it was a magnet but he said its not, so that really sparked my interests for platinum, palladium or even rhodium.  😛 
Then I got it in my hand & felt the weight of it & its quite heavy, but have nothing to compare it too. 

Things I do know: 

• Its heavier than my gold (I think) as I have weighed out the equivalent (minus 2g for the plastic), but unsure of the metal content? 
• It has rust on it in places so oxidises. 
• its machine made - maybe a mass produced item - which might actually pin point it. Probably quite a common item. 
• Makes a square but I am not sure how to put it back together 😛 
• it sticks to a magnet which rules out platinum, palladium & rhodium  
• the bar bit weighs in at 62 ounces. 

Maybe its steel, but I have never heard it make this sound or weigh as much? 
Dont think its copper, but my 5kg bar is very heavy. Nickel?? 

What else??

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Stacktastic

[SidS]

Cobalt is magnetic. It doesn't rust though. Not sure about the weight.

Titanium would be heavy, but that's not magnetic.

[Stacktastic]

23 minutes ago, SidS said:

Cobalt is magnetic. It doesn't rust though. Not sure about the weight.

Titanium would be heavy, but that's not magnetic.

When you say magnetic - do you mean it does not stick to a magnet or is a magnet (if that makes sense). 

[SidS]

7 minutes ago, Stacktastic said:

When you say magnetic - do you mean it does not stick to a magnet or is a magnet (if that makes sense). 

Magnetic as in it will stick to a magnet.

Iron, Nickel and Cobalt are the three elements which are magnetic. I believe there are a few other elements which are also magnetic but they are rarer.

Alloys which are magnetic will contain one of those three elements.

Edited September 6, 2022 by SidS

[Stacktastic]

1 hour ago, SidS said:

Magnetic as in it will stick to a magnet.

Iron, Nickel and Cobalt are the three elements which are magnetic. I believe there are a few other elements which are also magnetic but they are rarer.

Alloys which are magnetic will contain one of those three elements.

Its very unprovable its platinum on second thoughts as I always thought it went from a silver price to current but it was £200 an ounce 20 years ago.  Never needed to look really, but it makes the price of silver laughable, although i much prefer platinum even over gold, fabulous metal, but a pain to sell - my plat brit was a treasure to hold, but I sold it just before it crashed in Jan 2021 along with all my gold (complete fluke).  

What about the noise - does a steel/iron alloy sound like that & weigh the same? It to me just sounds too much like silver, gold, but I have nothing to compare it with apart from copper, which also has a bit of a satisfying 'tiiiingggg' to it. 

Would be nice to get a ounce for ounce weight in comparison with other metals as I guess they have standardised weights. Would a volume type thing work, like a e Erika can? probbaly easier to tie down the exact same product. This is a DIY one - different though. 

https://smallpuzzlecollection.blogspot.com/2011/10/aluminium-10-move-burr.html 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Stacktastic

[LawrenceChard]

2 hours ago, SidS said:

Magnetic as in it will stick to a magnet.

Iron, Nickel and Cobalt are the three elements which are magnetic. I believe there are a few other elements which are also magnetic but they are rarer.

Alloys which are magnetic will contain one of those three elements.

You are ignoring neodymium, and some others.

😎

[LawrenceChard]

2 hours ago, SidS said:

Cobalt is magnetic. It doesn't rust though. Not sure about the weight.

Titanium would be heavy, but that's not magnetic.

Titanium is light, or at least it has a relatively low density or specific gravity.

😎

[Petra]

The bar that weighs 62g, work out volume and search using those figures. Unfortunately not much help if it is made of more than one metal.

[LawrenceChard]

3 hours ago, Stacktastic said:

I went to a charity shop with my son and found a little 3d puzzle thing made of metal for £4. Right up his street. On the way to the pub I could hear the sound of it and immediately thought 'I hear a near silver sound', although it certainly was not silver. See below for the sound - video. 

I thought it was a magnet but he said its not, so that really sparked my interests for platinum, palladium or even rhodium.  😛 
Then I got it in my hand & felt the weight of it & its quite heavy, but have nothing to compare it too. 

Things I do know: 

• Its heavier than my gold (I think) as I have weighed out the equivalent (minus 2g for the plastic), but unsure of the metal content? 
• It has rust on it in places so oxidises. 
• its machine made - maybe a mass produced item - which might actually pin point it. Probably quite a common item. 
• Makes a square but I am not sure how to put it back together 😛 
• it sticks to a magnet which rules out platinum, palladium & rhodium  
• the bar bit weighs in at 62 ounces. 

Maybe its steel, but I have never heard it make this sound or weigh as much? 
Dont think its copper, but my 5kg bar is very heavy. Nickel?? 

What else??

 

Nickel or cupro-nickel are possibles, but also sounds like it contains some iron.

Probably a similar alloy to some of the magnetic Chinese fake silver coins.

Does nobody near you have a Niton XRF machine?

😎

[Stacktastic]

42 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

You are ignoring neodymium, and some others.

😎

isnt that magnetic? I only know of it as its light weight speaker metals & its a magnet.  

[Stacktastic]

41 minutes ago, Petra said:

The bar that weighs 62g, work out volume and search using those figures. Unfortunately not much help if it is made of more than one metal.

Yeah when I work out how to do that. 😛 

40 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

Nickel or cupro-nickel are possibles, but also sounds like it contains some iron.

Probably a similar alloy to some of the magnetic Chinese fake silver coins.

Does nobody near you have a Niton XRF machine?

😎

Yeah maybe I dont know anything. 
No idea what your talking about & I know of someone nearish, but dont know them.  

If it was not magnetic then I would be super excited, but as you say its probbaly an alloy? 
The noise is the main thing though, it just sounds really like a slightly dulled silver sound? 

Edited September 6, 2022 by Stacktastic

[LawrenceChard]

7 minutes ago, Stacktastic said:

isnt that magnetic? I only know of it as its light weight speaker metals & its a magnet.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium