jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 13:37:47 GMT -5
I tried to do it without cheating but I just did some back peddling through posts and came up with ferr*****con I didnt want to give it away in case it was the answer. That was a lot of reading to get there though. Chuck X marks the spot. Congrats Chuck. 95% ****** content, not 75 or 60 or 40%, they are too heavy. 75%***** is SG 3.4, 95%***** is SG 2.3 But I could be wrong, it may be titanium *******, tungsten *******, moly ******* and a whole list of other metals. I am not for sure.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Apr 1, 2015 13:44:15 GMT -5
did a quick google image search for "Ferrosilicon cabochon" and got zero results. Does not mean its not possible just no examples.
Chuck
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 14:01:11 GMT -5
did a quick google image search for "Ferrosilicon cabochon" and got zero results. Does not mean its not possible just no examples. Chuck I tumbled that piece with coral and not the most gentle conditions in the vibe. I have no doubt that it would cab. It does not seem to have a lot of fractures. it leaves a metal trail on a tumble polished piece of agate that does not come off, as metal does. You have to bear down very hard to lay the trail down. It acts exactly like silicon carbide and could probably be crushed to make a fine mobs 6 abrasive, sharp like SiC. will cut like crystalline quartz on the lapidary saw, but will turn your rotary into a fat pipe bomb LOL I found no cabs either Chuck. It is non staining and seems not to rust, heck, it is only 5% iron, 95% silica.
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Post by iant on Apr 1, 2015 14:14:24 GMT -5
Looks like Zinc now. (Referring to the sawn pic)
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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 1, 2015 15:33:17 GMT -5
The photo of the block piece looks like pure Silicon (Si). I bought a piece from The Rock Shed to add to my collection. A friend found a piece while walking on a Caribbean beach which is a little puzzling. Google photos of silicon and you will see the resemblance.
Darryl.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 15:44:02 GMT -5
Looks like Zinc now. (Referring to the sawn pic) Yes it does. Turks make jewelry out of zinc and it does have the same color and texture.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 15:51:22 GMT -5
The photo of the block piece looks like pure Silicon (Si). I bought a piece from The Rock Shed to add to my collection. A friend found a piece while walking on a Caribbean beach which is a little puzzling. Google photos of silicon and you will see the resemblance. Darryl. Using SG measurements and making assumptions I am guessing that this is the popular 90-95% silicon/5% iron Darryl. it is carried commonly in bulk on the rail system near my house. To auto manufacturing plants south of here. At SG 2.3 it is bang on for 95/5 ferrosilicon. 75/25 seems to have similar characteristics visually, but SG 3.4 and much less brittle. Still shows crystalline structure. It may be superior for tumbling and cabbing if it won't rust. Rail car loads almost guarantees it to be ferrosilicon due to the shear quantities. Ferromanganese is another common bulk silica alloy.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 15:52:45 GMT -5
I saw that @shotgunner
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 1, 2015 17:14:13 GMT -5
if etched it has classic meteorite crystalline lattices like a Gibeon meteorite Missed your post when I read your thread on the ferrosilicon, jamesp, because I didn't know if it were etched it would look like the Widmanstätten pattern seen in some meteorites, such as Gibeon. I still like Hornblende the Ferrosilicon Hippo.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 20:52:46 GMT -5
if etched it has classic meteorite crystalline lattices like a Gibeon meteorite Missed your post when I read your thread on the ferrosilicon, jamesp, because I didn't know if it were etched it would look like the Widmanstätten pattern seen in some meteorites, such as Gibeon. I still like Hornblende the Ferrosilicon Hippo. That hippo took a lot of heat to create. The steel plate the ferrosilicon was sitting on was melting before it did. After melting and flowing like molten metal it cooled like a metal(smooth). But if you chipped a piece off the melt it was obviously crystalline in nature. Acts exactly like a half rock/half metal.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 20:58:57 GMT -5
Ferrosilicon at manufacturing facility
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 1, 2015 21:00:24 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2015 21:20:40 GMT -5
A) how does it etch?
B) zinc melts very low.
C) the crystals aren't triangular for real? Right? Silicon crystals not even close to meteorite.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 2, 2015 4:24:14 GMT -5
A) how does it etch? B) zinc melts very low. C) the crystals aren't triangular for real? Right? Silicon crystals not even close to meteorite. It should etch some how. It has crystalline patterns when sawn, it may be the kerosene saw oil that made them stand out. More visible than in the photo. And not so triangular, but patterns are there. Just using the meteorite for an example. i.e., it has patterns as if etched w/out etching it. I looked at other meteorites that etch with random patterns, and some of them somewhat resembled the more random pattern of this stuff. I am assuming it is ferrosilicon, but it may be some other silicon alloy. The SG of 2.3 points toward 95/5 ferrosilicon, and it is common. But I have made no effort to do any analysis. But will if you have any ideas, I have sulfuric, muratic and oxalic acid here on the farm. I have no experience with etching.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 2, 2015 4:43:54 GMT -5
gingerkid- I see what you are saying about the patterns. you are right, they do not look like Gibeon. I was just making a point that it has patterns, like some meteorites when sawn. Patterns that may show up if it was cabbed or tumbled and then etched or treated somehow. I thought the patterns may show up after a tumble polish, but apparently not. Apparently some type of chemical treatment is necessary. it would add to its appeal if it could be say cabbed or tumbled and then treated to show those patterns.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 2, 2015 4:57:29 GMT -5
I did notice a change in the size of the crystal structures where I melted it. The raw unheated material had larger crystal structures at the broken faces. After breaking the section that was melted with the oxy/acetylene torch the lattices/structures were much smaller and compact. Macro of melted section after being broken open, looks like finer more compact structures. So by remelting perhaps the size scale of the patterns can be reduced. For a busier effect. And maybe the bubbles can be removed. Broken face about 3/8 inch across:
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 2, 2015 7:28:03 GMT -5
I was just making a point that it has patterns, like some meteorites when sawn. Patterns that may show up if it was cabbed or tumbled and then etched or treated somehow. I thought the patterns may show up after a tumble polish, but apparently not. Apparently some type of chemical treatment is necessary. it would add to its appeal if it could be say cabbed or tumbled and then treated to show those patterns. Thank you for your explanation, jamesp. I have enjoyed your experiments with the space age material.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 2, 2015 8:45:12 GMT -5
I was just making a point that it has patterns, like some meteorites when sawn. Patterns that may show up if it was cabbed or tumbled and then etched or treated somehow. I thought the patterns may show up after a tumble polish, but apparently not. Apparently some type of chemical treatment is necessary. it would add to its appeal if it could be say cabbed or tumbled and then treated to show those patterns. Thank you for your explanation, jamesp. I have enjoyed your experiments with the space age material. It seems to be giving new life and virility. Changing the colors of my eyes, etc.
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 2, 2015 8:52:57 GMT -5
LOL, James. I'm clueless about why we now have a jamesp and @shotgunner.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 2, 2015 8:57:28 GMT -5
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