[meteorite-list] I know what it looks like. . .

[Michael Murray]

Hi David, other interested list members,
The Lone Ranger could have been up there on that mountainside in those  
woods, I don't know.  If he had been, he would have probably had iron  
on his hip, which sometimes while up in the thick timber by myself, I  
wished I'd had on me.  Pepper spray just doesn't seem to be the right  
thing to have somehow.   A 357 or a 32 Winchester Special would be  
more comforting, if you know what I mean.  And then too, what good is  
a prospector's pick with a 16" handle.  Probably not much.  I doubt if  
a mountain lion would care if his prey was carrying a 16" prospector's  
pick or, for that matter, if he was swinging a metal detector, eh?

Anyway, by my reference to performing bulk density testing, I meant I  
was following the steps mentioned in the Field Guide to Meteors and  
Meteorites by O. Richard Norton and Lawrence A Chitwood.  Page 254.   
Step 1, weigh the specimen.  Step 2, zero out the scale with a  
container of water sitting on it.  Step 3, weigh while specimen is  
suspended in the water.  Then divide the specimen weight by the  
suspended specimen weight to get the g/cc.  Once I had done this, I  
compared the result with the chart in the Guide on page 253 just to be  
sure I was somewhat correct in my testing.  Looked to me that the  
7.75g/cc was right in the ballpark for an iron but then I have to say  
that I don't know fully what man-made iron average bulk density weight  
is so it could be man-made just the same.  From what I can read on the  
net, man-made iron bulk density average should be comparable to an  
iron meteorite bulk density average.  My scale is a Palmscale 8, not  
that that matters a whole lot but I believe it is a pretty accurate  
little bugger.

All the best,
Mike in CO


On Oct 2, 2010, at 4:18 PM, David Gunning wrote:

>
> Hi Mike,
>
> Odd looking specimen you got there.
>
> If it's got a specific gravity of 7.75 it falls within the range of  
> being
> a piece of iron (7.3 - 7.8).
>
> I am not sure what you mean when you say "after doing a bulk density
> weighing" and coming-up with "7.5g/cc".  According to Professor  
> Randy L.
> Kootev, an internet expert on these kinds of measurements: "In order  
> to
> measure density, it is necessary to measure the volume of a rock.   
> That's
> hard to do accurately".
>
> In any event, from the pictures you posted it reminds me of some  
> sort of
> bullet mold.
>
> But what I don't understand is the nickel test reaction.  But, then,
> there are many things I don't fully understand.
>
> Maybe King-o-sabi (the Lone Ranger) was casting silver bullets with  
> it.
> Some chemical tests for silver can turn strongly red colored, and if
> there was a residue of Silver, who knows?
>
> Hi Ho Silver, Up, Up and Awayyyy!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Dave Gunning
>
>
>
>
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