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 Replies: 19 / Views: 3,173 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
This little nugget looks sorta like a fish to me.  [eBayItem]140716615548[/eBayItem] I post a pic since the listing will no longer be available at some point in time.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
Golden blob fish  |
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Valued Member
United States
306 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
89 Posts |
Is it me or it looks like it resembles a fish striking a kissing pose.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3179 Posts |
Looks like a Goldfish to me! |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
10284 Posts |
I almost want that nugget and I don't have any gold in natural form yet.  Yes, I suppose it is a rare kissing blob gold fish. Edited by TNG
03/05/2012 7:31 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1731 Posts |
Looks like a turtle?  |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
With small gold nuggets, their price can often be as much as double the refined spot price. Small time mineral specimen collectors love them. Enter the fakers. Melted coin gold can be poured over a height into water filled bucket, with gravel on the bottom of the bucket. Voila! Fake 'natural' gold nuggets!  BEWARE! Have a good look at this one. Maybe the same scenario, without the gravel, but perhaps been through a lapidarist's tumbler for a few minutes, to give it a 'genuine' surface. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
Is it me or it looks like it resembles a fish striking a kissing pose. Nope, Mpc, not just you. When I first looked at the pic of this nugget, my 1st thought was, "Hey, a fish with lips!". |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
Penquin, laying on it's side. :)
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Valued Member
United States
404 Posts |
I see a penguin, what does that say about my personality?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Quote:
Melted coin gold can be poured over a height into water filled bucket, with gravel on the bottom of the bucket.
That "nugget" looks remarkably similar to the silver shot that was given out for the redemption of $1 silver certificates in the 1960s. |
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Valued Member
United States
318 Posts |
There was a good friend of the family, a jeweler, who did a reasonably good business selling "gold nugget" jewelry by manufacturing nuggets with that water trick. He only used 24k gold so people got what they paid for, solder on a little loop and slide a gold chain through it, and charge a real nice premium for his trouble.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4008 Posts |
Quote:
Melted coin gold can be poured over a height into water filled bucket, with gravel on the bottom of the bucket. Metal shot is manufactured in this way with the molten metal passing through a screen to establish the drop size and falling from a height to let gravity form the drops into spheres. Water at the bottom both quenches the hot metal and softens the impact so they don't get damaged. That should work for silver and gold too.  |
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Valued Member
344 Posts |
ZWow its jesus reborn! The apocalypse is here.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
If the gold or lead shot is allowed to fall from a great enough height, it will solidify.
To make fake gold nuggets the gold is poured from a very low height, so it has nowhere enough time to solidify. It hits the water in a molten state, and changes into random shapes. The shapes can be very roughly controlled by the drop height.
Same applies to the depth of water. If the depth of water is too great, small pieces of gravel will not stick to the gold, because it would have already solidified.
It follows that the drop height through air must be small, and the depth of water must also be shallow.
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Replies: 19 / Views: 3,173 |
Posted 03/05/2012 7:10 pm
