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coincollector101
Penny Sorter Member
86 Posts |
 Posted - 01/14/2008 : 05:56:34
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I found a Lab that does Analysis on metals.
I just stumbled across it and remembered we were looking for one to test weird pennies.
You must be logged in to see this link.
Have a good day,
CC
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El Dee
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
547 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2008 : 08:48:37
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Dang.
I just tossed one of those weird 1974 pennies into the barrel. |
Trust the government? Ask an Indian. |
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fiatboy
Administrator
912 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2008 : 11:27:43
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| I still got mine. I may have to look into this. Thanks for the linky, CC. |
"Bart, it's not about how many stocks you have, it's about how much copper wire you can get out of the building." --- Homer Simpson |
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MaDeuce
Penny Pincher Member
USA
124 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 09:24:40
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$30/test is a great deal. They seem to be kinda slow (~2 weeks), but at that price, who cares? Most test labs charge $100-250/sample.
One alternative is to bring a cold case of beer over to the neighborhood scrap yard on Friday afternoon. Give them the beer if they'll leave you alone in a room with their XRF for 30 minutes. Seriously, if you have a couple of things you'd like to test, most scrap yards will be happy to let you use their XRF, which is hard to beat.
MaDeuce
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fiatboy
Administrator
912 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 14:56:09
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| Would my beloved 1974 mystery penny be damaged in this assay? I don't know much about testing metals beyond acid tests and fire assays. |
"Bart, it's not about how many stocks you have, it's about how much copper wire you can get out of the building." --- Homer Simpson |
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pencilvanian
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2209 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 18:08:58
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You are lucky to have such scrap dealers near you MaDeuce.
The Scrap dealers I have dealt with have the modern technology of a scale to weigh the scrap and a forklift to haul larger quantities of scrap from point A to point B.
I guess scrapers near me are just behind the times. |
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MaDeuce
Penny Pincher Member
USA
124 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 19:37:39
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quote:
Originally posted by fiatboy
Would my beloved 1974 mystery penny be damaged in this assay? I don't know much about testing metals beyond acid tests and fire assays.
The test that was mentioned at the beginning of the thread is non-destructive. My somewhat limited understanding of these tests is that X-ray spectroscopy (the original) test, is the same thing as XRF (X-ray fluorescence). This test just bombards the sample with X-rays and then measures/categorizes the emissions from the metal. The emissions are ultimately translated into metal content percentages.
One caveat about XRF is that is only looks at the surface. If you have a clad coin, you can get a misleading reading. To guard against this, I will sand a coin down on one side until it is about 1/2 the original thickness. That way, I know that I am getting a reading at the core.
For your prize penny, you'd have to settle for the surface reading if you did XRF.
If you want a deeper "whole coin" reading, another option would be an eddy current sensor. This is what most of the alloy-detection systems in sorters use to discriminate between coins. A place that does NDT (non-destructive testing) would likely have these devices. I have not seen one at a salvage yard.
The most accurate test involves dissolving the coin in acid and then running a spectrographic test. Obviously, you aren't interested in this one.
MaDecue |
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fiatboy
Administrator
912 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 20:02:06
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| Thanks, MaDeuce! |
"Bart, it's not about how many stocks you have, it's about how much copper wire you can get out of the building." --- Homer Simpson |
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Lab that does Analysis by X-Ray Spectrometer
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