Can anyone help identify these pieces of molten metal?

[bill.moulton]

Can anyone help identify these pieces of molten metal?
I keep finding them just inland of one of the 1715 wrecks
in Central Florida. I think they are way to light to be silver,
but they must be coming off the wreck.

 

[Keith IL]

n/t

 

[bdahunter]

Molten aluminium blobs, find them all the time here. Possibly a result of welding aluminium, the melting point of aluminium is too high for it to be anything else.

BDA

 

[Goldringer]

n/t

 

[bdahunter]

The melting point for aluminium is 1220 F and a house fire typically maxs out around 1000 F. (something I picked up when I got my building inspector's ticket)
Not saying it's not possible, just quite the bonfire and lots of oxygen required to pump up the temperature to melting point.

BDA

 

[Bob @ Sebastian]

Bill
Pictures are quite small but I think what you have is pieces of the Challenger Space Shuttle that fell in this area in the 1986 tragedy. I have some myself. Not to common but most my friends here have found some and samples were sent to NASA and verified. The metal is heaver then aluminum, but lighter than silver and very hard. I also have found silver in the form of ore here on the Treasure Coast Beaches.
I took a sample to Bill, the head of the Mel Fisher Conservation Lab here in Sebastian. He said that the Spanish usually brought refined silver back to Spain but they might have been carrying a small amount of ore. His only other explanation is that it is known that the survivors did burn some of the silver on the beach, that they could not take with them, to keep the Indians and Pirates from getting it. Their was at least one Dutch ship that raided the salvage operation and the Ayes Indians were always taking what they could.

Hope this helps
Bob

 

[Goldringer]

It sure is. The factors that make it quite a regular occurrence is that a beer can is extremely thin and Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat. Bon fires on the beach here are nearly always fanned by the prevailing Trades so oxygen supply is not a problem. Melting brass or steel is something different but these scanty aluminum beer or soda cans wilt rapidly.

I have never seen a welder running around the beach, nor a black smith, not even a foundry man but big hot bon fires are a common place. By the way, I managed one of the most modern foundries in the Western Pacific for 24 years along with a couple major machine shops. Metal was my life's blood for 36 years. still, I have much to learn and the technology is changing every day.

I do respect your input and for just about anything thicker than a beer can you are 100% correct.

 

[bdahunter]

I thought some more about what your post after my response and the night breezes combined with the thin aluminium makes it a possibility.(forgot to think first and respond second, must be getting old)
I've worked with aluminium welders in the family business, we make HV transformers and those welders are hot. Whether or not you could use them underwater or not, I don't know, any ideas.

BDA

PS I suppose it could be space shuttle debris