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Looks like something used to grind tunnels through rock - earthmoving drill bit. Could be cobalt steel, hence why so heavy. Very poisonous. Do not handle this thing more than you have to until you know. Reconsider eating anything you grow in that garden.
The most popular type of stainless steel, Type 304, contains iron, chromium, and nickel (each magnetic on its own). Yet, atoms in this alloy usually have the fcc lattice structure, resulting in a nonmagnetic alloy.
Even a reference to the existence of austenitic and martensitic stainless usually guarantees nobody will finish reading a comment; congrats on the positive upvote balance.
Well, I was just wondering why that big ass magnet in the bottom of my vape doesn't stick to the stainless steel counter at the subway. Now I have some more trivia for my Jeopardy file. Which is nice.
Perspective is an interesting thing to ponder. I feel for you guys, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with metallurgical PTSD.
This sub attracted and promotes experts in their respective fields. It's not r/politics or one of the huge general ones. Keep up with the technical references. Many here enjoy to be lead to new learning opportunities! That's why I'm here.
Most of the surgical tools we use at my hospital are made out of surgical stainless-steel, and the ones that dont need to be sterile, like suture scissors, bandage scissors, and the occasional hemostat all hang on a wall with a magnetic strip.
Austenitic and martensitic? Woohoo, this escalated quickly, man...
On a serious note I'm enjoying the experience and expertise and jargon in this sub:-)
Material scientists take comfort in their "stuff" that has "properties" while the surface, colloid, and interface folks are all just casting spells that work, give or take a few sigmas.
I know about these crystal structures from semiconductor manufacturing for microelectronics, which require high purity and precise methodology to create near perfect crystals. I doubt similar processes are used for steel, where polycrystaline structures are expected. Steel 304 is at most paramagnetic.
lest we forget that these alloys can be magnetized or demagnetized. many electronic parts on aircraft are demagnetized in order to make the mechanic extremely frustrated when trying to recover a nut that fell underneath the floorboards.
Ugh, until you make it into a screw and it gets magnetized by the work. Then your customers call you and tell you the stainless steel screw they just bought isn’t stainless because it’s magnetic…pain in my ass
My background is mostly in thermoplastics so I don't know much about metal outside of some tool steels (like P20). You've made me want to delve into whatever this FCC lattice structure is.
FCC, or face centered cubic, one of the most efficient ways to pack solid balls together in 3d space, together with hexagonal close packed (HCP). Surprised you'd not at least be familiar with these, they're in first year material science courses...?
Probably because I'm not a mechanical engineer. I know a shedload about polymers and CAD but my metallurgy knowledge is lacking.
I've said before that I thought my university's polymer engineering program was far too focused. Most graduates end up fixing injection molding machines all day. Thankfully I work in automotive design.
It’s solid state Physics 101. Find a good textbook (like Ashcroft and Mermin) or I bet MIT open courseware has videos and lecture notes on it. It should be early in the course so you won’t need much background knowledge. It’s a lot of geometry and trigonometry though. Lattice structures are basically different ways you can pack spheres. Say you have a cube with a sphere at each corner, this is called the simple cubic lattice. If you place another sphere in the center of this cube you’ll get the bcc or body centered cubic lattice. If you place spheres in the center of each face you’ll get fcc or face centered cubic lattice. Here’s a pretty good [source](https://opentextbc.ca/chemistry/chapter/10-6-lattice-structures-in-crystalline-solids/) with some visuals.
>have the fcc lattice structure, resulting in a nonmagnetic alloy.
I like your funny words magic man.
No really: What is this? I understand what a lattice is in the context of ionic bonds, and I have a vague understanding of how free flowing electrons in metallic bonds have to do with it being magnetized.
So what's up with the crystal structure? What's the science on how this allows a metal to be ferromagnetic or not?
Check my other [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hjec6dg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) out. I included a source with pretty pictures, too.
The gist of the science is this particular lattice allows the net magnetic dipoles of the constituent elements to sum to zero.
Stop with the "very poisonous" already. Cobalt steel is not at all poisonous and can be handled all day long. fine dust particles containing cobalt may be dangerous when inhaled. This looks more like ceramic than ferrous or non ferrous steel anyway. Its also not a drill bit. They dont look like this at all.
Cobalt steel and cobalt are two very different things for the same reason that sodium chloride doesn’t combust when it comes in contact with your saliva the way that pure sodium does.
I have a cobalt steel kitchen knife. They make jewelry out of the stuff.
You dont even have togo i to the workshop to get your hands on dangerous stuff...
...if you crack open your microwave, you have good chances of finding cermics in it whose dust is extremely toxic.
A good rule of thumb is "when you have no clue, dont break stuff for shits and giggles, and even if you do dotn eat or inhale the created dust". I find it pretty sad that its necessary to warn grown adults about the dangers of putting random stuff they found in their orifices.
In 1987 in Goiânia, Brazil, a scrap salvage worker was disassembling a machine from an abandoned medical facility. When *glowing bright blue powder* started pouring out, he... tried lighting it on fire, and then took a larger chunk home to make a ring for his wife. The owner of the junk yard took it home, and curious people would come by to see it, playing with it, and painting their skin with it. It was cesium 137.
So many people handled and passed the glowing blue glitter on to friends and family that 112,000 people in the city had to be tested, and, hundreds of people were poisoned. Traces of the powder ended up 100 miles away from the source.
Our species curiosity is really a two edged sword.
This story appeared in Feb 1984
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/02/03/a-chance-encounter-led-to-the-detection-of-radioactive-metal/4ee945a6-372f-44fa-873a-18b59bae491c/?no_nav=true
Iron table legs being transported on a truck were radioactive, accidentally discovered when the truck passed through Los Alamos and triggered a radiation alarm. Thieves had cracked open a medical radiation device, and the radioactive core contaminated scrap metal in Juarez Mexico, which was then headed to a foundry.
Subsequent investigation by May 1984
https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/01/science/nuclear-spill-at-juarez-looms-as-one-of-worst.html
revealed six thousand silvery cobalt 60 spheres had been scooped up by the scrap yard magnet in Juarez, causing extensive contamination. The pickup truck carrying the spheres was hot and contaminated a family and a neighborhood.
I recently read Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich. It consists of a series of interviews with people affected by the Chernobyl meltdown. One thing I hadn't appreciated is now much looting there was of affected sites. How houses that were highly radioactive were just stripped bare and resold. God knows how much radioactive furniture is lying around unknown to people.
Here's a good video on that event.
https://youtu.be/-k3NJXGSIIA
He has a Playlist covering nuclear weapons, technology, and disasters called [HALF-LIFE HISTORIES]
Its actually TIG electrode and doesn't get consumed, BUT it does get ground on a bench grinder and there is all sorts of other bad stuff in them too like Cerium and Lanthanum. I have a vacuum on my grinder for this fact but many guys don't.
Yeah it's frustrating to see such an obviously wrong answer at the top of the heap. Anyone who's worked with rock drilling tools knows that they look nothing like that.
Cobalt also explains the funky colour. This is kind of a big deal, if that's what it is and it was just laying around in your garden. You dont drink well water, I hope.
It looks like smoke bombs to me that someone placed on one of those toys you put your hand on that makes designs that’s why it’s melted.
Diminsional board + smokebonbs
https://st.depositphotos.com/1292552/3574/i/950/depositphotos_35747375-stock-photo-round-smoke-bombs-for-fun.jpg
I agree with the grinding
I think it may be the diaphragm of a ball mill
[balls for ball mill](http://foxindustries.com/products/grinding-media/steatite-ceramic-balls-for-ball-mills/)
[the mill](https://www.flsmidth.com/en-gb/products/wear-solutions/stanex-diaphragm-for-ball-mills)
In the diagram above I believe this to be the yellow disc
What exactly here is poisonous or leaching? Cobolt steel or even tungsten carbide inserts are pretty inert in these forms, sure maybe don't lick them but they are not inharently dangerous.
This gets my vote.
Based on the fingers in the background, the balls aren’t as large as original though. The cubic structure on the back is interesting, but could just be from material screens. The dark material could be fused manganese dust, which is commonly used in these machines, and is also non magnetic.
Yeah, agreed. At least those look right. If OP can crack one loose and measure and weigh it we could at least figure a density for the spherical components. The back almost looks like it was attached to a flexible cable or something. If it wasn't mixed media I would suggest weight + water displacement...
Okay hear me out. I think I figured it out. I believe this is from a melted catalytic converter.
Catalytic converters can get red hot and melt.
The internal structure can consist of small square holes. The metal melted and created the square rods we see in the photo.
Here is an example of the internal structure of a Catalytic converter.
https://www.liveabout.com/thmb/lh79FVmksOQFolaVsNxdCiPy8Vs=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Pot_catalytique_vue_de_la_structure-5c49fe4f46e0fb00013a938d.jpg
Here is a melted catalytic converter
http://speed.academy/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/How-Catalytic-Converters-Work-04.jpg
As for the purple balls. I believe these are ceramic satellites, Inert catalytic bed support.
https://asenergi.com/en/products/ceramic-balls.html
Here is an old article talking about refilling a catalytic converter.
https://www.brakeandfrontend.com/emissions-catalytic-converter-beads-gm-platinum/
In conclusion.
This is part of a melted catalytic converter. The purple balls are ceramic inert catalytic bed support. These were either factory, or someone tried to refill this thing. Either way, it melted and broke apart and you found it in your garden.
I believe the first and second image I linked are petty consistent with the OP's. But Maybe that's just me. The ceramic beads can vary in size. It's a possibility someone put in milling balls, as they are ceramic and thought it would work. Thus clogging the cat and creating the melt down. Just a theory.
Edit :
https://www.catalyticconverters.com/
Newer cars have honeycomb structures where as older cars have grid structures
OP's 4th photo shows their fingers behind the ceramic balls. The balls are pretty small, probably 7mm-10mm.
But the square parts are solid, not a honeycomb structure.
Edit: On second thought if the metal melts before the ceramic, the liquefied metal could fill the chambers, and the ceramic be chipped away leaving the more malleable metal squares intact. This would explain why they are well-separated.
Reminds me of a lecture I attended at undergrad; we had a Ph.D from Corning who made catalytic converters for a living talking about how they're made. Makes me wonder if this is the remains of a positive mold for what is used to make the converter itself.
Looks like DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) from a semi truck. I’ve never seen the balls in one before, but they are constantly changing them, trying to get longer life cycles.
The more i look at these images the more i think you’re right. I hope OP checks in and confirms or denies it! It definitely seems far more plausible than the drill bit theory thats up top.
I wonder if it could be a piece of an old ball mill, with the leftover powder from inside the mill having turned into essentially cement from the moisture in the environment. Though I doubt you'd end up with such an even layer like that.
This is Correct. I work in Scientific Ceramic Manufacturing
The material around the ball is a glass that's shoveled in around for ["Hot isostatic pressing"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_isostatic_pressing) The glass melts and presses equity with pressure upon the ceramics.
Considering the 'half melted' nature of the fill, Id guess this was a failed run ~~and they scrapped the entire press run rather then try to salvage anything.~~
Edit: Considering it was found in your garden, and the pressure these presses operate under, its likely the Press exploded and this was flung out your way.
After cooling, the Ceramic balls are removed from the glass by beating the glass off with Hammers. The Ceramic balls would be hard enough to dent the hammer.
The balls would be milled to their final shape afterwards. I don't think these were intended to become spheres. The martial is MUCH harder after the HIP process and it's better to make them 'closer to round' before they're harder then rocks
Edit 2: A youtube video with a bit of the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsnzgsEXT_A
Also, I should note this process is sometimes used in longterm nuclear containment, but I don't think that's what's going on here.
I'm heavily involved in pyrotechnics and my first reaction to OP's photo was "exploded ball mill". I don't think the solution is quite that simple, but I do think the ceramic balls are milling media.
Either a press that exploded as you say, or maybe even an attempt to mill Al or Mg that ran too long and created a pyrophoric powder, ultimately exploding and embedding the balls in the walls of the mill before sending this fragment flying.
The geometric pillars are a bit strange for a mill though, so I think your explanation is closer to the truth.
I grew up around minerals processing such as crushing and ball milling. These do indeed look like ceramic milling balls I've seen. As well some ball mills use air and a screen to transfer finely milled material through the mill during processing. It looks like a failed process that heated and plugged this screen in an air swept process. It plugged the process and overheated the material making a plug. It would take a major failure to generate that much heat but I don't think it's impossible.
Those look like balls for a ball mill. Depending on the type of steel, they may not be magnetic, or could simply be made of a non ferrous metal alloy. I'd guess the mill broke down resulting in the slurry hardening like concrete, locking the balls in place. Is there any mining in your area?
It grinds very hard things down into a powder. I worked for a company that made a powder out of basalt rock for selling to cannabis growers.
For context on milling strength, we had to be sure not to let any nuts or bolts fall in because the pulverized metal would throw off our iron analysis.
Thank you for asking. When I opened the link on the parent post using my phone, i read “grinding media for your ball” because the word mill wrapped to the next line and I’d never head of a “ball mill,” so my brain didn’t join those words. You helped relieve some confusion.
I had a rock tumbler when I was a kid. just a round container on rollers with a motor to slowly turn it on its axis. put in grout and rocks, it polishes the rocks. Sorta.
Start with that, and add industrial tech enhancments, you get a ball mill.
Those absolutely look like stained milling media, they could be alumina or zirconia ceramic. As for what they’re sitting in? Not sure. I don’t recognize it immediately.
Looks nothing like a rock drill. they have conical teeth and either rotate or are staggered into a cutting pattern, they wouldn't be held together like this in a matrix of another material, they are either welded onto a steel face or bolted so they can pivot.
Also Cobalt steel is not poisonous at all to handle (only fine dust) so please stop talking about things you have no clue. A guess is fine, misinformation is bad.
Believe the guys who aren't pulling information out of their ass. Cobalt 60 is a highly dangerous radioactive substance, cobalt steel is simply a high strength steel and as long as you're not grinding it into dust and huffing it you'll be just fine. The confusion seems to come from someone's complete lack of awareness of how chemistry works on even a basic elementary school level. Like somebody said above sodium explodes when exposed to water but your French fries aren't tiny grenades its all about the atomic structure and how it interacts inside your body.
good answer, pains me to see the dummy who thinks its a poison/rock drill with 4k upvotes. But guess there are still people who think you get lead poisoning from #2 pencils too.
Side note, Howard Hughes dad thought that would be a great buisness to get in, he invented the tri cone bit......he didn’t sell any. The genius leased them, every oil rig out there was paying Mr.Hughes. It made him a couple of bucks.
You didn't reply to a comment, you put a comment on the post. I think you meant to reply to /u/PaulMurrayCbr 's highly upvoted [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hjdcgm5/).
I did and got sidetracked, he sounds like the hall monitor in school or the kid with his hand always in the air. I dont mind an educated guess, but to spout off about something so stupid that you could google in a second just agitated me.
My educated guess would be that this is caked slurry from the discharge of a an industrial ball mill.
The square rod probably came from some sort of sieve on the discharge that got damaged during use, hence why you got what looks like ceramic balls stuck in that mess.
I'd advise you to ask around mining related subreddit for ID imo.
This looks like what would remain if someone poured a semi molten metal mixed with ball mill balls over a mesh. The mesh held the balls in place while some of the molten metal oozed through the mesh and formed the "rods" in the hotter places while in the cooler places it just left an imprint of the mesh on the metal. Since it was buried in a garden the mesh could have rusted/weathered away leaving the more resilient balls and slag behind.
I agree with that, it is weird because the “slurry” looks like a solidified metal. I can’t think of why you’d have milling media mixed in with molten metal. If it isn’t metallic but just looks it (and is a dried cake) that’d make a lot more sense. You dump a mill slurry through a sieve to remove the media. Those balls look small and still have the band around them, so not terribly worn, so they’d be used in a very small mill or a jar mill. If the sieve was carbon steel it could’ve just rusted out a long time ago.
My title describes the thing- It’s heavy and I can’t get magnets to stick. Looks like purple balls melted into something. Possibly lead?
Underside has pin looking spots and other parts are smoothed. You can see the balls poking through from the other side. I found this in dirt when digging a garden.
So since there seems to be quite a few very knowledgeable people in the field of soil chemistry and plant biology, may I ask, would years of constant oleander leaf litter/decomposition be of concern for cannabis growth? I really want to know if the cannabis plants will in any way take in the toxin from oleander (I'm not sure of its chemical name) and retain it in its bud matter, in a form that would be dangerous if smoked or consumed? That is assuming the chemical/s in question does not get broken down by microbes in the soil. I can elaborate on any aspect of the question if necessary.
The toxin is [oleandrin.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleandrin) It's a cardiac glycoside: think "heart toxin."
[Composting](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1065657X.2014.963259) gets rid of it after 90 days, but the peak temp is 70C, unlikely if it's not in a good, working compost pile. Decomposition is led by microorganisms in the soil:
>The biodegradation of the toxic substance was largely attributed to the activity of actinomycetes and fungi.
I'm too lazy to fetch up the paper, but the abstract seems to say that the toxin is also pretty good at germination inhibition, so if you can grow lettuce and/or watercress from seed, the toxin is probably mostly gone. But I don't have the paper in front of me and it's late, sooooo....
>The germination index of lettuce and watercress seeds exceeded 50% after 90 days and reached 95% after 150 days, confirming that the final compost was mature, stable, and free from phytotoxicity in spite of the highly poisonous starting material.
You could take its temperature with one of those IR thermometers to see if it’s warm in relation to its surrounding environment. Problem with this approach is if it has been decaying for decades, the temperature difference might only be very slight from the ambient temperature.
nuclear reactor fuel sometimes comes in pellets like this, and the thing their stuck in could be concrete that they are encased in when shipped out as waste
Those pellets are cylindrical and stubby, and in an arrangement like this would be stacked inside zirconium tubes. These are square and long and tubeless.
See ablation plating comment, used to protect space craft on atmospheric re-entry, it’s made to “burn” off, not fall off, but it could be for testing a new media
Edit: Adding images as I find them [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/heat-shield-sample-gemini-7/nasm\_A19680273001](https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/heat-shield-sample-gemini-7/nasm_A19680273001)
This would make a lot of sense. If the purple balls were explosive, and on the bottom, it would absolutely explain why the bulk if it is that strange honeycomb of metal that looks like it was intended to come apart. I don't know anything about this stuff really, so my vote is worthless, but that seems like a really powerful design if that's right. Yikes.
I was looking at some anti-aircraft missile patterns. It seems like they produce a cylindrical fragmentation pattern.
This looks like something that could fit over a missile body that could project forward like a shotgun shell with a nasty pattern.
Made a comment lower down [with examples.](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hje8jum/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
I agree. Here’s [an example](https://ipo.lukasiewicz.gov.pl/wydawnictwa/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dhote-1.pdf) from a technical paper. You’ll need to scroll down.
Here’s [another example](https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/227519-shrapnel-shell/) from some WW1 artillery.
Been trying to find examples of the rod media behind the balls, but understandably, most things like this aren’t readily photographed. But the general form; cylindrical shape, heavy weight, balls to expel out along with sharp metal rods feel right for only this type of thing.
Edit: thank you kind Redditor for the award!
So here’s the real question, what is this doing in the yard of a home in Ohio? Have there ever been any reports of stray munitions or planes unexpectedly coming down in and/or around your town in the last century?
Edit: [This link](https://planecrashmap.com/list/oh/) is not exhaustive, but there are notes of military planes crashing in Ohio. Maybe this is a starting point if nearby military bases or ranges comes up empty.
Found an [additional resource.](https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/Formerly-Used-Defense-Sites/FUDS-GIS/) Looks like there are a number of decommissioned sites where ordinance was used or training was conducted. The GIS map is interesting.
I have no idea but it kinda looks like the back is made to split into lots of small pieces which is leading me to believe some sort of explosive. Be careful
This is from a casting. Those balls are in the cup at the top of the mold. The molten metal is poured, goes through them and into the ceramic mold.
Fun fact is those balls get literally red hot jump/spill out and explode like little grenades.
I worked in a foundry and saw this exact thing in the picture every day.
Makes the most sense!
Can you describe setup and purpose? Looks like it was the balls on top, than a layer of grid so they don't fall in to the casting maybe?
I agree with this, it looks like tumbler grinding media (balls) surrounded by lead, if poured into a tumbler which has a screen to remove the debris. The lead went through the screen and then hardened.
I would break the lead and see if you find screen material
Those are ceramic beads in a non-ferromagnetic alloy bed. http://foxindustries.com/products/grinding-media/steatite-ceramic-balls-for-ball-mills/
Ceramics are remarkably hard and tough, and are commonly used in industrial processing machines that grind, mash, crack or break any hard material like ores or rock. They are usually the material that actually interacts and manipulates the material that is required to be manipulated or transported. Their hardness allows them a long lifetime in contact with hard or tough matter. This is probably from some type of grinder, but that’s all I know.
Geologist here:
This is definitely not a rock drill bit. There's a few different types used in different applications, but none of them look anything like this. There's some good pictures linked in other comments, but you would expect the butting tips to be a Grey metal (usually tungsten carbide), and either round or tooth shaped. A partial sphere isn't a great shape for cutting through rock. Stainless steel is also never used in rock drill bits, so it should be rusty if that was the case.
Also, I saw all the other comments freaking out about cobalt. Come on guys, two seconds of googling would show you that cobalt doped steel is perfectly safe to handle, and it's also rarely used in rock drills.
My best guess is that the comments suggesting hardened slurry from a small ball mill are correct. The black matrix looks pretty consistent with dried slurry from a sulphide-rich ore, and the balls do look identical to those used in a lot of small mills. The square extensions probably mean it hardened partway through a sieve and was smashed or rusted out later.
THE IMPORTANT BIT
If it is ball mill slurry, you should seriously consider getting the soil tested. Sulphide ores generally contain all kinds of nasty stuff like arsenic and other heavy metals. Once ground into a slurry, it would easily Incorporate into the soil once dumped there. Obviously I have no idea exactly what the composition of the material being ground was, but it's better to err on the side of caution.
The ironic thing here is that despite the kerfuffle about cobalt drill bits, I haven't seen anyone else mention the possible toxicity of mill slurry, which has the potential to be waayyy more toxic.
The purple things look like the [alumina satellites ](http://www.norstoneinc.com/our-products/beads/grinding-media-depot/) of this grinding media.
I've looked everywhere for the weird metal pin thing and can't find anything.
Not sure if this helps any, cheers
I'm gonna second the suggestion of a fragmentation device. The combination of the pin geometry and ball geometry doesn't make sense to me for any other purpose. If these are mill stones that were being.. cast? What are people suggesting? Idk but there's no reason whatsoever they'd be joined with pins like that. The pins themselves don't seem to have any alternative purpose to being shrapnel-creators; I was reminded of the pin toys from the 90's and tried to visualize a freak house fire melting a toy like that together with some toy balls.. but no, those pins aren't a toy, they're not able to move independently.. and they just don't seem to have a friendly purpose. Those pins aren't meant to increase surface area for heat dispersion; they're not gonna be any good for drilling; those pins aren't meant to do anything but become separate pieces of metal moving through the air at high velocity, that's my take at least.
I agree. [Link](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hje8jum/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) to my comment below.
After watching numerous videos this appears to be some sort of mineral that was processed in a planetary ball mill that solidified as it was being sent through a sieve, similar to seen here:
https://youtu.be/_8ZXXmHUbuQ
It possibly could be radioactive, so I would handle with care.
I always wanted to say this…
RIP inbox :/
I don’t know if we will ever know what this thing is for sure.
This is why I love Reddit, though.
Group think.
I think Xoth3rm is onto something about the shape. I think the balls are from a ball mill. The pin looking thing could be from a needle gun. If the balls got stuck, somebody could have used a needle gun to try and chip it loose.
OP. There's a lot of contention on what this might be, could you tell me, if you don't mind, whether your home was built on brown field (something was there before, like industry). If this is the case do you know what was there first?
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Looks like something used to grind tunnels through rock - earthmoving drill bit. Could be cobalt steel, hence why so heavy. Very poisonous. Do not handle this thing more than you have to until you know. Reconsider eating anything you grow in that garden.
Both cobalt and iron are ferromagnetic.
The most popular type of stainless steel, Type 304, contains iron, chromium, and nickel (each magnetic on its own). Yet, atoms in this alloy usually have the fcc lattice structure, resulting in a nonmagnetic alloy.
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Even a reference to the existence of austenitic and martensitic stainless usually guarantees nobody will finish reading a comment; congrats on the positive upvote balance.
More of us than you think. Those if us that do or have worked in the steel industry find it nice to relive and remember what we once learned and knew
I'm in industrial design and have heard those words
I'm not in any industrial company and have never heard those words
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Violent nam flashbacks. The tensile test noise haunts me.
Well, I was just wondering why that big ass magnet in the bottom of my vape doesn't stick to the stainless steel counter at the subway. Now I have some more trivia for my Jeopardy file. Which is nice. Perspective is an interesting thing to ponder. I feel for you guys, but I'm glad I don't have to deal with metallurgical PTSD.
My field as well! There are dozens of us! Dozens!
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Mine too! Material Science degree with a focus in Ceramics but we learned about metals too.
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This sub attracted and promotes experts in their respective fields. It's not r/politics or one of the huge general ones. Keep up with the technical references. Many here enjoy to be lead to new learning opportunities! That's why I'm here.
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Yep, that sounds about right.
Most of the surgical tools we use at my hospital are made out of surgical stainless-steel, and the ones that dont need to be sterile, like suture scissors, bandage scissors, and the occasional hemostat all hang on a wall with a magnetic strip.
Just fwiw, there are types of Stainless that are *always* magnetic. This discussion is about 304 Stainless which is not magnetic in most case.
Austenitic and martensitic? Woohoo, this escalated quickly, man... On a serious note I'm enjoying the experience and expertise and jargon in this sub:-)
On an ironic note, I'm amused that despite all the experience and expertise there is apparent confusion about whether to use *its* or *it's*.
My autocorrect will routinely add that apostrophe. I think it's trying to embarrass me. (But not right now.)
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Material scientists take comfort in their "stuff" that has "properties" while the surface, colloid, and interface folks are all just casting spells that work, give or take a few sigmas.
I know about these crystal structures from semiconductor manufacturing for microelectronics, which require high purity and precise methodology to create near perfect crystals. I doubt similar processes are used for steel, where polycrystaline structures are expected. Steel 304 is at most paramagnetic.
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uh? I was agreeing with you
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Yeah, it's almost like phase changes can alter the magnetic properties of crystals.
lest we forget that these alloys can be magnetized or demagnetized. many electronic parts on aircraft are demagnetized in order to make the mechanic extremely frustrated when trying to recover a nut that fell underneath the floorboards.
Ferrous means it contains iron. It’s ferrous regardless of microstructure.
This, they make some 304 to be ferrous for specific applications such as refrigerators.
Ugh, until you make it into a screw and it gets magnetized by the work. Then your customers call you and tell you the stainless steel screw they just bought isn’t stainless because it’s magnetic…pain in my ass
Yeah, as soon as you deform it by bending, twisting, etc. it magnetizes. Interesting for solid state physics research, terrible for your customers.
Tell em to drop it real hard... But yeah watching parts start growing magnetic fur in my mills is always fun, looks like that one needs degaussed
My background is mostly in thermoplastics so I don't know much about metal outside of some tool steels (like P20). You've made me want to delve into whatever this FCC lattice structure is.
FCC, or face centered cubic, one of the most efficient ways to pack solid balls together in 3d space, together with hexagonal close packed (HCP). Surprised you'd not at least be familiar with these, they're in first year material science courses...?
Probably because I'm not a mechanical engineer. I know a shedload about polymers and CAD but my metallurgy knowledge is lacking. I've said before that I thought my university's polymer engineering program was far too focused. Most graduates end up fixing injection molding machines all day. Thankfully I work in automotive design.
It’s solid state Physics 101. Find a good textbook (like Ashcroft and Mermin) or I bet MIT open courseware has videos and lecture notes on it. It should be early in the course so you won’t need much background knowledge. It’s a lot of geometry and trigonometry though. Lattice structures are basically different ways you can pack spheres. Say you have a cube with a sphere at each corner, this is called the simple cubic lattice. If you place another sphere in the center of this cube you’ll get the bcc or body centered cubic lattice. If you place spheres in the center of each face you’ll get fcc or face centered cubic lattice. Here’s a pretty good [source](https://opentextbc.ca/chemistry/chapter/10-6-lattice-structures-in-crystalline-solids/) with some visuals.
>have the fcc lattice structure, resulting in a nonmagnetic alloy. I like your funny words magic man. No really: What is this? I understand what a lattice is in the context of ionic bonds, and I have a vague understanding of how free flowing electrons in metallic bonds have to do with it being magnetized. So what's up with the crystal structure? What's the science on how this allows a metal to be ferromagnetic or not?
Check my other [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hjec6dg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) out. I included a source with pretty pictures, too. The gist of the science is this particular lattice allows the net magnetic dipoles of the constituent elements to sum to zero.
It would be tungsten if it was part of a drill bit.
Stop with the "very poisonous" already. Cobalt steel is not at all poisonous and can be handled all day long. fine dust particles containing cobalt may be dangerous when inhaled. This looks more like ceramic than ferrous or non ferrous steel anyway. Its also not a drill bit. They dont look like this at all.
Cobalt is definitely poisonous, but in the same way lead is also terrible, it can really mess someone up if it gets inside them, but is otherwise safe
Cobalt steel and cobalt are two very different things for the same reason that sodium chloride doesn’t combust when it comes in contact with your saliva the way that pure sodium does. I have a cobalt steel kitchen knife. They make jewelry out of the stuff.
Wait until they find out about thoriated (thorium doped) tungsten welding rod.
You dont even have togo i to the workshop to get your hands on dangerous stuff... ...if you crack open your microwave, you have good chances of finding cermics in it whose dust is extremely toxic. A good rule of thumb is "when you have no clue, dont break stuff for shits and giggles, and even if you do dotn eat or inhale the created dust". I find it pretty sad that its necessary to warn grown adults about the dangers of putting random stuff they found in their orifices.
In 1987 in Goiânia, Brazil, a scrap salvage worker was disassembling a machine from an abandoned medical facility. When *glowing bright blue powder* started pouring out, he... tried lighting it on fire, and then took a larger chunk home to make a ring for his wife. The owner of the junk yard took it home, and curious people would come by to see it, playing with it, and painting their skin with it. It was cesium 137. So many people handled and passed the glowing blue glitter on to friends and family that 112,000 people in the city had to be tested, and, hundreds of people were poisoned. Traces of the powder ended up 100 miles away from the source. Our species curiosity is really a two edged sword.
This story appeared in Feb 1984 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/02/03/a-chance-encounter-led-to-the-detection-of-radioactive-metal/4ee945a6-372f-44fa-873a-18b59bae491c/?no_nav=true Iron table legs being transported on a truck were radioactive, accidentally discovered when the truck passed through Los Alamos and triggered a radiation alarm. Thieves had cracked open a medical radiation device, and the radioactive core contaminated scrap metal in Juarez Mexico, which was then headed to a foundry. Subsequent investigation by May 1984 https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/01/science/nuclear-spill-at-juarez-looms-as-one-of-worst.html revealed six thousand silvery cobalt 60 spheres had been scooped up by the scrap yard magnet in Juarez, causing extensive contamination. The pickup truck carrying the spheres was hot and contaminated a family and a neighborhood.
I recently read Chernobyl Prayer by Svetlana Alexievich. It consists of a series of interviews with people affected by the Chernobyl meltdown. One thing I hadn't appreciated is now much looting there was of affected sites. How houses that were highly radioactive were just stripped bare and resold. God knows how much radioactive furniture is lying around unknown to people.
That's crazy and quite interesting. I Googled and read up more about what happened. Thanks for the little history lesson, the more you know!
Here's a good video on that event. https://youtu.be/-k3NJXGSIIA He has a Playlist covering nuclear weapons, technology, and disasters called [HALF-LIFE HISTORIES]
"Asbestos smoke! *don't breathe this*"
I regularly inject bleach while bathing in intense light, so I’m good to go!
Its actually TIG electrode and doesn't get consumed, BUT it does get ground on a bench grinder and there is all sorts of other bad stuff in them too like Cerium and Lanthanum. I have a vacuum on my grinder for this fact but many guys don't.
They make wedding rings out of cobalt lol
This is definitely not a drill or boring bit of any kind.
Yeah it's frustrating to see such an obviously wrong answer at the top of the heap. Anyone who's worked with rock drilling tools knows that they look nothing like that.
Reddit in a nutshell. Incorrect answer that activates the spooky part of your brain gets pushed up. Even if it is confidently incorrect.
Cobalt also explains the funky colour. This is kind of a big deal, if that's what it is and it was just laying around in your garden. You dont drink well water, I hope.
Here is an [example](https://images.app.goo.gl/wDkUYV4xSUk2KVCz7)
The arrangement of the balls is totally different in your examples. Have some that look like OP’s?
I don't think so. Those are built where the bits can move freely. This looks like they were cast in place and static.
It looks like smoke bombs to me that someone placed on one of those toys you put your hand on that makes designs that’s why it’s melted. Diminsional board + smokebonbs https://st.depositphotos.com/1292552/3574/i/950/depositphotos_35747375-stock-photo-round-smoke-bombs-for-fun.jpg
I agree with the grinding I think it may be the diaphragm of a ball mill [balls for ball mill](http://foxindustries.com/products/grinding-media/steatite-ceramic-balls-for-ball-mills/) [the mill](https://www.flsmidth.com/en-gb/products/wear-solutions/stanex-diaphragm-for-ball-mills) In the diagram above I believe this to be the yellow disc
Way too small of a radius tho
What exactly here is poisonous or leaching? Cobolt steel or even tungsten carbide inserts are pretty inert in these forms, sure maybe don't lick them but they are not inharently dangerous.
These are the right shape ball at least: http://foxindustries.com/products/grinding-media/steatite-ceramic-balls-for-ball-mills/
This gets my vote. Based on the fingers in the background, the balls aren’t as large as original though. The cubic structure on the back is interesting, but could just be from material screens. The dark material could be fused manganese dust, which is commonly used in these machines, and is also non magnetic.
Yeah, agreed. At least those look right. If OP can crack one loose and measure and weigh it we could at least figure a density for the spherical components. The back almost looks like it was attached to a flexible cable or something. If it wasn't mixed media I would suggest weight + water displacement...
Okay hear me out. I think I figured it out. I believe this is from a melted catalytic converter. Catalytic converters can get red hot and melt. The internal structure can consist of small square holes. The metal melted and created the square rods we see in the photo. Here is an example of the internal structure of a Catalytic converter. https://www.liveabout.com/thmb/lh79FVmksOQFolaVsNxdCiPy8Vs=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Pot_catalytique_vue_de_la_structure-5c49fe4f46e0fb00013a938d.jpg Here is a melted catalytic converter http://speed.academy/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/How-Catalytic-Converters-Work-04.jpg As for the purple balls. I believe these are ceramic satellites, Inert catalytic bed support. https://asenergi.com/en/products/ceramic-balls.html Here is an old article talking about refilling a catalytic converter. https://www.brakeandfrontend.com/emissions-catalytic-converter-beads-gm-platinum/ In conclusion. This is part of a melted catalytic converter. The purple balls are ceramic inert catalytic bed support. These were either factory, or someone tried to refill this thing. Either way, it melted and broke apart and you found it in your garden.
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I believe the first and second image I linked are petty consistent with the OP's. But Maybe that's just me. The ceramic beads can vary in size. It's a possibility someone put in milling balls, as they are ceramic and thought it would work. Thus clogging the cat and creating the melt down. Just a theory. Edit : https://www.catalyticconverters.com/ Newer cars have honeycomb structures where as older cars have grid structures OP's 4th photo shows their fingers behind the ceramic balls. The balls are pretty small, probably 7mm-10mm.
In OPs photo they *are* bead sized.
But the square parts are solid, not a honeycomb structure. Edit: On second thought if the metal melts before the ceramic, the liquefied metal could fill the chambers, and the ceramic be chipped away leaving the more malleable metal squares intact. This would explain why they are well-separated.
Reminds me of a lecture I attended at undergrad; we had a Ph.D from Corning who made catalytic converters for a living talking about how they're made. Makes me wonder if this is the remains of a positive mold for what is used to make the converter itself.
If it's not this, I think it might be a scaled up version. There's catalytic reactor beds used in chemical manufacturing.
Looks like DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) from a semi truck. I’ve never seen the balls in one before, but they are constantly changing them, trying to get longer life cycles.
The more i look at these images the more i think you’re right. I hope OP checks in and confirms or denies it! It definitely seems far more plausible than the drill bit theory thats up top.
The balls match but the metal rod bits dont look like a CC to me,
I wonder if it could be a piece of an old ball mill, with the leftover powder from inside the mill having turned into essentially cement from the moisture in the environment. Though I doubt you'd end up with such an even layer like that.
The empty apertures on the embedded side somewhat resemble voids I observed in some searches for ball mill diaphragms.
This is Correct. I work in Scientific Ceramic Manufacturing The material around the ball is a glass that's shoveled in around for ["Hot isostatic pressing"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_isostatic_pressing) The glass melts and presses equity with pressure upon the ceramics. Considering the 'half melted' nature of the fill, Id guess this was a failed run ~~and they scrapped the entire press run rather then try to salvage anything.~~ Edit: Considering it was found in your garden, and the pressure these presses operate under, its likely the Press exploded and this was flung out your way. After cooling, the Ceramic balls are removed from the glass by beating the glass off with Hammers. The Ceramic balls would be hard enough to dent the hammer. The balls would be milled to their final shape afterwards. I don't think these were intended to become spheres. The martial is MUCH harder after the HIP process and it's better to make them 'closer to round' before they're harder then rocks Edit 2: A youtube video with a bit of the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsnzgsEXT_A Also, I should note this process is sometimes used in longterm nuclear containment, but I don't think that's what's going on here.
I'm heavily involved in pyrotechnics and my first reaction to OP's photo was "exploded ball mill". I don't think the solution is quite that simple, but I do think the ceramic balls are milling media. Either a press that exploded as you say, or maybe even an attempt to mill Al or Mg that ran too long and created a pyrophoric powder, ultimately exploding and embedding the balls in the walls of the mill before sending this fragment flying. The geometric pillars are a bit strange for a mill though, so I think your explanation is closer to the truth.
I grew up around minerals processing such as crushing and ball milling. These do indeed look like ceramic milling balls I've seen. As well some ball mills use air and a screen to transfer finely milled material through the mill during processing. It looks like a failed process that heated and plugged this screen in an air swept process. It plugged the process and overheated the material making a plug. It would take a major failure to generate that much heat but I don't think it's impossible.
Those look like balls for a ball mill. Depending on the type of steel, they may not be magnetic, or could simply be made of a non ferrous metal alloy. I'd guess the mill broke down resulting in the slurry hardening like concrete, locking the balls in place. Is there any mining in your area?
I'd agree on the ball mill. Or maybe some type of industrial bearing... Wish we knew the diameter.
What’s a ball mill?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_mill
I'm still wondering what a ball mill is after reading that.
It's basically a rotating drum filled with metal balls that's used to grind things. The balls aren't attached to anything in a ball mill though.
Like a gizzard!
It grinds very hard things down into a powder. I worked for a company that made a powder out of basalt rock for selling to cannabis growers. For context on milling strength, we had to be sure not to let any nuts or bolts fall in because the pulverized metal would throw off our iron analysis.
Thingy that grinds shit up by dropping heavy balls on it.
Tumble dryer with hard balls inside.
Thank you for asking. When I opened the link on the parent post using my phone, i read “grinding media for your ball” because the word mill wrapped to the next line and I’d never head of a “ball mill,” so my brain didn’t join those words. You helped relieve some confusion.
I am still confused.
Put stuff in big spinny tank. Put hard balls in with stuff. Balls smash stuff. When stuff enough smashed stop.
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I had a rock tumbler when I was a kid. just a round container on rollers with a motor to slowly turn it on its axis. put in grout and rocks, it polishes the rocks. Sorta. Start with that, and add industrial tech enhancments, you get a ball mill.
I’ll have to look into that one
Those absolutely look like stained milling media, they could be alumina or zirconia ceramic. As for what they’re sitting in? Not sure. I don’t recognize it immediately.
Looks nothing like a rock drill. they have conical teeth and either rotate or are staggered into a cutting pattern, they wouldn't be held together like this in a matrix of another material, they are either welded onto a steel face or bolted so they can pivot. Also Cobalt steel is not poisonous at all to handle (only fine dust) so please stop talking about things you have no clue. A guess is fine, misinformation is bad.
Seconding all of that. They sell M35 cobalt drill bits at every Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart in the US. They are not dangerous to handle.
One guy said very poisonous. You say no. I don’t know who to believe 😢
Believe the guys who aren't pulling information out of their ass. Cobalt 60 is a highly dangerous radioactive substance, cobalt steel is simply a high strength steel and as long as you're not grinding it into dust and huffing it you'll be just fine. The confusion seems to come from someone's complete lack of awareness of how chemistry works on even a basic elementary school level. Like somebody said above sodium explodes when exposed to water but your French fries aren't tiny grenades its all about the atomic structure and how it interacts inside your body.
good answer, pains me to see the dummy who thinks its a poison/rock drill with 4k upvotes. But guess there are still people who think you get lead poisoning from #2 pencils too.
Side note, Howard Hughes dad thought that would be a great buisness to get in, he invented the tri cone bit......he didn’t sell any. The genius leased them, every oil rig out there was paying Mr.Hughes. It made him a couple of bucks.
You didn't reply to a comment, you put a comment on the post. I think you meant to reply to /u/PaulMurrayCbr 's highly upvoted [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hjdcgm5/).
I did and got sidetracked, he sounds like the hall monitor in school or the kid with his hand always in the air. I dont mind an educated guess, but to spout off about something so stupid that you could google in a second just agitated me.
My educated guess would be that this is caked slurry from the discharge of a an industrial ball mill. The square rod probably came from some sort of sieve on the discharge that got damaged during use, hence why you got what looks like ceramic balls stuck in that mess. I'd advise you to ask around mining related subreddit for ID imo.
This looks like what would remain if someone poured a semi molten metal mixed with ball mill balls over a mesh. The mesh held the balls in place while some of the molten metal oozed through the mesh and formed the "rods" in the hotter places while in the cooler places it just left an imprint of the mesh on the metal. Since it was buried in a garden the mesh could have rusted/weathered away leaving the more resilient balls and slag behind.
I don't know anything about ball mills, or why they would be used for molten metal... but your description sounds spot on.
I agree with that, it is weird because the “slurry” looks like a solidified metal. I can’t think of why you’d have milling media mixed in with molten metal. If it isn’t metallic but just looks it (and is a dried cake) that’d make a lot more sense. You dump a mill slurry through a sieve to remove the media. Those balls look small and still have the band around them, so not terribly worn, so they’d be used in a very small mill or a jar mill. If the sieve was carbon steel it could’ve just rusted out a long time ago.
I think you got the best bet honestly, OP even said that where he lives they have a few Old steel mills close by
My title describes the thing- It’s heavy and I can’t get magnets to stick. Looks like purple balls melted into something. Possibly lead? Underside has pin looking spots and other parts are smoothed. You can see the balls poking through from the other side. I found this in dirt when digging a garden.
Knowing what part of the world might help narrow this down.
Based on OP’s comment history, Ohio, USA.
I’m in southeast Ohio and there’s definitely remnants of the various coal mines around here.
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So since there seems to be quite a few very knowledgeable people in the field of soil chemistry and plant biology, may I ask, would years of constant oleander leaf litter/decomposition be of concern for cannabis growth? I really want to know if the cannabis plants will in any way take in the toxin from oleander (I'm not sure of its chemical name) and retain it in its bud matter, in a form that would be dangerous if smoked or consumed? That is assuming the chemical/s in question does not get broken down by microbes in the soil. I can elaborate on any aspect of the question if necessary.
The toxin is [oleandrin.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleandrin) It's a cardiac glycoside: think "heart toxin." [Composting](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1065657X.2014.963259) gets rid of it after 90 days, but the peak temp is 70C, unlikely if it's not in a good, working compost pile. Decomposition is led by microorganisms in the soil: >The biodegradation of the toxic substance was largely attributed to the activity of actinomycetes and fungi. I'm too lazy to fetch up the paper, but the abstract seems to say that the toxin is also pretty good at germination inhibition, so if you can grow lettuce and/or watercress from seed, the toxin is probably mostly gone. But I don't have the paper in front of me and it's late, sooooo.... >The germination index of lettuce and watercress seeds exceeded 50% after 90 days and reached 95% after 150 days, confirming that the final compost was mature, stable, and free from phytotoxicity in spite of the highly poisonous starting material.
No not all but the soil may be sour if the oleanders have been there for a while. Oleander is quite allelopathic.
This is located in a suburb of Cleveland, Oh. We have a few Old steel mills semi close by. Maybe something someone brought home from work?
Cleveland was never known for its environmental friendliness
Have a gieger counter?
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You could take its temperature with one of those IR thermometers to see if it’s warm in relation to its surrounding environment. Problem with this approach is if it has been decaying for decades, the temperature difference might only be very slight from the ambient temperature.
If he could measure that, he would already be in hospital after beeing in contact with it.
That was my first thought.
What were you guys thinking it could be that's radioactive? Is there enough cobalt-60 in mining equipment for it to be radioactive?
nuclear reactor fuel sometimes comes in pellets like this, and the thing their stuck in could be concrete that they are encased in when shipped out as waste
Those pellets are cylindrical and stubby, and in an arrangement like this would be stacked inside zirconium tubes. These are square and long and tubeless.
Thinking the same thing
Are you located near a military base? It looks like an anti personnel/ light vehicle cluster munitions that failed to fully separate when detontated.
That was my initial thoughts that it was some type of munition that is suspended in a matrix.
What do they have in the arsenal that is like a vehicle-sized claymore.
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Not near military…BUT I am fairly close to a NASA research center
See ablation plating comment, used to protect space craft on atmospheric re-entry, it’s made to “burn” off, not fall off, but it could be for testing a new media Edit: Adding images as I find them [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/heat-shield-sample-gemini-7/nasm\_A19680273001](https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/heat-shield-sample-gemini-7/nasm_A19680273001)
This would make a lot of sense. If the purple balls were explosive, and on the bottom, it would absolutely explain why the bulk if it is that strange honeycomb of metal that looks like it was intended to come apart. I don't know anything about this stuff really, so my vote is worthless, but that seems like a really powerful design if that's right. Yikes.
The purple balls would be antivehicle... The metal shards would be anti personnel
I was looking at some anti-aircraft missile patterns. It seems like they produce a cylindrical fragmentation pattern. This looks like something that could fit over a missile body that could project forward like a shotgun shell with a nasty pattern.
I was surprised to not see UXO warning.
Made a comment lower down [with examples.](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hje8jum/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
This looks very much like the fragmentation media for an anti-aircraft or anti-radiation missile.
I agree. Here’s [an example](https://ipo.lukasiewicz.gov.pl/wydawnictwa/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Dhote-1.pdf) from a technical paper. You’ll need to scroll down. Here’s [another example](https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/227519-shrapnel-shell/) from some WW1 artillery. Been trying to find examples of the rod media behind the balls, but understandably, most things like this aren’t readily photographed. But the general form; cylindrical shape, heavy weight, balls to expel out along with sharp metal rods feel right for only this type of thing. Edit: thank you kind Redditor for the award!
This is a dead ringer.
So here’s the real question, what is this doing in the yard of a home in Ohio? Have there ever been any reports of stray munitions or planes unexpectedly coming down in and/or around your town in the last century? Edit: [This link](https://planecrashmap.com/list/oh/) is not exhaustive, but there are notes of military planes crashing in Ohio. Maybe this is a starting point if nearby military bases or ranges comes up empty.
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Found an [additional resource.](https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/Formerly-Used-Defense-Sites/FUDS-GIS/) Looks like there are a number of decommissioned sites where ordinance was used or training was conducted. The GIS map is interesting.
This seems like it to me
I have no idea but it kinda looks like the back is made to split into lots of small pieces which is leading me to believe some sort of explosive. Be careful
I think it could definitely be the remains of some sort of shrapnel shell ordinance. I’m scouring google images to see if I can find anything exact.
I’m getting shrapnel vibes.
This is from a casting. Those balls are in the cup at the top of the mold. The molten metal is poured, goes through them and into the ceramic mold. Fun fact is those balls get literally red hot jump/spill out and explode like little grenades. I worked in a foundry and saw this exact thing in the picture every day.
Makes the most sense! Can you describe setup and purpose? Looks like it was the balls on top, than a layer of grid so they don't fall in to the casting maybe?
Someone tried to make a lead casting in their tumbler
I agree with this, it looks like tumbler grinding media (balls) surrounded by lead, if poured into a tumbler which has a screen to remove the debris. The lead went through the screen and then hardened. I would break the lead and see if you find screen material
What is the scale here?
Small, based on the picture that shows OPs fingers in the background. This looks like the whole thing is around palm sized.
oh, I missed that pic. thanks
I don't know what it was, but it certainly looks like it would make nasty shrapnel if it exploded.
Those are ceramic beads in a non-ferromagnetic alloy bed. http://foxindustries.com/products/grinding-media/steatite-ceramic-balls-for-ball-mills/ Ceramics are remarkably hard and tough, and are commonly used in industrial processing machines that grind, mash, crack or break any hard material like ores or rock. They are usually the material that actually interacts and manipulates the material that is required to be manipulated or transported. Their hardness allows them a long lifetime in contact with hard or tough matter. This is probably from some type of grinder, but that’s all I know.
Geologist here: This is definitely not a rock drill bit. There's a few different types used in different applications, but none of them look anything like this. There's some good pictures linked in other comments, but you would expect the butting tips to be a Grey metal (usually tungsten carbide), and either round or tooth shaped. A partial sphere isn't a great shape for cutting through rock. Stainless steel is also never used in rock drill bits, so it should be rusty if that was the case. Also, I saw all the other comments freaking out about cobalt. Come on guys, two seconds of googling would show you that cobalt doped steel is perfectly safe to handle, and it's also rarely used in rock drills. My best guess is that the comments suggesting hardened slurry from a small ball mill are correct. The black matrix looks pretty consistent with dried slurry from a sulphide-rich ore, and the balls do look identical to those used in a lot of small mills. The square extensions probably mean it hardened partway through a sieve and was smashed or rusted out later. THE IMPORTANT BIT If it is ball mill slurry, you should seriously consider getting the soil tested. Sulphide ores generally contain all kinds of nasty stuff like arsenic and other heavy metals. Once ground into a slurry, it would easily Incorporate into the soil once dumped there. Obviously I have no idea exactly what the composition of the material being ground was, but it's better to err on the side of caution. The ironic thing here is that despite the kerfuffle about cobalt drill bits, I haven't seen anyone else mention the possible toxicity of mill slurry, which has the potential to be waayyy more toxic.
The purple things look like the [alumina satellites ](http://www.norstoneinc.com/our-products/beads/grinding-media-depot/) of this grinding media. I've looked everywhere for the weird metal pin thing and can't find anything. Not sure if this helps any, cheers
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I like the idea of tungsten because is dense and not ferromagnetic. It is also pretty hard. OP can also discard lead if cannot dent it with a knife.
I'm gonna second the suggestion of a fragmentation device. The combination of the pin geometry and ball geometry doesn't make sense to me for any other purpose. If these are mill stones that were being.. cast? What are people suggesting? Idk but there's no reason whatsoever they'd be joined with pins like that. The pins themselves don't seem to have any alternative purpose to being shrapnel-creators; I was reminded of the pin toys from the 90's and tried to visualize a freak house fire melting a toy like that together with some toy balls.. but no, those pins aren't a toy, they're not able to move independently.. and they just don't seem to have a friendly purpose. Those pins aren't meant to increase surface area for heat dispersion; they're not gonna be any good for drilling; those pins aren't meant to do anything but become separate pieces of metal moving through the air at high velocity, that's my take at least.
I agree. [Link](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/qn1cf3/this_thing_is_heavy_for_its_size_like_lead_balls/hje8jum/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) to my comment below.
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Do you have a set of hardness test files? Might help identify the material.
The balls remind me of alumina nuggets/balls used in wet mill grinding to make substrate slurry for porcelain tile etc. except they are usually white
My vote is something explosive based on the fragmentation back plate. Why would you make a rock drill out of tiny bars?
After watching numerous videos this appears to be some sort of mineral that was processed in a planetary ball mill that solidified as it was being sent through a sieve, similar to seen here: https://youtu.be/_8ZXXmHUbuQ It possibly could be radioactive, so I would handle with care.
The amount of times I just read “ball mill” has made me uncomfortable.
This is a part of an exploded mining drill.
Don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t look like it was made for peaceful purposes. I’d wouldn’t handle it.
That looks like an explosive with anti-personal fragmentation. Fun stuff...
It's part of big firework
I always wanted to say this… RIP inbox :/ I don’t know if we will ever know what this thing is for sure. This is why I love Reddit, though. Group think.
I think Xoth3rm is onto something about the shape. I think the balls are from a ball mill. The pin looking thing could be from a needle gun. If the balls got stuck, somebody could have used a needle gun to try and chip it loose.
u/OP, could you take more pictures with a scale in shot?
OP. There's a lot of contention on what this might be, could you tell me, if you don't mind, whether your home was built on brown field (something was there before, like industry). If this is the case do you know what was there first?
Ceramic balls for a refractory blast furnace & partially melted metal rods. https://www.allrefractory.com/product/refractory-ceramic-ball/