On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 01:33:16 -0500, Tom McDonald
wrote:

Eric Stevens wrote:

snip


What about radiographs cited by Mallery? These have been mentioned
several times.

Eric,

Gary has discussed this several times. In essence, the
radiographs on Connor's web site cited by Mallery were
apparently not cast. What Mallery considered bubbles
characteristic of cast copper appear to be, with one exception,
*not* the type of bubbles one finds in casts of copper of the
purity seen in the artifacts.

Apart from the fact that the radiographs on Connors site are by no
means the only evidence, the presence of one exception should not be
ignored.

The sole exception, the artifact labeled R666 (Riverside site
artifact number), or 55786 (Milwaukee Public Museum catalog
number--where the artifact is curated), does show the typical
porosity. However, I don't think anyone thinks that the
artifact is an example of intentional casting, but rather of
accidental or natural (e.g.: forest fire) melting of a bit of
copper.

I don't for one minute expect that an ordinary forest fire would melt
a copper artifact of that size.

OTOH, some of the radiographs clearly show annealing twins, and
linear voids characteristic of smithing.

This has been discussed before in this thread, perhaps before
you returned. If any of this seems new to you, you might want
to read the thread in Google groups.

How about the several times I posted the reference to the reports of
New York Testing Laboratories and the National Bureax of Standards. I
quoted Mallery in Message-ID:
. Yuri Kuchinski later
picked it up and requoted it in message
om... and I cited my
original article again in Message-ID:
.

Important words from the quote from Mallery include:

"X-RAY EXAMINATION:—The tools were radiographed using
standard techniques. A review of the radiographs led to the
following observations:— # I—The three tools were originally cast."

"The specimens are originally cast but apparently have been
reheated and worked to some extent."

"Following this report, six leading American museums furnished
tools from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, and
Peru for testing. Various metallurgists who have examined the
micrographs of these tools concur in the findings of the New
York Testing Laboratories, Inc. that many of the specimens
examined have been cast. Dr. George P. Ellinger, metallurgist
for the National Bureau of Standards, said, after examining the
submitted specimens, "The presence of cuprous oxide in the
interior of the tools tested and the concavity caused by
shrinking justify the conclusion that the vast majority of the
ancient tools were cast."


These words are unambiguous and do not depend solely on the
interpretation of the information posted on Connor's site.




Eric Stevens