magneticanomaly
Titanium
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2007
- Location
- On Elk Mountain, West Virginia, USA
I am reading a book called Periodic Tales by Aldersey-Williams, about the elements. Stories of their discovery, cultural and symbolic connections, and miscellaneous other stuff. Not as technical as I'd hoped, and not as much fun because of a few things that I am sure just ain't so, and others I am suspicious of but not quite sure.
In the latter category is the statement on Page 42:
Some of the platinum [produced by Wollaston and Tennant prior to 1828] was formed into crucibles for scientific experiments or rods for drawing into wire, but most of it went to gunsmiths, who used the metal to improve the contact points of flintlock pistols where it was cheaper and more effective than the gold they had been accustomed to using for the purpose.
I could barely believe that a high-melting, non-corroding metal (like Pt) might be tried for the nipples of cap-lock firearms, but...Flintlocks? Contact points?
The frizzen could not be gold even if it were not too soft, or platinum because the shaving scraped off by the flint has to autoignite. Rustproof sears and detents might be nice but gold again would be too soft even if Pt is not..If there is anyone who can definitively explain this as nonsense, an actual but obscure fact, or something in between, I thought I would find him (or her) here.
Thanks!
In the latter category is the statement on Page 42:
Some of the platinum [produced by Wollaston and Tennant prior to 1828] was formed into crucibles for scientific experiments or rods for drawing into wire, but most of it went to gunsmiths, who used the metal to improve the contact points of flintlock pistols where it was cheaper and more effective than the gold they had been accustomed to using for the purpose.
I could barely believe that a high-melting, non-corroding metal (like Pt) might be tried for the nipples of cap-lock firearms, but...Flintlocks? Contact points?
The frizzen could not be gold even if it were not too soft, or platinum because the shaving scraped off by the flint has to autoignite. Rustproof sears and detents might be nice but gold again would be too soft even if Pt is not..If there is anyone who can definitively explain this as nonsense, an actual but obscure fact, or something in between, I thought I would find him (or her) here.
Thanks!