Blue crystals. Probably not meth?

[pjbikerParticipant @pjbiker]

newly acquired the contents of a deceased hobby engineer’s workshop along with a myford ML7. Currently trying to identify everything and get rid of anything I can’t/won’t use. What could this jar of blue crystals be? And the jar of grey powder. There is also a tin marked ‘resin’ with similar sized lumps of solid amber resin. The blue crystals are not readily soluble in water or alcohol.

 

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

The grey powder looks like case hardening compound.  If it sticks to a red hot piece of steel wire it is probably “Kasenit” and definitely worth hanging on to.  Resin can be used as soft solder flux unless the original owner was a violin maker as well in which case it could have been used to make varnish.  Non-soluble blue crystals- lapis lazuli?

HTH,

Rod

 

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

Apart from the lack of solubility, I was going to suggest copper sulphate for the blue crystals. A solution can be used as a marking out fluid on ferrous materials.

But if you can get some to dissolve in water, try dipping a piece of clean steel. CuSO4 will deposit copper.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Well we all immediately thought copper sulphate but not soluble, even hot water? The resin suggests soldering and flux supplies so perhaps the grey powder is something like (dirty) boric salt. If you try melting do so outside at a distance.
If nothing works you are in luck – a new wonder substance that can be used to make spaceships.

[Clive Brown 1Participant @clivebrown1]

A friend of mine labels his Kasenit as “Viagra”. Can’t say why!

[pjbikerParticipant @pjbiker]

I doubt the previous owner kept the blue crystals for their metaphysical properties.  It’s still a mystery then. I’ll try testing the grey powder in a well ventilated area and look up kasenit. Thanks

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Just a thought – he wasn’t into muzzle-loading firearms at all, was he? I’d try just a teaspoonful of the “Kasenit” at arm’s length just in case it turns out to be black powder. A jar full could ruin your day.

Rob

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

The copper sulphate I have dissolves in battery acid. Higher temperature marking out fluid for grinding to a line.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

Copper sulphate is readily soluble in water, so they might be something else. Back in the days when I frequently made up plating solutions, I could dissolve 10Kilos in 25 litres of warm deionised water in a few minutes. Copper sulphate gets it’s blue colour from a percentage of water in it, anhydrous CuSO4 is white.

Perhaps it’s jade or lapis lazuli.

[pjbikerParticipant @pjbiker]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>The blue crystals do dissolve in hot water. A friend suggested it is used to mask areas of a part with copper before case hardening with the kasenit. Con rods are plated with copper so that only the bearing surfaces are case hardened.</p>

[JuddyParticipant @juddy]

Have you seen Breaking Bad – Crystal Meth comes to mind

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