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How fake bullion bars are made with tungsten
tincup
Posts: 4,785 ✭✭✭✭✭
A rather interesting article in the February 2013 Popular Science magazine is titled "Bogus Bullion", or How to make cheap fake gold.
The author made his own fake gold bars, using a tungsten center suspended by a rod in a graphic rectangular mold. The mold was then filled with molten lead-antimony alloy to surround the tungsten core; the lead-antimony alloy has about the same hardness as gold. When cooled the supporting rod was then removed. Since the author was on a strict 'cheap' budget, he then used gold leaf to coat the outside of the bar. The result does not look too impressive when compared to genuine bars, but yet... I'm sure the technique will be modified by some to use additional molten gold to form a thicker outer layer and perhaps more realistic. Not sure I like the publication of a method of creating fake gold bars, however simple it is.
The site includes a few pictures of the process. Doesn't look very complicated at all.
--link removed--
The author made his own fake gold bars, using a tungsten center suspended by a rod in a graphic rectangular mold. The mold was then filled with molten lead-antimony alloy to surround the tungsten core; the lead-antimony alloy has about the same hardness as gold. When cooled the supporting rod was then removed. Since the author was on a strict 'cheap' budget, he then used gold leaf to coat the outside of the bar. The result does not look too impressive when compared to genuine bars, but yet... I'm sure the technique will be modified by some to use additional molten gold to form a thicker outer layer and perhaps more realistic. Not sure I like the publication of a method of creating fake gold bars, however simple it is.
The site includes a few pictures of the process. Doesn't look very complicated at all.
--link removed--
----- kj
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Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Steve
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
But thanks for posting it in the name of education, which was probably your intention.
<< <i>I like being made aware of these kinds of things, but on the other hand I cringe, because now by reposting it it becomes that much more known on how to do something like this. There's alot of people who could succumb to the temptation of doing this when they have the playbook on how to do so.
But thanks for posting it in the name of education, which was probably your intention. >>
My thoughts exactly. I hesitated before posting it... but did so since the article is in the main stream media. It is both in the printed copy of the magazine on the newsstands and also posted online. So I figured it would be more beneficial to be posted to bring more awareness on just how easy it could be to make the fakes. It is now apparent to me that that realistic fakes are going to be more of a problem in the future. Buyer beware....
I mean the SS is concerned about money but isn't Gold part of the national reserves. FBI.
Yep, it is good to be aware and hear about it, but this is very bad. Foolish fellow for doing that demo
and should be very afraid it was posted on the net.
Seems as serious as showing the public how to counterfit a us bill...
It's just like the news guy flashing the 30rd illegal magazine on the news broadcast in washington..
And just is case anyone is not sure why I posted this... In NO WAY am I condoning this practice, nor recommending that anyone even try to experiment along these lines. I myself have not, nor do I ever plan to do so. This article was found when reading the current issue of Popular Science magazine, and I myself was very surprised to find the article there. I have only provided the link for educational purposes; we have had a lot of discussions on whether fakes were really being made using tungsten or whether it was technically very easy to do so given the properties of tungsten, etc.
I am now convinced fakes are out there. The process shown is rather simple, but I am convinced that individuals with not the best of intentions, and given not a very expensive setup, and given a fair amount of care and talent.... can produce items that will be able to be used to scam people.
Any buyers of bullion need to use care. Just as the Chinese fakes have become much, much better.... expect fake bullion products to do so likewise. Buyer beware.
and very much appreciated, I can't believe Popular Science does
not have one or do they? or even why they would publish such
a thing. This crap really does make one cringe especially around
here.
Stuff like this really makes me suspicious that the Feds are trying
to discourage the stacking of metals by casting doubt on the validity
of PM's
Steve
Everyone thought this was going to destroy the coin market.
Heck, you could go back to the late '70's when cubic zirconium arrived and everyone thought the diamond market was going to evaporate because no one would be able to tell the difference between these two.
I'll trust in myself to get educated on this matter and then these fake bars will be easily identifiable.
Nothing to worry about.
"“Those who sacrifice liberty for security/safety deserve neither.“(Benjamin Franklin)
"I only golf on days that end in 'Y'" (DE59)
I guess you have to have a PS subscription to view? Was everyone else able to read the article using the link provided?
???But.... something else may be going on. Over 2/3rds of the posts on this thread have disappeared. Not sure why, since I did not think anything verboten has been discussed, only an article that is out in the public.
Perhaps the article has been taken down by Popular Science.
"Access denied" is the same message I now receive.
It appears that the magazine has taken the article down. Perhaps that is for the better, as mentioned before I am surprised that anything like that was even allowed to be published. But will they 'recall' the physical magazines out there over this issue?
For those who were not able to access the article before it was taken down... it was shown that it is not that difficult to produce a tungsten filled gold bar. Buyer beware. IMO even a bar 'sealed' in plastic could be suspect (it definitely is not hard to seal a bar in plastic).
If one wanted to find the article, perhaps try the library or purchase a copy of the magazine at a newsstand.
<< <i>Too bad he didn't weigh the finished product. >>
He used an alloy of lead instead of actual gold because he said that he had a $200 budget.
The concept however remains the same. Just requires a larger grubstake for genuine gold to pour around the tungsten slug rather than the Pb alloy.
The cached page is still available. Reading it will answer many questions. May raise a few too.
<< <i>Isn't that absolutely nuts and highly illegal? Can't believe the SS would not be all over this?
I mean the SS is concerned about money but isn't Gold part of the national reserves. FBI.
Yep, it is good to be aware and hear about it, but this is very bad. Foolish fellow for doing that demo
and should be very afraid it was posted on the net.
Seems as serious as showing the public how to counterfit a us bill...
It's just like the news guy flashing the 30rd illegal magazine on the news broadcast in washington.. >>
No this isn't illegal, and it would only be illegal (i.e. fraud) if the bogus bars were sold. That's the advantage of buying Mint bullion; it is a Federal offense to counterfeit. So the answer to the question, what's the difference between making a bogus 1-ounce gold bar and making a fake 1-ounce AGE, is about 20 years in jail.