OSMIRIDIUM.

Mataura Ensign, 22 April 1913, Page 5

OSMIRIDIUM.

* LARGEST SPECIMEN FOUND. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—COPYRIGHT. PXR UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. • Received Anvil 22, 9.30 a.m. HOBART, April 22. A miner at Bald Hills has discovered what is thought to be the largest specimen of osmiridium known in the world. It weighs nine pennyweights. Native osmiridium forms crystalline plate-shaped grains, distinguished by an extraordinary degree of hardness, which certainly exceeds that of hardtempered steel. Most of the grains are very minute; the larger ones are utilised for making the so-called "diamond points" of gold pens. Osmiridium would tend itself for endless other applications if is were possible to unite the native dust into large compact masses. •"From a series of articles in the 'Chemical News' (Jan. 2.. 9 and 16, 188-5), by Nelson W. Perry, it would appear that this problem has been solved, in a sense. John Holland, an American penmaker, starring from the long-known fact that platinum metals readily unite with phosphorus into relatively easily fusible alloys, succeeded in producing a Qphoflphorised osmiridium which can be cast (and pressed while liquid) into thin continuous slabs even harder than the native substance, and susceptible of being wrought into drills, knife-edges, •te.