[Wonder Warthog]

"People should start buying gold in the half bar. Only accept it after it’s been sheared in half leaving the center exposed."

No need. Portable X-ray Fluorescence instruments are easily available and can readily distinguish between tungsten and gold. Non-destructive, no cutting/shearing needed.

[Wonder Warthog]

Portable XRF Instrument:

http://www.niton.com/en/

[grey_whiskers]

No need. Portable X-ray Fluorescence instruments are easily available and can readily distinguish between tungsten and gold. Non-destructive, no cutting/shearing needed.

Thanks, Wonder.

Better living through (analytical) chemistry / chemical physics! (sound of grey_whiskers purring).

Cheers!

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

"Portable X-ray Fluorescence instruments are easily available and can readily distinguish between tungsten and gold. Non-destructive, no cutting/shearing needed."

XRF machines are about $15K and really only detect the surface of the metal under test. They are also a tad tricky to use. If a bogus bar was tungsten and merely gold-plated, it would probably fail such a test. But if it started out as a genuine PAMP gold bar and was then drilled, like the bars pictured below (which are silver, not gold, and with lead inserts, not tungsten, but I show them for the fakery technique) with tungsten rods inserted, I have some doubt an XRF assay would reveal the fake core(s).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyQSSmVcb6c

[expat2]

Not tungsten covered with gold — any fluorescence from the tungsten would not get through the gold covering layer.

[Sequoyah101]

So, do you carry one of those with you and will it still work when the SHTF?

Life sure is complicated ain’t it?

[PapaBear3625]

No need. Portable X-ray Fluorescence instruments are easily available and can readily distinguish between tungsten and gold. Non-destructive, no cutting/shearing needed.

Other distinguishing properties: tungsten has more than twice the electrical resistivity, and half the thermal conductivity of gold, so other tests can be devised that can be done with much simpler and less expensive equipment.

My paranoid side has me thinking that maybe these stories are a way to smoke out who has hidden gold assets, by setting up gold testing services, and having the IRS later visit the people whose gold was tested?