Could Joseph Smith Make the Plates?

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malkie
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Re: The Corner

Post by malkie »

Shulem wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 12:17 am
Limnor wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 12:11 am
Shulem, or Dan, do you think copper printing plates could have been the object used? Copper turns green when it oxidizes.
Personally, I think Joe was too poor to purchase or acquire the copper needed to pull off his trick. I think he resorted to cheap left over tin that he got for nothing -- or stole from some building or warehouse. Joe stole everything he ever got! That was how he operated.
As Limnor points out, the "patina" that forms on exposed copper is a green/greenish/bluish - depending on what it is exposed to. If you want to say the plates were tin instead (tin coated steel), then you need to be able to account for the green colour. I'm pretty sure you won't find a feasible chemical reaction outside the lab that will produce a green colour from tin roof material. The green tint of any ferrous salts that are formed by weathering a tin roof will, I believe, be hidden by the typical (ferric) red colour of common rust. I can't say it's totally impossible, but I believe it's quite improbable.

ETA: Physics Guy, do you have any idea where Chemistry Guy has got to - I think we need him here :)
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Re: The Corner

Post by Shulem »

malkie wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:34 am
As Limnor points out, the "patina" that forms on exposed copper is a green/greenish/bluish - depending on what it is exposed to. If you want to say the plates were tin instead (tin coated steel), then you need to be able to account for the green colour. I'm pretty sure you won't find a feasible chemical reaction outside the lab that will produce a green colour from tin roof material. The green tint of any ferrous salts that are formed by weathering a tin roof will, I believe, be hidden by the typical (ferric) red colour of common rust. I can't say it's totally impossible, but I believe it's quite improbable.

ETA: Physics Guy, do you have any idea where Chemistry Guy has got to - I think we need him here :)

Please see and click the link:
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Re: The Corner

Post by Limnor »

malkie wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:34 am
Shulem wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 12:17 am
Personally, I think Joe was too poor to purchase or acquire the copper needed to pull off his trick. I think he resorted to cheap left over tin that he got for nothing -- or stole from some building or warehouse. Joe stole everything he ever got! That was how he operated.
As Limnor points out, the "patina" that forms on exposed copper is a green/greenish/bluish - depending on what it is exposed to. If you want to say the plates were tin instead (tin coated steel), then you need to be able to account for the green colour. I'm pretty sure you won't find a feasible chemical reaction outside the lab that will produce a green colour from tin roof material. The green tint of any ferrous salts that are formed by weathering a tin roof will, I believe, be hidden by the typical (ferric) red colour of common rust. I can't say it's totally impossible, but I believe it's quite improbable.

ETA: Physics Guy, do you have any idea where Chemistry Guy has got to - I think we need him here :)
We may never get ground truth on the plates themselves, but if we take reported physical descriptions seriously, including size and coloration, then copper stands out as one of the few materials that naturally produces a green patina. That doesn’t prove copper, but I think copper printing plates might also account for the curious workmanship mentioned, not to mention the idea of engraving.
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Re: The Corner

Post by malkie »

Shulem wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:50 am
malkie wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:34 am
As Limnor points out, the "patina" that forms on exposed copper is a green/greenish/bluish - depending on what it is exposed to. If you want to say the plates were tin instead (tin coated steel), then you need to be able to account for the green colour. I'm pretty sure you won't find a feasible chemical reaction outside the lab that will produce a green colour from tin roof material. The green tint of any ferrous salts that are formed by weathering a tin roof will, I believe, be hidden by the typical (ferric) red colour of common rust. I can't say it's totally impossible, but I believe it's quite improbable.

ETA: Physics Guy, do you have any idea where Chemistry Guy has got to - I think we need him here :)
Please see and click the link:
Apologies - I didn't watch the video, and hadn't noticed any mention of the tin roofing possibly being painted.
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Re: The Corner

Post by Shulem »

malkie wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 2:45 am
Apologies - I didn't watch the video, and hadn't noticed any mention of the tin roofing possibly being painted.

Not a problem. We are having fun!

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Buried Plates

Post by Shulem »

Seriously, could it be the plates whether tin, copper, wood, lead or whatever, are secretly buried near the home of Peter Whitmer in Fayette, New York? Could it be that Joseph also buried some other keepsakes along with the plates?

Who wants Shulem to go to New York and find the lost plates? Anyone?

It can be done. Those bloody plates are worth a fortune!
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Re: Buried Plates

Post by huckelberry »

Shulem wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 2:06 pm
Seriously, could it be the plates whether tin, copper, wood, lead or whatever, are secretly buried near the home of Peter Whitmer in Fayette, New York? Could it be that Joseph also buried some other keepsakes along with the plates?

Who wants Shulem to go to New York and find the lost plates? Anyone?

It can be done. Those bloody plates are worth a fortune!
A. Amusing idea but how could a find be identified? People would assume fake.
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Re: Buried Plates

Post by malkie »

huckelberry wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 4:49 pm
Shulem wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 2:06 pm
Seriously, could it be the plates whether tin, copper, wood, lead or whatever, are secretly buried near the home of Peter Whitmer in Fayette, New York? Could it be that Joseph also buried some other keepsakes along with the plates?

Who wants Shulem to go to New York and find the lost plates? Anyone?

It can be done. Those bloody plates are worth a fortune!
A. Amusing idea but how could a find be identified? People would assume fake.
Not if he claims that an angel showed him where to find them, preferably during one of the equinoxes or solstices! Whichever of us made an MD roadtrip with Shulem could be co-opted as witnesses, and become rich and famous.

C'mon folks - what are you waiting for‽‽
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Re: Buried Plates

Post by Shulem »

malkie wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 5:08 pm
huckelberry wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2026 4:49 pm
A. Amusing idea but how could a find be identified? People would assume fake.
Not if he claims that an angel showed him where to find them, preferably during one of the equinoxes or solstices! Whichever of us made an MD roadtrip with Shulem could be co-opted as witnesses, and become rich and famous.

C'mon folks - what are you waiting for‽‽

If I do decide to go to New York to recover the plates and any lost trinkets buried with them then you can rest assured I will sell them for a pretty penny and all my friends on this board will get a cut. Yep, those plates are out there! And, what else did Joe bury with them as he laughed it up?

Hmmm.

In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven
Ooh, it makes me wonder


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Re: Could Joseph Smith Make the Plates?

Post by MG 2.0 »

To be clear, in regard to "stone of greenish caste", are you folks going this direction solely upon the testimony of Josiah Stowell?

Anyone else?

That's a lot of weight to put on one witness.

Regards,
MG
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