Clair Cameron Patterson’s Geologic Hammer

Origin
Clair Cameron Patterson was a geochemist who accurately estimated the earth’s age at approximately 4.55 billion years old by analyzing the concentration of lead particles in meteorites. This figure has remained relatively unchanged since its discovery in 1956. During these studies, Patterson noticed a high discrepancy between lead in the water and on land. By dating ice cores, he discovered that the rise in industrial additives such as tetraethyllead coincided with unnaturally high lead level. With these findings, he went to court to bring the dangers of lead to public notice. Although many companies and fellow scientists opposed Patterson, more restrictions were placed on the usage of lead in products.

Effects
Will transform any lead particles into organic, carbon-based substitutes. It normally forms basic clusters rather than complex chain structures like sugar or fat. Any liquid it contacts will be completely purified, while it seems unable to interact with any gases. Touching pieces of lead will cause the whole chunk to transform into one material, albeit slightly smaller. A noted side effect appears to be that the user’s aging process doubles when used. Although imperceptible at first, multiple uses affecting larger objects will make the aging feel more dramatic.

During experiments, one curious agent attempted to see how the hammer’s lead removal would interact with the iron disintegration of iocane powder. When exposed to pure lead, the powder had no effect. However, touching the piece with the hammer caused it to swell out from the middle, break apart like the inside was molten and then crust over like the shape of popcorn. Although intriguing, some of the striking face dissolved away, making the two ineligible for combination again.