Is there an easy way to detect stainless steel (apart from the obvious "leave it outside and see if it rusts")? I'm particularly interested in trying to work out whether some machine screws I have are stainless steel or not.
not 100% accurate, as it depends on the composition, but ss is generally non-magnetic!!
Jon
Stainless steel fixings are commonly made from an austenitic stainless steel, which is non-magnetic.
Colin Bignell
Why do spoons stick to magnets?
Unfortunately some ss sticks to magnets and some doesn't. I haven't got a clue which type of ss screws are made of.
A plated brass screw won't attract a magnet but could look like a ss one.
sponix
Stick it in a glass of salt water and see if it rusts :-)
But, AIUI, the screw forming operation, which involves large amounts of cold working, can make it magnetic, even if it normally wouldn't be.
Austinitic stainless steel is non-magnetic. Martensitic and, to a lesser degree, ferritic stainless steels are magnetic. Fastenings are usually made from austentic stainless steel. Spons are more often from a martensitic stainless steel.
Breathe on it. If the haze looks bluish, it is chrome plate. Otherwise, it is not.
Colin Bignell
Zinc and brass taste bitter but stainless steel tastes sweet. So lick them and find out.
The most common alloy for fastenings, 302 stainless steel, remains non-magnetic, even after extensive cold working. Other alloys can have greater changes in their magnetic permeability after cold working, but the difference from a carbon steel fastening will still be quite obvious.
Colin Bignell
try the spak test on a grinding wheel. Different metals give different sparks (needs research as it is a long time since my apprenticeship)
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