# non-magnetic steel?



## AGCB97 (Jan 29, 2017)

I have a piece of 5/8" steel that does not stick to magnet or at least very little. It is not SS. I thought it was CR1018 but no longer sure of that. What are the choices?
Thanks
Aaron


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## Ed ke6bnl (Jan 29, 2017)

if it is very heavy it could be carbide.


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## Billh50 (Jan 29, 2017)

What makes you sure it's not SS ?


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## JimDawson (Jan 29, 2017)

AGCB97 said:


> What are the choices?



Just about any metal on the Periodic Table except iron and alloys thereof.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 29, 2017)

a picture of the material may help identification.
does the steel have any oxidation or rust present?


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## Billh50 (Jan 29, 2017)

There are so many different alloys today that are not magnetic. The aircraft industry as well as the Automotive industry have come up with many alloys through the years that are not magnetic. It is truly hard to tell what is what anymore just from looks or even a spark test. You might come close with a spark test though.


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## Tozguy (Jan 29, 2017)

AGCB97 said:


> I have a piece of 5/8" steel that does not stick to magnet or at least very little.
> Aaron



Aaron, a good starting point is to determine if it is or is not magnetic. Use a strong magnet for this test.


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## Wreck™Wreck (Jan 29, 2017)

All Steel is by definition an "Alloy" consisting of Iron and Carbon, Iron alloyed with Carbon where the carbon content is above 3% or so is considered Cast Iron.

Steel with the addition of Chromium above about 15% or more is called "Stainless Steel". Some are magnetic and some are not depending on the manufacturing process, cold working will often cause some steels to become magnetic.

I have found 440 SS to be magnetic in all conditions as an example.


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## rgray (Jan 29, 2017)

Titanium....wouldn't that be nice!


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## Billh50 (Jan 29, 2017)

I once had an aircraft alloy that I worked on that was non magnetic and heck to machine. NiCuAl, the nickel in it made it hard to machine until an old timer told me to put more more than standard reliefs in the tools.


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## Billh50 (Jan 29, 2017)

I don't think all alloys have carbon in them. I know what we call steel does to some point. But some of the exotic metals have no carbon in them.


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## Tony Wells (Jan 29, 2017)

Metallurgy is a science all its own, and a complex bit of technology at that. Most of which is beyond the scope of a hobbyist discussion, since most of the material sought out by hobbyists is what is usually a common type of material. That said, since the scrapyards that sometimes are the sources of hobby materials, virtually nothing can be ruled out. Easiest route to identifying a piece of material would be access to a XRF "gun" from a scrapyard, some of which can give specific chemistry of a material. Of course, that gives no information on heat treat condition. 

It would take much discussion and more speculation as to what material you actually have. Magnetic/non-magnetic is a clue, but only a piece of the puzzle. Since you say it is not SS, I assume you have reason to believe so; such as surface rust or discoloration. Please consider that the term "Stainless Steel" covers a broad range of materials and includes some that are not exactly immune to such effects. As far as magnetic properties, many SS examples are magnetic, some to a degree nearly equivalent to the average carbon or alloy steel. So in itself, that is only one of many identifying features. 

As Wreck mentioned, 440 stainless is magnetic, as is most of the 400 series that I have worked with. Yet some of it does not rate all that high in corrosion tests. I believe it is classed as a stainless because of the chemical makeup more than the actual corrosion resistant properties.

One other factor to consider, as a hint, is the form of metal you have. Not all materials are readily available in all forms. Some are quite difficult, expensive, or near impossible to acquire in sheet, plate, or forms other than round bar. I guess what I am getting at it that there is a plethora of possibilities, and narrowing it down by a few common features may be the best you can hope for. Then given the choices narrowed down, you will have to make the decision as to suitability for your application.


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## francist (Jan 29, 2017)

This is becoming somewhat of a challenging puzzle now. Would weighing the specimen be worthwhile at all? If it's of a uniform enough section the density would be easy enough to obtain. Whether or not that would rule out some of the choices I don't know, but maybe worth fooling around with?

-frank


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## 4GSR (Jan 29, 2017)

Could be a high nickel alloy like Inconel 625 or one of the hundreds of grades of nickel alloys out there.


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## ch2co (Jan 29, 2017)

Archimedes had a somewhat similar problem determining if the kings crown was really pure gold, or something to that extent.  If you weigh your sample  very precisely 
and then fully submerge it in water and measure the exact volume  by how much water it displaces, you can arrive at the true density in g/cm^3 or 
pounds per cubic inch etc.   Crying out Eureka!, he proved the kings crown wasn't pure gold and somebody in the crown factory got drawn and quartered.


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## AGCB97 (Jan 30, 2017)

I'll make a few more tests today. I'm pretty sure I bought this from a surplus steel center (new) as CR1018


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## Tony Wells (Jan 30, 2017)

If it is 1018, then your magnet should be strongly attracted to it.


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## AGCB97 (Jan 30, 2017)

OK, it must be some kind of SS. It's not very bright but no corrosion and has a faintly painted pink end. Makes sort of course (compared to a few other samples) yellow sparks on grinder. Hard to tell any visual difference between it and cold rolled.

Is there any kind of color code for different metals? I was told that 1018 sometimes has a green end.


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## JimDawson (Jan 30, 2017)

Unfortunately, the paint color is at the whim of the mill.


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## tincture500 (Jan 30, 2017)

Hastaloy,   large number of stainless like alloys titanium/ aluminum alloy. Does it spark on the grind stone. ?   If you get some magnetic attraction it's lilkly a SS alloy.   You did,NT pick it up at area 51 did you?  Tom


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## AGCB97 (Jan 31, 2017)

Sparks yellow.

What or where is area 51?


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## JimDawson (Jan 31, 2017)

AGCB97 said:


> What or where is area 51?



http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1861006,00.html


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## eugene13 (Jan 31, 2017)

Groom Lake in the Nevada desert, supposed to be a lot of secret aeronautical stuff going on, flying saucers, aliens, etc.


JimDawson said:


> http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1861006,00.html


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## graham-xrf (Feb 6, 2017)

ch2co said:


> If you weigh your sample  very precisely
> and then fully submerge it in water and measure the exact volume  by how much water it displaces, you can arrive at the true density in g/cm^3 or
> pounds per cubic inch etc.   Crying out Eureka!, he proved the kings crown wasn't pure gold and somebody in the crown factory got drawn and quartered.


I do love that!  
As I recall from high school, the whole deal about displacing water to measure a volume was a darn pain, unless the side of the container was calibrated already, as in a glass measuring tube (flask), and the doodad was small enough to fit down it. Anything involving what runs out a spout was just doomed!

WAY easier was just to weigh it suspended on a balance already zeroed for the weight of the (very) fine wire suspend, then raise up the jar of water from beneath, and check out the new weight when surrounded by the water, feeling the benefit of some buoyancy.

Here also is where you have to completely get the difference between density, and specific gravity.
For us, every millilitre weighs 1 gram, or every litre weights 1 kilogram.

The trouble is, it is relatively clear, the difference between the pure gold crown, and the debased metal version.
Not so easy is the difference between various metal alloys unknown!


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