Identifying metals

[Skyking1992]

Hi all - first time post, but I have been reading and learning a lot from this forum.

I am helping my 6th grade granddaughter with a science project. The idea is to heat various metals and see if the rate of heat dissipation varies in proportion to density.

I picked up 6 samples of metal from a local supplier. Unfortunately, the material is not marked and I'm not sure how to identify. I can easily identify one piece of copper, one piece of aluminum, and one piece of stainless steel.

That leaves me with three more pieces. They are 1018 mild steel, D2 de-carb free tool steel, and de-carb free 4140 heat treated steel.

How do I tell the difference between these three?

I'd hate to be dumber than my 6th grade granddaughter!!!

 

[dennys502]

Posting some pictures would help immensely.

 

[eugene13]

I did the same experiment in high school, we used aluminum, brass, copper and steel. we heated it in boiling water and dropped it on a bar of parrafin, I don't think you'll see much difference between the ferrous metals, maybe try to get a piece of zinc or lead.

 

[benmychree]

The ferrous metals could be identified by spark testing.

 

[JRP]

You could do a relative hardness test, with a punch, scribe or hack saw blade. I'm guessing the mild steel should be the softest, and the 4140 the hardest.

 

[eeler1]

You could do a relative hardness test, with a punch, scribe or hack saw blade. I'm guessing the mild steel should be the softest, and the 4140 the hardest.

good idea, a file should work for those two also