non-magnetic steel?

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.
 
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.
 
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
 
Could be a high nickel alloy like Inconel 625 or one of the hundreds of grades of nickel alloys out there.
 
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.
 
I'll make a few more tests today. I'm pretty sure I bought this from a surplus steel center (new) as CR1018
 
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.
 
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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