Is there an easy way to test if something is chrome plated aluminium vs polished stainless steel?........like with a magnet or something?? I need to confirm a hard pipe kit that I have been sent is the correct one? They seem quite heavy!....... which I think would suggest they are stainless & not ally??.......but I'm not sure how much weight chrome plating would add to the ally? Any help or tricks to test them would be much appreciated?? CheerZ Russ
So this seems to suggest that stainless steel will not be magnetic if it's 'austenitic' - which seems to be 302, 303, 304 etc! http://www.mceproducts.com/knowledge-base/article/article-dtl.asp?id=18 So if a magnet sticks to the inside of the pipe (substrate) then its probably chrome ally? If not its probably stainless steel? Is that correct??
A magnet will not stick to 3/16 stainless ( the good stuff ) but will stick to lower grade stainless. In our family buisness years ago ( i was young )i had a bloke offer me a fantastic deal on some stainless ? drive shafts in bulk. My old man walked out with a magnet and it stuck so he was told to piss off. Is a very easy trick. If you need 3/16 always use a magnet. Today stainless comes in so many grades and you will not always need 3/16 . Magnets would not mormally stick to an alloy either. Chrome plating it's posible but others may be able to tell you this. My take on it is if it's got an iron content a magnet will stick but without it will slide off. With the stainless you can get a magnet to almost stick ( slides off ) on the lower grades but the 3/16 will fall of straight away. Just my 2 cents on the matter dave
As a note the composition of stainless steel is based on iron with chromium and nickel added as alloying elements. The magnetism properties will be determined by the symmetry of the metallic structure that also changes with temperature, so at different temperatures the magnetism properties of stainless steel changes between magnetic and non-magnetic. I hope I don't sound too far out with this comment.
That's the thing Chris I'm not sure which ones I have been sent?.......pretty much everything in my order has had issues! .......so I just want to be sure these are correct?.......hence the reason I need an easy test to find out?.......rather than rely on someones 'word'??
Have you tried a magnet yet Russ? Who knows, it might stick for a second and fall off or something then you would know it's not ally
Not yet?.......I don't actually think I have a suitable magnet in the house? ...........but I'm still a bit confused?......should the magnet stick to chrome aluminium then?.......& NOT to the stainless? Is that the idea? I was sort of getting the impression that it wouldn't stick to the aluminium either??
Get a sharp blade and scratch at the inside of the pipe, if it's ally you will be able to damage it very easily and even scrap off the top layer even with a semi blunt blade. If it's stainless or chrome plated mild steel the blade will not want to dig in and will do very little to the surface without a fair bit of pressure, if it's plated you will see the plating come away and there is usually a copper coloured coating under it. Grab an ally beer can or something so you can compare the colour and surface strength etc. Where are they from? ally pipes will feel light and chromed steel pipes feel heavy simple as that
Fridge magnet should work but if it doesnt stick, it might just not be strong enough lol. Got a dead speaker somewhere?
You can't see the difference between chrome and polished? Get a knife and try to shave the end of the piping. Chrome will pick off if it's there. Stainless is hard, alloy is soft. The stainless should ring when you flick it. Alloy pipe just "donks"
For starters, chrome plateing aluminium is PHARKEN EXPENSIVE eg: chroming a steel rim is around the $50 mark, chroming an alloy rim is well in excess of $500, and yes there IS 10 times the work involved in chroming alloy. So the cost of supplying you with chrome plated alloy hardpipes would undoutably be stupid in comparision to stainless. If a supplier was trying to rip you then I'd suggest that they'd supply chromed mild steel pipes and 'call' em stainless..... it happens ! As for determining as to which is which and what you have there are several ways, weight: stainless will be the heavy mild steel 2nd and alloy will be lite (stainless and the mild steel will be close to each others weight) color: stainless will be like a mirror and be a consistant sheen inside and out. chromed steel will also mirror, but it will be 'yellowish' in side the pipes chromed alloy will mirror also but dull sheen inside polished alloy will not mirror as well, but dull sheen inside will be obvious scratch test: NB, pick a spot that wont be visiable when fitted .... use a file or hacksaw. stainless will leave a slight mark chromed mild steel wont mark easily chromed alloy wont mark mark easily polished alloy will be scared for life grinder test: again ..... pick a spot that wont be visiable when fitted .... stainless = dull red to orange colored sparks mild steel = white sparkles alloy = silver dust Magnet test: allready covered by everyone A magnet will not stick to 3/16 grade stainless, got more chance of one sticking to glass :rofl: Austenitic stainless (grades 302, 303, 304 etc) will show some magnetic sticking although it will be weak mild steel, sticks like shyte to carpet alloy, about the same stickyness as wood :rofl: :br:
