How to separate steel

[Brento]

I just bought a bunch of material and stainless and steel are mixed in. I would like to separate them but not sure what the best way is to do that. I know of the magnet truck but i am also wanting to see if i can identify the grades of stainless as well if possible and not too hard.

 

[talvare]

I can't really answer your question other than I know there are electronic devices that can determine alloys to a certain extent. I imagine they are quite expensive. Also, keep in mind that all stainless alloys are not non-magnetic. I believe the 300 series are non-magnetic but 400 series can be magnetic.

Ted

 

[MrCrankyface]

Personally I'd start making piles.

Start with a magnet and check every piece if they're magnetic, you now have magnetic and non-magnetic seperated.

Non-magnetic is either stainless or aluminium, should be easy to tell them apart by weight, otherwise grinding. Aluminum shouldn't spark.
The magnetic pile can be steel or stainless.
One way there is to test corrosion resistance with a few drops of salted water then leave it sitting for a day.
If you have surface rust it's not stainless.

The steel can be checked for hardness/carbon amount with either grinding it (more explosive sparks if it's high carbon) or filing.
The harder it is for the file to bite in, the harder the piece is and the higher carbon it could be(not a strictly scientific test).

I think identifying the exact grades of material will be much harder.

 

[Brento]

Yea i remember reading that the 400 series isnt magnetic. From what i can say is if i can separate most of the steels i will be happy regardless.

Picture for attention to see what i will be working with.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

separate by color and smell

 

[homebrewed]

A number of the 400 series of stainless steels are magnetic. As in 409, 410, 420, 430, 439 and 440, according to some online information I found.

Some time back I bought some 409 (IIRC) to use for magnet pole pieces in an environment that might corrode iron. That project has since languished, since I figured out the application demanded tolerances that were beyond what my machines and I can accomplish.

 

[pacifica]

I just bought a bunch of material and stainless and steel are mixed in. I would like to separate them but not sure what the best way is to do that. I know of the magnet truck but i am also wanting to see if i can identify the grades of stainless as well if possible and not too hard.

Aluminum should be pretty obvious, then separate carbon steel from stainless. After that I use tsubosan Japan hardness checker file as the least expensive way to find hardness(and machinability) of the steel. If it's over rockwell 50 I usually don't use it since I'm not interested in chewing up my tooling.
To get a free machining steel usually you need to buy from a known source.

 

[Brento]

I know none of it is really hard. I have the aluminum and plastic separated. Just the steels are left. Could i get away with using a hardness file to check between stainless and the carbon steel.

 

[Ulma Doctor]

anything with mill scale or rust on it is carbon steel

stainless will be bright or satin dependent on grade, some carbon steel may be bright- but it may rust

hardness alone will not identify the composition

 

[Brento]

Ok. I also have 3 pces of steel that is in a cardboard tube. I think it was ground and polished. Is that isually a certain grade if steel for that?