Strange metal

I made a little version of a traditional tool today, something that appears to have barely changed, if at all, since the mid 19th century or earlier, except it is now factory made rather than blacksmithed.

I 'blacksmithed' mine as I wanted the same coarse appearance as a Victorian one.

The metal I used was rather odd. It was heavy as steel and had a few (apparently) rust flecks, but looked slightly greyish. It was magnetic, jumping off my hand when I waved a small speaker magnet over it. it could have been stainless but it was as bendable as mild steel, easy to bend and re-bend and showed no work hardening even when beaten with an 'ammer, yet when hit with the hammer it took a lot of bashing to create flats on it. I was able to drill it 1/16" where it had been flattened with no sign of work hardening. I tried oil-blacking it and instead it went grey-green. One or two spots picked up some silver solder and flux off the bit of tile I heated it on, very unlike stainless.

All in all i suppose it is stainless steel but it really doesn't behave much like one. It can't be a very hard aluminium alloy as it is so magnetic.

Any ideas?

That sounds like old wrought iron. Pure iron with fine carbon that is mechanically included, not in chemical solution. I hard to find the stuff anymore! If you acid etch the rod, fairly heavily, and it shows a linear structure like lots of wires bundled, then you've got wrought iron.

Pete

A spark test may indicate what it is. Sounds like it may be some kind of 400 series stainless.

"400-series sparks are similar to 300-series sparks, but are slightly longer and have forks at the ends of the sparks"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_testing

Edited By Vic on 10/09/2016 19:23:02

unobtainium or scrapbinium at a guess.

Perhaps nickel or a high nickel no chrome stainless as used for cutlery.

Put us out of our misery Neil - what does your little tool do?

Rik

Monel perhaps?

Monel:-
"Cold working can increase the magnetic properties while solution annealling can render the item non magnetic until it is cold worked again."

RJ may well be onthe right track. Green colour flagged it up for me as possibly a copper alloy.

According to goggle it should work harden - and its magnetic properties are interesting. Reaction with nitric acid is used to identify, or discern from

 stainless steel or steel.

Edited By not done it yet on 11/09/2016 08:15:30

Grinder test-- dullish red = wrought iron.

Spark test is either wrought iron or stainless, a single long-thin 'leaf' from each spark. If there's any final fork (400 series) it's barely there.

But not wrought iron, it would black and show colours when heated.

It must be a stainless, but one that is remarkably easy to work.

As for the mystery tool, come to MEX and see it at work

Neil

Inconel or Nimonic?

Michael W

I take it those ores are not very nice to work with? I can't seem to find unobtainium anywhere. Scrapbinium always get a poor surface finish and odd sizes. I prefer machining sponge, as it is the only material that can be both round and square with a bit of heft.

Michael W

You know what i think this is?

It looks just like Meccano axle, but 3/32" instead of 5/32". Which probably means it is a cheap stainless.

Neil

Have you checked it for radioactivity?

Geoff

You should try quantonium, that can be round and square (or neither) at the same time

If it is remarkably easy to work as Neil says then, it's certainly not Inconel or Nimonic. They are a lot of things but "easy " isn't one of them.. I don't even know of a Stainless steel that is "remarkably easy to work " not even 303. Maybe even just a rubbish alloy used for parts of a toy. Don't suppose you will ever know for sure, need a lab for that.

Could it be a Maraging Steel, as used to make ultra-centrifuges and golf clubs?

No doubt Neil would think of an ultra-centrifuge as being a "Traditional Tool". They were much used in the past to make ye olde enriched Uranium.

Dave

North Korea for a source?

Maraging steel was also used in the grabs that failed during the partial raising of the Russian Submarine K-129 in the 1970's.