What kind of metal??

[AstoN]

I made a 'kidney' tray for my creeper board the other day, and i used some sheet metal i had lying about the farm. Someone left it here.

I thought it was mild steel as i'd used it to weld up the bottom of some doors on a horsebox, and it worked fine. It's a bit shiny but i thought it was just newish.

I tried sticking my worklight to it though and it isn't magnetic. The bits where i folded then welded are (i assume because the weld is steel) but the material itself just isnt. Any ideas what it will be?

 

[bigbadbugga]

Some grades of stainless are not magnetic I think

 

[scott0031]

Some grades of stainless are not magnetic I think

Correct. Used a lot in military bomb disposal equip. Plus many other uses.

 

[HOUNDMAGNET]

austenitic stainless steels are non magnetic.They are sometimes called 18/8 s/s as they contain 18% chromium and 8% nickel.They are very corrosion resistant.
some cold working and machining can affect the magnetic properties of these materials though.

 

[AstoN]

it was just a long strip, looked like it had been stuck on something to finish it off as it had a wavy line of sealant/bond on the back of it when i found it.

I've still got a strip about 4.5ft x 7.5inches. Is it expensive...?

 

[craigelland]

could be a lost piece of the space station being built high up above

 

[dannyweld]

austenitic stainless steels are non magnetic.They are sometimes called 18/8 s/s as they contain 18% chromium and 8% nickel.They are very corrosion resistant.
some cold working and machining can affect the magnetic properties of these materials though.

correct, i got some super duper strong magnets. they will stick to the hot rolled 304 stainless but not to the cold reduced 304.

 

[AstoN]

either way it's strong enough to sit on lol. works fine, just unsure whether it'll be ok to use on my xr3i cab project? no major panels need doing, just the odd patch cause i want everything smooth under bonnet.

 

[gaz_moose]

if it is stainless then the rest of your car will rust away before the patches do!
just get a bit of mild steel as the stainless will be a pain to work with as its mega tuff so will be a pain to cut/shape.plus im sure you would com into difficulty welding mild to stainless.