Name this Metal

[secureland]

It has been sitting outside for at least 14 years. NO RUST.

It came off of the floor of a rail car. And was laminated onto some 4'x8' sheets of heavy plywood.


Thanks for any replys!

edit- pics might help

 

[ericjeeper]

um let me see

Stainless steel

 

[timberwolf]

Zinc would be my guess Edit but looking at the pic again, looks too bright.

Hard or soft? looks soft by the bending that would rule out any stainless, nickel stuff. Too hard for lead.

Too heavy for alluminium?

Non magnetic?

If it is drawn by magnet, then could be stainless, if non magnetic, still could be stainless.

If you grind it what do the sparks look like?

If you try to drill it does it turn the drill bit cherry red?

 

[Blowncrewcab]

if it's not stainless it could be Manganese (sp?) a maganet won't stick to either. try to drill it, if you can drill it-it's stainless, if not it's manganese.

 

[blsnelling]

if it's not stainless it could be Manganese (sp?) a maganet won't stick to either. try to drill it, if you can drill it-it's stainless, if not it's manganese.

My Dad used to work with some of those exotic metals at the GE aircraft engine plant in Evendale, OH. Manganese, Hastaloy...

 

[joesawer]

How about Bob, or Bill, or Will, or......

 

[secureland]

It won't take a magnet.

It can be bent by hand, but would require a vice or metal break to get a sharp angle.


There is a large train rebuilding company and it came from there about 15 years ago. It's been outside since.

 

[super3]

Post no. 2 nailed it

 

[timberwolf]

That rules out manganese, it pretty hard and very brittle.

Austenitic stainless is non magnetic, but I would not think you would be able to bend it by hand at that thickness.

 

[056kid]

if it's not stainless it could be Manganese (sp?) a maganet won't stick to either. try to drill it, if you can drill it-it's stainless, if not it's manganese.

I was thinking mag to.

 

[excess650]

Lead alloys vary for soft enough to dig into with a fingernail, unscratchable with the same fingernail. Some of those alloys can be brittle while others are very pliable.

I've seen lead laminated onto drywall for use in xray rooms. I've not heard of it being laminated into plywood, not any other metal for that matter.

If its a lead alloy it should melt below 800*F.

 

[timberwolf]

I have used this before to sort out what type of stainless.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/identification-stainless-steel-d_383.html

If it is zinc, then no sparks when touched to grinder. But I think zinc would be brittle too like mang.

 

[cop0110]

316Ti Stainless Steel ,Titanium stabilized 316?

 

[sawinredneck]

Hit it with a grinder and see what happenes and what color the sparks are.

 

[J_Ashley]

No one's said it yet, so I'll take a guess. 6Al-4V Titanium... Perhaps?

 

[tdi-rick]

No one's said it yet, so I'll take a guess. 6Al-4V Titanium... Perhaps?

On the floor of a rail car ??

It'll be something fairly ordinary. No one would use anything exotic there.

Most stainless in that gauge are fairly hard and difficult to work by hand.

Could it just be some zinc plated sheet steel ?

 

[chowdozer]

Several reasons I don't think it would be titanium.
it was sitting outside for at least 14 years. 14 years ago titanium wasn't exactly cheap. titanium that size would be tough to bend by hand.
being on the floor of a railcar, I would guess it was fairly cheap, ie aluminum or zinc. They aren't going to spend more than they have to in a railcar.

 

[Tzed250]

Stainless....

 

[Ole Farmerbuck]

Plywood?

 

[peterc38]

Definitely stainless in my opinion. The color is right for a 300 series.