Scrapyard Stainless Steel..What grade is it?

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Anybody know a way to tell what grade stainless is, ie: 304, 308, 316?I need a cheap easy accurate way to know what it is before I go welding on it...Send your answers to me at:[email protected]
Reply:This is a message forum..  I don't think you will get many emails about it.  However, you're looking for a magic pill that just doesn't exist.  Without a chemical analysis, there's no guarantee what grade of stainless you have.  The good part is that the grade of filler metal isn't all that critical in most cases.  That said, if the grade of material you're using is a critical thing, you're not going to use scrapyard pieces.  In which case, you'd buy a known grade and then be able to use the proper grade of filler.In short, don't worry about it unless you have to.  As a general rule, I use 316 filler on stainless.  It costs a little more, but it's fine for most common alloys of stainless, and welds smoothly.
Reply:There's many different stainless alloys, most are magnetic except for the 300series so that's the first testAcids and spark tests can be used to narrow further down the alloy in question- google 'molybdenum spot test' and 'stainless acid test'. AZOM and the engineering tool box both have articles on the subjecthttp://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/id...eel-d_383.html
Reply:Ask the scrap guy or better yet ask the guy dropping off the scrap what stainless they are using.  In all seriousness the scrap dealer often knows what they are buying from the original seller, if they are getting the material in any quantity. Small misc junk that gets dropped off no, but loads that come in from manufacturing plants and so on generally stays the same so they know what it is they are buying.
Reply:If the scrap dealer got drops from a machine shop, there's a high probability that it's 303 stainless.  Unless there's a requirement for welding, or a specific corrosion resistance, shops make the parts out of 303 because of it's free-machining characteristics.  Unfortunately, the very chemistry that makes it free-machining (lots of sulphur) also makes it unweldable if you plan on putting any stress on it whatsoever.  Sometimes the scrap dealer will have a portable "arc-and-spark" tester that will give you a good idea of what alloy it is.I r 2 a perfessional
Reply:I agree, ask the scrapyard guys to use the gun, or just try to figure what the piece was from. Food grade places like kitchens, food processing plants, beverage plants run almost always 316.
Reply:Just curious; is this a general question or do you have some special project in mind? Different grades have different resistances to different classes of chemicals and other variables.
Reply:as with hardness testers there is a converstion to stainless and there are some available hand held , scrappers dont have a lot of time to catagory there metals being most are shipped out of country and only visual and in some cases they have the testers,  I would sudjest more internet research
Reply:?????????????I r 2 a perfessional
Reply:How much is he going to sell it to you for. I only ask because it would be nice to know the going rate so I don't get ripped by the scrapper.JamesDrag Racing is for Fast Cars. Time Attack is for Fast Drivers!Miller Dynasty 200DX SOLDWeld Tec WatercoolerSOLDMiller Millermatic 180 w/ Spoolmate 100 Everlast 325 EXT w/300 Water Coolerwww.felixperformance.com
Reply:I just scrapped out 20 tons of steel and cast and probly 200 pounds of stainles and 100 hundred of alum, I they paid me 300 a ton so I dont think there is much difference in stainles, but again it depends on were you are . like I said earlyer if its scrap there not going to spend much time with it .