On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 17:36:54 GMT, Dan Musicant wrote:
I've always found that MOST stainless steel has little or no attraction
to a magnet. How reliable is this test?

Not very.

Is there quality stainless steel that IS drawn to magnets?

Yes. 400 series stainless is magnetic. 300 series is not.

Why is most stainless steel not attracted to magnets?

The 300 series has a different grain structure (austenitic) which
won't form magnetic domains (this is the form regular steel takes
when heated above the Curie point). The 400 series has a
martensite grain structure which will allow magnetic domains to
form. The 400 series is also heat treatable. It is what is used
for stainless knife blades.

While we're on the subject of stainless steel, what are it's general
properties aside from not rusting due to oxidation? Is or can it be as
hard as tool grade steels? Are there some neat links where I can find
out about different kinds of steel? This has always been a facinating
topic to me.

The 400 series can be hardened, but it can't be hardened quite as
much as plain carbon steel of the same carbon content because of
the presence of chromium (the latter is what makes it stainless).

Gary