Does Stainless Steel Have Magnetic Properties?

Posted on March 27, 2019 by gardencity

Stainless steel is one of the most sought-after metals in various industries all over the world for many reasons. One of the most valuable properties of stainless steel is its non-porous and thus, resistance to corrosion. You see, stainless steel contains a combination of alloys, including nickel, magnesium, chromium, copper, and iron. It is the chromium coating that gives stainless steel the ability to defend against rust and corrosion.

There are many more wonderful attributes of stainless steel; but what about magnetism? Is stainless steel magnetic? Many people want to know, but many people will tell you different answers. Continue reading to clear up the confusion for good.

Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals

Depending on the application, magnetic properties of a stainless steel commodity can have an effect on its performance. This is why you might care whether or not stainless steel is magnetic. Before you can understand the possible magnetic properties of stainless steel, you must first understand ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and the difference between the two.

Ferrous metals are metals, or alloys, that contain iron. The word “ferrous” literally translates to “iron”, making it easy to understand what a non-ferrous metal it. The term “non-ferrous” means “non-iron”, which means that non-ferrous metals are those that do not contain iron. Read our blog, “The Discerning Attributes of Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal” to understand these differences in better detail.

Stainless Steel and Magnetism

Getting back on topic, the test to identify ferrous and non-ferrous metals is through the use of magnets. Magnets are attracted to iron metal, which means a magnet will stick to something that contains iron, or is ferrous. If you stick a magnet to something, and it does not attract, the item likely does not contain iron, making it non-ferrous. So when you ask whether or not stainless steel is magnetic, you really might want to ask yourself is stainless steel ferrous or non-ferrous metal.

Most people assume stainless steel is magnetic because it contains iron in its chemical composition; but this is where the confusion comes into play. You see, although it contains iron, stainless steel isn’t always magnetic. In addition to containing iron to be magnetic, stainless steel must also be manufactured with a crystal structure arranged in a ferritic or martensitic structure. If it does not have both of these attributes, or mostly consists of of an austenite structure, it may not be magnetic.

✨ Check back with next month’s blog where we will discuss which types of stainless steel are magnetic, and how they compare to austenitic structures, which are not.

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A List of Transition Metals and Properties

Posted on February 20, 2019 by gardencity

If you look at the periodic table, you will notice that the largest group of elements are transition metals, which make up most of the center of the table. Below the main portion of the table, the two rows of lanthanides and actinides are distinct subsets of transition metals. So what are transition metals? What is their value? Whether you are a metal collector, seller, procurer, or simply a lover of knowledge, you would enjoying knowing these facts.

Continue reading to learn more about transition metals, including their various, notable properties.

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Webster’s Dictionary defines a transition metal as, “any of various metallic elements (such as chromium, iron, and nickel) that have valence electrons in two shells instead of only one.” But there is a more comprehendible version of this definition. Also known as “transition elements”, transition metals are basically metals whose electrons of their atoms make the transition to filling the “d subshell” or “d sublevel orbital.” As a result, these are also known as “d-block elements.”

Excluding the list of lanthanides and actinides on the periodic table, here is a list of the transition elements:

Bohrium

Cadmium

Copernicium (presumably)

Chromium

Cobalt

Copper

Darmstadtium

Dubnium

Gold

Hafnium

Hassium

Iridium

Iron

Lanthanum

Manganese

Molybdenum

Mercury

Meitnerium

Niobium

Osmium

Palladium

Platinum

Rhenium

Rhodium

Roentgenium

Ruthenium

Rutherfordium

Scandium

Seaborgium

Silver

Tantalum

Technetium

Titanium

Tungsten

Vanadium

Yttrium

Zinc

Properties of Transition Elements

The most notable properties of transition metals are wide-ranging. They are great conductors of heat and electricity, and even retain high melting and boiling points. And although they are quite malleable, making them perfect for manufacturing, they are also hard, which gives them strength and durability. They are typically grayish in color, and can even retain a metallic, silvery sheen. But because they can form many compounds, they can be altered to various colors and hues.

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Important Scrap Metal Terms and Definitions

Posted on January 23, 2019 by gardencity

If you are preparing to enter the world of metal scrapping, you would do well to learn some important metal terms to better understand the average worth of your junk when it comes time to sell it off to a scrap metal buyer. Continue reading to do just that!

Scrap Metal Terms You Need to Know:

Scrap Metal – Scrap metal is any metal commodity or material that has been junked.

Metal Recycling – Metal recycling is the process of reusing metal to make new metal commodities and resources.

Metal Reprocessing – Metal reprocessing is the process of dismantling and melting down scrap metal, and making it into something new.

Ferrous Metal – Ferrous metal is any metal that contains iron. Since iron is magnetic, you can use a magnet to test whether or not a metal is ferrous.

Non-Ferrous Metal – Non-ferrous metal is any metal that DOES NOT contain iron. This means that a magnet would not stick.

Precious Metals – Precious metals are metals that are naturally-occurring and have high economic value, such as gold, silver, platinum, and titanium.

Noble Metal – Nobles metals can be both precious and non-precious, depending on how you look at them. See our article, “A Comparison of Precious Metals and Noble Metals” to understand more about noble metals.

Red Metals – Red metals are copper-based, and include brass, bronze, BeCu, and tellurium copper.

Heavy Metals – Although an official scientific definition for heavy metal doesn’t exist, most authorities suggest they are metals that are dense and usually toxic at low concentrations. Examples of common metals that are toxic and have high density include lead, mercury, and bismuth.

XRF Analyzer – An XRF analyzer is a very expensive piece of technology that reads the metal values within a commodity. They are often used at metal recycling and scrap metal centers to assess metal volume and values.

Electronic Platform Scales – Electronic platform scales are another type of technology used as reputable scrap metal centers. They are used to weigh large cargoes, such as vehicles, equipment, and more.

Scrap Metal Buyer – A professional who specializes in purchasing and reprocessing scrap metal from those who wish to sell their junk.

Where to Get Paid for Scrap Metal

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The Price Difference Between Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metal

Posted on January 7, 2019 by gardencity

Metal recycling is an incredibly important endeavor for our planet. Not only is it vital for the sustenance and preservation of our natural resources, it also reduces air pollution, protects wildlife and nature, and much more. But did you know that metal recycling is also profitable? You can sell your scrap metal bulk to a local metal recycling center, and they will pay you cash on the spot for whatever it’s worth.

Since there are two primary metal categories, and numerous types of metal within each, the price of your scrap will vary depending on quantity and type. If you want a better understanding of how much your scrap metal is worth, start by learning the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including their market values.

Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals

The difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals is easy to understand. Simply put, ferrous metals contain iron and non-ferrous metals DO NOT contain iron. In fact, the term “non-ferrous” translates to “non-iron.” The most common ferrous metals include iron, cast iron, steel, stainless steel, and carbon steel. Some common non-ferrous metals include aluminum, copper, brass, lead, tin, nickel, and zinc.

Now you may be asking yourself if precious metals are ferrous or not. Well, most precious metals do not contain iron. Gold, silver, platinum, cobalt, mercury, tungsten, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cadmium, niobium, indium, gallium, germanium, lithium, selenium, tantalum, tellurium, vanadium, and zirconium are all categorized as non-ferrous metals.

General Price Differences

Ferrous metals are more abundant, which makes them lower in cost. The fact that steel and iron are widely recycled contributes to the vast availability and affordability of iron and steel metals. As a result, their values do not fluctuate greatly from a day to day basis. In contrast, non-ferrous metals are usually worth more since they are less available and more difficult to manufacture. Although aluminum keeps steady for the most part, other non-ferrous metals, like brass and copper, tend to fluctuate a lot from week to week.

Iron or No Iron?

To learn whether or not your scrap contains iron, you can implement the magnet test. You see, iron is magnetic, so anything that contains nominal traces of iron will attract magnets. All you have to do is see if a magnet sticks to your metal. If it does stick, it is ferrous!

Where to Get the Most for Your Scrap

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What are Heavy Metals?

Posted on July 11, 2018 by gardencity

An official scientific definition of a heavy metal really doesn’t exist. However, most authorities suggest that a heavy metal is one that is dense and usually toxic at low concentrations. There are several kinds of metals found all over the world, and each one plays a vital role in our society.

Continue reading to learn which ones are deemed “heavy”, and how to safely recycle them.

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Heavy Metal Composition

Metalloids are elements whose properties are midway between those of standard metals and solid non-metals. Lighter metals and metalloids are often considered heavy metals, primarily because of their mass, volume, and toxicity levels. This theory is contradicted when considering gold, since gold is non-toxic, but often deemed a heavy metal. In addition to toxicity and density, most heavy metals also retain a higher atomic number and atomic weight. They also tend to have a specific gravity greater than five.

Heavy metals can include a wide range of metals, such as basic metals, metalloids, transition metals, lanthanides (elements in the periodic table ranging from lanthanum to lutetium), and actinides(elements in the periodic table ranging from actinium to lawrencium). Examples of common metals that are toxic and have high density include lead, mercury, and bismuth.

Common Heavy Metals:

⚛ Bismuth
⚛ Cadmium
⚛ Chromium
⚛ Lead
⚛ Mercury

Less Common, But Sometimes Considered Heavy Metals Include:

⚛ Aluminum
⚛ Arsenic
⚛ Beryllium
⚛ Cobalt
⚛ Copper
⚛ Iron
⚛ Manganese
⚛ Zinc

People who consider heavy metals to be those with a density greater than 5 use this list:

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Facts About Modern Metal Recycling Technologies

Posted on March 13, 2018 by gardencity

The metal recycling industry has come a long way over the past several decades. The current innovative technologies available for metal identification, mathematics, assessment, and production are fairly new, but proven to be highly effective thus far.

Continue reading to learn some interesting facts about the modern metal recycling technologies most commonly used by scrappers and other industry contemporaries.

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One of the primary purposes of the current metal recycling technologies today is to accurately identify and locate metals within objects. These new advancements allow all us to identify and separate many types of metal, including precious metals, ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, and more. In fact, the separation of ferrous and non-ferrous metals is a chief objective for most metal recycling plants, therefore making it one of the most significant phases in the scrapping process.

Eddy Current Separation

Since ferrous metals contain iron, they are magnetic; which up to this point has been a primary method of metal separation in the recycling industry. When it comes to separating mixed waste streams of recyclable materials, a technology known as the Eddy Current Separation is implemented to pull the iron-clad metals from the rest of the mixed waste pile. Here’s how it works:

First, paper is usually removed. After that, only plastic and metal materials remain. Then, electric currents are transferred across the waste pile, affecting only metal. This electrical current picks up all metal items, even aluminum, and castoffs all plastic and paper materials.

Precious Metal

Precious metals like palladium, platinum, gold, silver, and other valuable metals such as copper and lead, are commonly found in electronics. However, they are not always worth extracting using advanced technology and sophisticated recycling equipment unless there is enough material to remove. The time and cost of extracting such valuable metals does not always fall below the value of what can actually be recovered. If there is not enough material there, it is usually not economically viable to use such innovative methods of metal separation.

Infrared Sensors

Large recycling centers often use infrared sensors and x-ray scanning technologies to sort through metal waste. Metal sensing can take place using various methods, but the three most popular include hydrometallurgy, biotechnology, and pyro-metallurgy. These three metal sensing technologies have been effective for improving metal recovery rates.

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Top 3 Applications of Aluminum Anodizing

Posted on November 3, 2017 by gardencity

In its natural state, aluminum has a thin protective layer of oxide that makes it resistant to damage and corrosion. The more pure the metal, the higher the resistance. But in the metals market, many aluminum commodities are manufactured with other alloying agents, such as nickel, iron, copper, and steel. This makes them more vulnerable to abrasion and corrosion. For this reason, many metal manufacturers are using a process known as anodizing to strengthen aluminum’s resistance to damage. Continue reading to learn more about the anodizing process and the top three most common applications in the metals industry.

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The Process of Anodizing

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that promotes the formation of an additional, thicker layer of aluminum oxide to aluminum alloys. This provides more strength and resistance to corrosion and damage faster than it could naturally. The anodization does not strengthen the aluminum base material; it only adds an additional layer of protection that retains a higher resistance to wear and tear. It can be effective for other metals, but it has the biggest impact on aluminum. The process starts by dipping the metal object into a reservoir filled with an electrolytic solution and a cathode made of aluminum or lead. Next, an electrical current is passed through the aluminum, which is acting as the anode. This current promotes and expedites the oxidation of the aluminum.

The three most common applications for anodizing:

➀ Corrosion Resistance

Commodities that benefit the most from anodizing are those that are at risk of corrosion. This includes commodities that are regularly submerged or in contact with water, including boats, dock structures, auto parts, plumbing, and more.

➁ Abrasion Resistance

Non-anodized aluminum alloys are softer and more malleable than oxidized aluminum alloys. Anodizing provides additional protection against abrasion, fracture, and other forms of damage. In fact, it is so highly resistant to abrasion that aluminum oxide is often used to manufacture sandpaper.

➂ Dyeing

Dyeing is the process of integrating color into aluminum alloy commodities, such as bikes, parts, tools, and more. Since the layer of oxide that forms from anodizing is porous, the dyeing process is easier than without the protective layer.

Recycle Your Scrap Aluminum for Cash

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Tips for Cleaning Stainless Steel

Posted on October 3, 2017 by gardencity

Stainless steel trends are on the rise, and they’re not just for appliances anymore. Several office and household commodities are being introduced to the market in stainless steel versions. Items like countertops, backsplashes, phone cases, laptops, furniture, jewelry, electronics, and more can be bought in stainless steel. Steel finish, however appealing, is not actually stainless. In fact, one of the downsides to this type of finish is that it retains every single fingerprint that seems to come in contact with it. For this reason, it is helpful to learn some easy methods and techniques for cleaning stainless finishes, and keep your stuff shiny and finger-print free!

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Stainless Steel Cleaning

Stainless steel requires more than a simple wash rag and wipe-down. It requires certain specialized products and cleaning techniques for optimal shine and protection. You won’t get far using dish detergent and water. It is best to purchase a store-bought stainless steel cleaner and polisher. These generally come in kits with the proper brush and polishing tools as well.

Now this may sound tedious, but it’s actually quite simple and only needs to be done once or twice a week. Simply apply the cream solution or polish to the surface, and then scrub in with the included abrasive. Use circular motions and adequate pressure. You are not just wiping imperfections away, you are conditioning and polishing the finish.
Once the polish is wiped in, you will notice a white powdery residue left over. Simply use a dry paper towel to clear this away. Last, use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe the surface down in circular motions, to remove any lasting streaks or marks. And you are done!

Restoring Stainless Finishes

When polishing doesn’t do the trick, or when steel items are past their prime, a professional cleaning company can restore the look of steel finishes with acid chemical treatments. These are called pickling and passivation acid treatments. They are meant to remove any free iron deposits and low chromium layers from the surface, to reveal shiny better-looking metal. This is a very popular service for commercial properties with stainless steel cleaning and restoration needs.

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Interesting Facts About the Value of Platinum

Posted on September 6, 2017 by gardencity

Platinum is a precious metal that is sometimes referred to as the “Rich Man’s Gold” or “White Gold” because it is just as beautiful, but rarer than gold itself. Continue reading to learn why platinum is so valuable.

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⛏ Attributes of Platinum

Platinum is a dense, malleable, and ductile metal with a silvery-white color and sheen. It is a chemical element that is assigned the symbol “Pt” with an atomic number of 78. It is considered a precious metal, making it more valuable in terms of profit. The word “platinum” is derived from the Spanish word, “Platina”, which means “little silver.” It is a heavy metal, heavier and denser than gold. One cubic foot weighs a little more than 1,330 pounds, and is about 11% denser than gold. That means that a 6 inch cube of platinum would weight about as much as you do!

⛏ Uses for Platinum

Platinum is a highly sought-after metal because it offers so many applications and uses. It is a nonreactive metal, and highly resistant to corrosion. That is why it is also considered to be a “noble metal”, which are metals that are resistant to corrosion and oxidation. Platinum won’t rust! This is why it is commonly used in the jewelry industry. For these same qualities, platinum is also commonly used to manufacture automotive parts (catalytic converters), laboratory equipment, electrical contacts and electrodes, platinum resistance thermometers, dentistry equipment, and much more.

⛏ Scarcity of Platinum

Platinum is very scarce. In fact, it is one of the rarest elements found in the Earth’s crust. This is one of the primary reasons why it is so valuable. It is simply an economic matter of supply and demand. You see, there are approximately 130 tons of platinum being produced in the world each year. Larger amounts of steel are poured in a single day in the United States than the total production of platinum in one year! Eighty percent of the world’s platinum production comes from mines in South Africa. Aside from the Earth’s crust, there are also naturally occurring deposits in various alluvial rivers around the world.

Sell Your Platinum Today!

If you have old platinum jewelry or catalytic converters, you can sell these items to a scrap metal buyer and get paid cash on the spot. Platinum is currently doing well on the scrap metal market, so take advantage of the current economy and sell your platinum commodities while their value is on the up and up.

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Do You Know What Makes Brass and Bronze Different From Each Other?

Posted on August 2, 2017 by gardencity

Brass and bronze metal may look similar, but there are distinctive differences between them. Learn what these differences are before recycling your metal!

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For those looking to recycle a large amount of brass, you may want to take a closer look to ensure your brass pile is in fact, all brass. The price per pound for bronze is higher than brass, and often times, people make the mistake by assuming all “yellow metals” are brass. However, brass can have bronze in it as well, making it slightly more valuable. Continue reading to learn what the difference is between the two metals, and how to tell them apart from one another.

Brass

Brass is a non-ferrous alloy metal. “Non-ferrous” means that it does not contain any iron and lacks magnetic abilities. An “alloy” is a metal that is comprised of other metals. In the case of brass, copper and zinc are the majority metals, with most brass containing anywhere from 60 to 80% copper and 20 to 40% zinc. Zinc and copper combined makes for a stronger and more durable metal that has a yellow-ish tint.

Brass is commonly used in plumbing applications, including brass pipes and plumbing fixtures, turnings, shells, and more. However, it also have several other industry applications. For instance, brass is a common metal for making musical instruments like trumpets and trombones.

Bronze

Bronze is less common than brass. It is also a non-ferrous alloy made up of zinc and copper, so it is difficult to tell brass apart from bronze. The difference between the two alloys is simply the amount of copper content. Bronze has more copper content than brass, usually between 80 and 90 percent, which is why it is redder in color. Brass has less copper, so it is more yellow or gold in color. Bronze is also heavier and more dense than brass, so it is a common material for statutes and decorative objects. In order to tell brass from bronze, you need experience in the metal buying industry.

To determine the exact amounts of copper and zinc in a metal item, you would need some technology. There is a device called an XFR analyzer that can read metal. These are very expensive, and generally used by large scrap metal companies.

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