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·I think I read somewhere where someone said that the "stainless" slide on the XD was not actually stainless, but some coating. Is this true?
Stainless slide not stainless?
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Does it arrive from the factory free of discoloration? It's stainless!
Does it pick up new discoloration less frequently than normal steel? It stains less!
Yes, it's stainless. But that doesn't mean you get to ignore it.
Does it pick up new discoloration less frequently than normal steel? It stains less!
Yes, it's stainless. But that doesn't mean you get to ignore it.
Stainless can/will rust if not maintained properly. I have a stainless S&W J-frame revolver that developed some brown freckles along the backstrap because, through my own ignorance, failed to wipe my sweat off the grip. The area was easily restored with Flitz, but the point is that this is my personal testimony of rusting stainless steel.
Theres quite a few diffrent varites of Stainless too, I deal with High HP cars that have a ton of custom Stainless pieces, headers, IC pipes etc etc, and they take a beatting and never really have to think about maintenance-usually 304 SS. I often wonder why the Stainless on these weapons seems to need so much more maintenance, is it low nickle content or?
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In metallurgy, stainless steel is defined1 as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium content. Such steels have higher resistance to oxidation (rust) and corrosion in several environments. It was invented in 1913, at the research laboratory of Brown-Firth, Sheffield, England by Harry Brearley. He had been investigating ways to reduce corrosion in gun barrels, when it was noticed that a discarded sample was not rusting.
High oxidation resistance in air at ambient temperature is normally achieved with additions of more than 12% (by weight) chromium. The chromium forms a layer of chromium (III) oxide (Cr2O3) when exposed to oxygen. The layer is too thin to be visible, meaning the metal stays shiny. It is, however, impervious to water and air, protecting the metal beneath. Also, when the surface is scratched this layer quickly reforms. When stainless steel parts such as nuts and bolts are forced together, the oxide layer can be scraped off causing the parts to weld together. This effect is known as galling.
There are different types of stainless steels: when nickel, for instance is added the austenite structure of iron is stabilized and these steels become non-magnetic. For higher hardness and strength, carbon is added. When subjected to adequate heat treatment these steels are used as razor blades, cutlery, tools etc...
High oxidation resistance in air at ambient temperature is normally achieved with additions of more than 12% (by weight) chromium. The chromium forms a layer of chromium (III) oxide (Cr2O3) when exposed to oxygen. The layer is too thin to be visible, meaning the metal stays shiny. It is, however, impervious to water and air, protecting the metal beneath. Also, when the surface is scratched this layer quickly reforms. When stainless steel parts such as nuts and bolts are forced together, the oxide layer can be scraped off causing the parts to weld together. This effect is known as galling.
There are different types of stainless steels: when nickel, for instance is added the austenite structure of iron is stabilized and these steels become non-magnetic. For higher hardness and strength, carbon is added. When subjected to adequate heat treatment these steels are used as razor blades, cutlery, tools etc...
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Dont you EVER acuse me of being a smart dude, I have a reputation to protect. You can read the rest right here...Bubstang said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
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You can tell if its real stainless steel by testing it with a magnet. Stainless steel is not magnetic.But it still needs to be taken care of as though it were not
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Not all stainless steel is not magnetic, only those which have a nickel content could be considered "non-magnetic" but even that would be edging toward wrong. Depending on the nickel content and the power of the magnet, even "non-magnetic" stainless steels are really more like "less magnetic" kind of like how "non-lethal" ammunition has been redefined as "less lethal" due to experience.
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Opps, sorry I was just going by what i was taught . thats interesting to find out I always thought all ss was non magnetic.I worked for 2 years as a mech. when I was younger at an avesta sheffeild of england stainless steel plant and thats how their millwrights taught me to check if something was stainless steel. Darn it now im going to trying to stick a magnet on every thing i see thats ss Thanks for the good info.
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George,
300 series stainless metals are generally non magnetic, but after being subjected to high stress machining loads or heavy magnetic fields, they too can pick up enough of a surface charge to become magnetic. I learned this one the hard way when I used a piece of steel that was just marked "SS" to make a part that was supposed to be made from a 400 series (carbon added and less nickel) stock so that it could be hardened. 16 hrs of mill and wire work later, it wouldn't heat treat and had to make it all over again.
As an fyi, surgical cutting implements such as scalpels and other bladed tools (arthroscope blades, bone saws) are typically made out of 17-4 stainless which has a decent chrome content but not enough to stabilize the iron's magnetic properties, and also has carbon added to allow it to be hardened so it can hold an edge. Most implants are made using a 300 series stainless or cobalt base material for their high resistance to corrosion and thus a better material to survive in a caustic environment (the human body).
300 series stainless metals are generally non magnetic, but after being subjected to high stress machining loads or heavy magnetic fields, they too can pick up enough of a surface charge to become magnetic. I learned this one the hard way when I used a piece of steel that was just marked "SS" to make a part that was supposed to be made from a 400 series (carbon added and less nickel) stock so that it could be hardened. 16 hrs of mill and wire work later, it wouldn't heat treat and had to make it all over again.
As an fyi, surgical cutting implements such as scalpels and other bladed tools (arthroscope blades, bone saws) are typically made out of 17-4 stainless which has a decent chrome content but not enough to stabilize the iron's magnetic properties, and also has carbon added to allow it to be hardened so it can hold an edge. Most implants are made using a 300 series stainless or cobalt base material for their high resistance to corrosion and thus a better material to survive in a caustic environment (the human body).
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See there, now THATS a fart smucker!
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Fffff... :lol: Fart Smucker. Now that's funny.
Well Judgeing by the weight I would guess its soild stainless, looks to be to me, My freind has a SC with a big scratch in it and it appears to be the same consitancy threwout. Short of drilling a hole in your slide and testing the metal I don't think any of us who are not some sort of metalurgy expert are going to be able to say for sure.
I've been hangin' around this forum about 3 years or so. I'm positive that I've seen 1 or more threads about this issue. It has been posted that, when phoned, Springfield Armory claimed that the silver-colored slide of the bitone models is stainless. This issue can be resolved (again) with another quick phone call.
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