Originally Posted by
busdriver1959
With some error, stainless can be tested with a magnet. Many (most) stainless steels aren't magnetic. Those that are, aren't very magnetic. The magnet will just barely stick. I would think that oldy57s frame would hold a magnet very well if it's nickel plated steel not so much if it's stainless.
'Ferritic' stainless steels, which are 'martensitic', attract a magnet. However, the most common stainless steels are 'austenitic' - these have a higher chromium content and nickel is also added. It is the nickel which modifies the physical structure of the steel and makes it non-magnetic.
Is Stainless Steel Magnetic? | PhysLink
More details:
Magnetic Properties of Stainless Steels | Carpenter Technology (Carpenter is the manufacturer of the raw material for Reynolds 953 tubing, Carpenter Custom 455).
Reynolds 953 does attract a magnet, although not quite as strongly as 4130 chromoly does.
Reynolds 953 and 931, Columbus XCr, and KVA MS2 and MS3 are all Martensitic; Reynolds 921 is Austenitic.