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Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:44 am
by john.p.clegg
Dear All

Totally un Lotus related but has been bugging me all night,picked up some metal chopsticks the other day and for the life of me I can't decide if they are polished aluminium or hollow stainless......they are not attracted to a magnet but that doesn't help........anyone know of a way to tell (apart from the expense of a mass spectrometer) ?

Thanks

John :wink:

Edit

They don't float and are too nice to destroy....

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:32 am
by rgh0
http://www.geotechnical.net/scrap-metal ... tion.shtml

This is cheaper than a mass spectrometer but probably not what you looking for either.

If they are tapered I would bet aluminium as to hard to make a tapered tube of stainless

You could try some chemical reactivity tests - aluminium is fairly reactive to a range of common substances that stainless is not

You could also try a flexibility or cut or crush test and see if you can make the tube collapse - assuming you don't want to use them again if they do !

cheers
Rohan
cheers
Rohan

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:17 am
by Mazzini
Koreans use metal chopsticks which I find much harder to use than wooden ones.

Recently in Korea I was faced with this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvyunwtlvuc which I didn't even attempt to pick up (found the link on Youtube)

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:37 pm
by billwill
Archimedes solved this long ago?

Completely fill a tall bottle with water and stand in a dry tray.
Gently put chopstick into bottle so the water overflows
Pour water from tray into a measuring jug Now you see the volume of the chopstick.

Weigh chopstick on kitchen scales

Calculate density.

Look up density of aluminium & Stainless steel.

Decide...

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:45 pm
by john.p.clegg
Bill

Sounds good to me...but...will this work if the chopsticks are stainless and hollow??

John :wink:

P.S. sorry for calling you a numpty.... :lol:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 1:08 pm
by billwill
john.p.clegg wrote:Bill

Sounds good to me...but...will this work if the chopsticks are stainless and hollow??

John :wink:

P.S. sorry for calling you a numpty.... :lol:


I don't mind being chastised when I make silly observations.. :D

There is a chance of course that the average density of a hollow stainless steel object just happens to be the same as the density of Aluminium or alloy, but hopefully there will be enough difference to make a decision.

I used those metal chopsticks for the first time last month when I had a Korean (?) meal on Charing Cross Road last month. I too was intrigued as to what they were made of.

I just did a quick google for metal chopstics and found some listed as Stainless Steel.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/19089191 ... =83&ff19=0

Image

Those in the picture are a different shape/pattern than the ones I used in the resturant.


These ones look nice.

Image

Now what can we use tapered stainless rods for on our Elans?
:D :) :mrgreen:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 1:22 pm
by billwill
PS: If you don't have a measuring jug, I think you could weigh a glass empty and then with the overflow water in it and to get the weight of the overflow water by subtraction.

Without going back to check the physics I think the density is then the weight of the chopstick divided by the weight of the overflow water.

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:04 pm
by john.p.clegg
Your second picture looks just like those I have ,but without the patterned wraps (paper?) and on closer inspection there seem to be signs of a longitudinal seam....stainless?

I'll either use them on the Plus2 or keep them in stock for future use.

John :)

P.S. I'm going to plant one in the garden,winter should tell....

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:17 pm
by billwill
john.p.clegg wrote:Your second picture looks just like those I have ,but without the patterned wraps (paper?) and on closer inspection there seem to be signs of a longitudinal seam....stainless?

I'll either use them on the Plus2 or keep them in stock for future use.

John :)

P.S. I'm going to plant one in the garden,winter should tell....


Careful, they might grow up to be Japanese Knotweed.

:lol:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:59 pm
by GrUmPyBoDgEr
Working on the material density theory; which is a good one.

I would say that stainless items would most likely be hollow, otherwise they would be (too) heavy & expensive!
On the other hand Aluminium would most likely be solid to give them "a feel".

Is the outcome of this likely to be life changing :lol:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 8:15 am
by john.p.clegg
No, but I'm just working up to the winter rebuild,need to dial in the cams,rebuild the gearbox,fit some exhaust skids,diff ducts,calibrate the dipstick and polish the windscreen (hate winter morning drives to the East)...

John :wink:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 11:54 am
by lotusfan
A suggestion to differentiate between the two - heat to red heat with a blow torch, the aluminium will melt, the stainless will not.

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:58 pm
by GrUmPyBoDgEr
Is that what you call the "5hit or bust" test? :lol:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:10 pm
by john.p.clegg
Certainly not Non-Destructive testing..

John :wink:

Re: Chop sticks Ali or Stainlless?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:13 pm
by AHM
Stainless will appear yellow next to aluminium.

To have a similar appearance the aluminium would need to be anodised. Anodise is not very electrically conductive... Stainless is.

They will have a completely different sound.

lotusfan wrote:A suggestion to differentiate between the two - heat to red heat with a blow torch, the aluminium will melt, the stainless will not.

The stainless one will change colour dramalically long before the Aluminium melts.....Fool!