Is my stock pot aluminum or stainless?

[ZoebYatz]

I'm gathering parts for building my first pot still. So I bought a stock pot at a closeout store for $9. I thought I was all clever picking up a 5 gallon/19 liter stainless steel stock pot. It wasn't labeled at all so I don't know what it's made of. I've been searching the forum for posts on how to tell aluminum from stainless steel, but I'm still unsure. Does anyone think they can help me ID my pot, based on these observations:

The pot is shiny silver like stainless.

It's not rigid at all like other stainless dishes that I have. I can easily warp it by crushing the sides, but it bounces back.

Some forum posts say that aluminum isn't magnetic at all. I used a hard-drive magnet and found that the rim attracts it slightly.

I can scratch it with a nail, but not easily.

I've attached a picture of the lip of the pot.

I figure it's not a total loss. I mean it was only $9, and if it's not stainless, it's still a good size for cooking mash.

posts that I referenced for this post
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=17089
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =41&t=8191

[ozone39]

I'm going to say aluminum. Ridges like that spell aluminum in my book. Take some brasso and hit a small area on the bottom with some elbow grease. If you keep getting black oxidation (even after it's polished) then it's aluminum.

[ZoebYatz]

Hi ozone, Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a try.

btw, love The Big Lebowski. Have you heard of Two Gentlemen of Lebowski http://www.runleiarun.com/lebowski/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow ?

[ScottishBoy]

Lemme guess...made in China? Pakistan or India?
If thats the case you may have an extremely thin walled SS container. Aluminum doesnt bounce back after flexing, Even the cheapest stainless should have some flex in it. My first pot still was a container like this ( verified SS) with VERY thin walls as it was used for canning.

[Dnderhead]

clean off a small spot (to remove wax/polish/oils),, place a small drop of sodium hydroxide,, if stainless no reaction....if aluminum it will bubble and turn white.

[Husker]

I'm going to say aluminum. Ridges like that spell aluminum in my book. Take some brasso and hit a small area on the bottom with some elbow grease. If you keep getting black oxidation (even after it's polished) then it's aluminum.

Those ridges are simply spin marks, (I think). El-cheapo super thin stainless can also be spun. If the rim has mag attraction, I would have to go with it likely being stainless. There is no way they could 'weld on' a stainless rim to a AL pot. AL would not no attraction to any magnet at all, ever.

H.

[cob]

heat a small spot with a torch. stainless will change color. aluminum won't change color, but may melt through. cob

[ScottishBoy]

heat a small spot with a torch. stainless will change color. aluminum won't change color, but may melt through. cob

and there's your drain...

[ZoebYatz]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I went with Dnderhead's suggestion of using sodium hydroxide (lye), in the form of drain cleaner, because that's what I had available. I'm gonna call it stainless steel. I did a few drops on the bottom of the pot, and submerged some aluminum foil in one of them for a comparison. See the attached picture.

It's interesting, the lye seemed to have stripped off something from the pot because water behaves differently on the spots where it was. Maybe it was just the polish that people mentioned. I can't feel any surface difference, so I don't think it dissolved any of the pot.

For clean up, I hosed off the bottom of the pot, then poured on some vinegar (because according to Tyler Durden, vinegar neutralizes lye).

Thanks again for the tips. Can't beat $9 USD for a 5 gallon/19 liter stainless steel stock pot. I've got all the copper I need. I'm just a few parts short of having everything for my pot still.

[ozone39]

I have read the Two gentlemen of Lebowski, (by Shakespeare). Funny story, my buddy (who is also a plumber) went to a service call and the guy saw his bumper sticker "dude abides" and gave him a copy of the written play. He passed it my way and I read it from front to back one night while multitasking....Good call on the s.s, had me fooled. But I don't think that the lip was welded on, but rolled, just saying dude....

[NcHooch]

Hydrochloric acid ( or muriatic acid) will disolve aluminum, but don't bother stainless at all.

NChooch