USGI Stainless Steel Canteen Cup

[beamdune]

Can't find a non teflon coated crusader anywhere so I bought what was supposed to a USGI stainless steel cup but I think it's aluminium. It feels pretty light and a magnet won't stick to it.

Just had a look on google and it turns out many stainless steels are non-magentic which is a revelation to me.

So can anyone who has one (the stainless steel variety) of these tell me if it is magnetic.

Cheers

 

[Ogri the trog]

Stainless steel is non magnetic - there is a stainless iron which is cheaper to produce and is magnetic. If you think that it is too light to be stainless, then it might be aluminium or titanium, though how to tell the difference between the two without destroying it, might be a bit more difficult to describe here.

Ogri the trog

 

[beamdune]

Thanks, but I have checked and that isn't necessarily the case. Certain grades of stainless steel are magnetic. I've never heard of 'stainless iron' by the way and somehow I don't think an army isse cup wiould be made of titanium!

My question was explicitly about the US cup and meant to be directed to anyone who actually owns one - perhaps they could try testing it with a magnet.

 

[RovingArcher]

I own two of them and they are both non magnetic and lite weight. They are ok to cook in. I'm sure that some of the heavier stainless and titanium kettles are much better, but the USGI carries well and doesn't take up any room in the rucksack.

 

[ilovemybed]

You should be able to tell by gently polishing it back to shiny metal, cleaning it off and leaving it. If it's aluminium it will eventually produce a dull white coating of aluminium oxide (that's normal - you're not damaging it...). Stainless should remain nice and shiny.

 

[jayuk]

I have one of the US stainless ones which is not magnetic (marked with ''US 91 PAC FAB'').

I've also got an old aluminium Dutch one - in comparison, the stainless one is thiner walled, but still incredibly strong/robust. I think numerous countries have been using the design for years.

 

[beamdune]

Thanks guys, I think maybe it's steel after all. Its heavier than I thought - about 200g, although my scales are rubbish - and pretty thin. It seems much harder than the aluminium pans with either my regular trangia or the swedish army ones. Have discovered a variety of magnetic ss items in my house - cutlery, saucepan, some coffee mugs, my other swedish army trangia mess tins - and others that are not - tatonka bowls and kettle.

I guess I'm used to stainless being of the shiny variety

(the cup is marked with the letters US 88 Pac Fab)