Metal stock

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

When you buy metal and have to store it how do you do so as to keep all the same metals together or do you use a colour system to identify what grade type of material it is or maybe write on it.

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Sharpie marker note on end if big stock, note on masking tape for small stock, in my shop.

[Thor 🇳🇴Participant @thor]

I try to mark my stock much the same way as Jeff. If I don't mark it I forget what material it was.

Thor

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Small pieces go in a small container eg brass and silver steel but bars etc are marked with a white paint marker on end and along length for me.

David

[Chris Evans 6Participant @chrisevans6]

As David George a paint marker as soon as I get home from the stockholder.

[Nigel McBurney 1Participant @nigelmcburney1]

I mark my material with no/letter punches ,does not rub off or get dirty.

[Peter G. ShawParticipant @peterg-shaw75338]

After all the problems I have had trying to turn unknown steel, I have started marking it – Red = useless, Green = good, Yellow = care needed, no colour = still to be tested!

Peter G. Shaw

[PekkaNFParticipant @pekkanf]

I use a band of color coded electrical tape. I buy package of assorted colors and then stick to code. Cromos are pretty impossible to differentiate by looks and same material in rough after heat treatment, rough turned or drawn can look very different. And you will not notice difference with 42CrMo4 or 34CrNiMo6 in bar form, until you mix these with free maching steels and then break drill or tap.

Color coded tape is good enough for me and no trouble allowing for overlaping colors with steel and aluminium, they look pretty different.

Paints are good, when you have a bunch of material and can paint them all on one go, but assortement of unreliable half empty spray cans is not my thing.

Pekka

[DalboyParticipant @dalboy]

Thank you all for the replies. Looks like I will go with the writing on the piece as and when I know what stock I buy. I have used the masking tape on some wood pieces I have but only to mark the thickness and width unlike metal I can mostly identify what woods they are.

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