The mystery of pole piece

[David King]

Were these pole pieces all plated? Do they all look the same?
I'd just dig it out and drop in a piece of steel.

It could turn out be "pot metal" or zinc or magnesium etc. My guess is that it's 303 stainless, somehow a rod got mixed in with the 1018 and no one ever noticed. 303 would not take plating well if at all.

[Artur pickupmaker]

I have a 211 stainless bar that retains magnetism. Its a chinese cheap knife handgrip. I will put it in a bobbin to hear how it sounds.

[Artur pickupmaker]

Any one there ever used chrome-vanadium steel rods?
I found a screwdriver made of this alloy, it have 5 mm diameter and retains magnetism, I think about cut it in smaller rods to put in bobbins.