What Metal is This

[BosnMate]

I didn't find this key. The kids went down to the creek on my property to look for arrow heads. They found this key. Question, I'm not going to do anything to the patina on the key, so won't scrape it to see if it's brass. Seems to me that if it was iron it would be rusted horribly by now, and I have never seen a brass key. Is it some sort of pot metal that doesn't really rust?

 

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[G.I.B.]

How does it react to a magnet?

 

[ivan salis]

to see if it iron / steel based check with a magnet ...if not maybe brass or it might be bronze

 

[seekerGH]

aluminum foil/baking soda/boiling water....

Looks like iron to me, probably had a brass coating at one time

 

[Injunbro]

It could be brass, I have one here but yours is more likely nickel or brass plated iron.

 

[Anduril]

Maybe zinc coated steel?

I'm no expert, but the circular indentation where the bow and the shaft meet in the 3rd picture looks a lot like an ejector pin mark for something that is die cast (or injection molded, if it were plastic).

 

[BosnMate]

How does it react to a magnet?

Not the slightest bit magnetic.

 

[BosnMate]

to see if it iron / steel based check with a magnet ...if not maybe brass or it might be bronze

Not magnetic, I have some very rusted old keys that are plated, and they are also attracted to a magnet. I suppose it could be brass or bronze, it's just I've never seen a brass or bronze key this old. I guess that doesn't mean that none were made, but because it appears to have been cast, I was wondering if there was some sort of non magnetic nickle based pot metal that keys were made of.

 

[BosnMate]

It could be brass, I have one here but yours is more likely nickel or brass plated iron.

If it was plated, it would be attracted to a magnet. If you have an old skeleton key made of brass, then this one is more than likely brass. Like I said, I don't want to take any patina off just to find out.

 

[Nitric]

I think these are some kind of aluminium...I have couple that are old but, still new and shiny looking...They look like some kind od cast..Maybe some alloy for strength....But...I do have brass and steel that look the same as far as shape...

I can't say for sure if that is what your is...

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Seeing as how it's you who's asking, old friend, I'll go out on a limb and say it is either cast zinc or aluminum. Zinc is a lot heavier than aluminum. Does it feel light for its size? If so, aluminum. If not light, I'll go with my first inclination, which is zinc.

 

[BosnMate]

To heavy for aluminum, so probably zinc. That makes the most sense.

 

[Nitric]

Ya....The couple I have are also too heavy for aluminium....They have that look though....

 

[tamrock]

Maybe "Nickel Silver" aka "German Silver" used since the early 19th century. Zinc would be to soft, or so it seems to me?

Nickel silver first became popular as a base metal for silver-plated cutlery and other silverware, notably the electroplated wares called EPNS (electro-plated nickel silver). It is used in zippers, better-quality keys, costume jewellery, for making musical instruments (e.g., flutes, clarinets), and is preferred for the track in electrically powered model railway layouts, as its oxide is conductive. It is widely used in the production of coins (e.g. Portuguese escudo and the former GDR marks). Its industrial and technical uses include marine fittings and plumbing fixtures for its corrosion resistance, and heating coils for its high electrical resistance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_silver

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I'm going to stick with my first inclination, zinc, because of the distinctive form of corrosion we see on the key. (I meant to mention the distinctive corrosion characteristics in my previous post, but forgot.) I've seen that "meteorite crater" corrosion on iron, zinc, and aluminum. You've eliminated iron and aluminum. Nickel-silver is 60% copper. I've never seen the distinctive-looking "cratered" corrosion on any metal which has that much copper in it. I've seen a lot of dug-up nickel-silver relics, and never seen the "cratered" corrosion on any of those.

Tamrock, I intend the following only as helpful information. Zinc is not a soft metal, unless it is alloyed with a high percentage of soft metal, such as in a solder alloy. Civil war Parrott shell fuzes were made of zinc, and the shell's explosive blast wasn't enough to bend the zinc, or otherwise damage the zinc fuze, except rarely. It is so hard it tends to break/crack rather than bend.

 

[Bugzy99]

I have the same key, made by suburban toy

Suburban Toy Co Skeleton Key 9375 | eBay

 

[Nitric]

I'm going to stick with my first inclination, zinc, because of the distinctive form of corrosion we see on the key. (I meant to mention the distinctive corrosion characteristics in my previous post, but forgot.) I've seen that "meteorite crater" corrosion on iron, zinc, and aluminum. You've eliminated iron and aluminum. Nickel-silver is 60% copper. I've never seen the distinctive-looking "cratered" corrosion on any metal which has that much copper in it. I've seen a lot of dug-up nickel-silver relics, and never seen the "cratered" corrosion on any of those.

Tamrock, I intend the following only as helpful information. Zinc is not a soft metal, unless it is alloyed with a high percentage of soft metal, such as in a solder alloy. Civil war Parrott shell fuzes were made of zinc, and the shell's explosive blast wasn't enough to bend the zinc, or otherwise damage the zinc fuze, except rarely. It is so hard it tends to break/crack rather than bend.

It has that look of a corroded magnesium anode that I used to see on pipelines without the white powder. That key has a weird look to it. Maybe it's just the pic. The keys I have are a dull gray look too. Looks like aluminium but when you bang them together they do not have a soft sound. Sound almost like steel. The only reason I remember this was from playing around with them, At first I thought, those wouldn't last long, but they are not soft.

Interesting!! Sorry, I'm not much help. I have a couple and always wondered what they were made out of too, I just assumed some kind of alloy.