Schwinn stainless fender question

[Spokeshave]

I have several different fenders off of Schwinn middleweights. Is there a way to tell if they are stainless or chrome? They have some surface rust and I dont want to steel wool them if they are chrome. Are the braces also stainless on stainless fenders. What year did they switch from stainless to chrome? Just wondering.
Spokes

 

[Voyager Al]

magnet sticks to chrome/steel. magnets DONT stick to stainless

 

[Spokeshave]

Geez, how did I miss that one ?
Thanks man.

 

[Jpromo]

They have a different sheen. So hold them up to something you know is chrome and you should be able to tell; SS is not quite as reflective as something that's chrome. They used chrome and stainless concurrently, depending on the model, but the stainless middleweights were only used from '55 to mid-late 60s I believe.

 

[Spokeshave]

Which were on the higher end bikes like jags and corvettes?

 

[Jpromo]

Jags and 'Vettes had stainless but for some reason the middleweight Panthers had chrome like all the lower end models.. I have a set of stainless available if you're looking? Let me know!

 

[gcrank1]

Magnets will stick to lower grade SS though maybe not quite as strongly as to straight steel. NASA grade SS is probably not magnetic, but I dont have any. Food processing equipment is higher grade too, but bike fenders arent likely to be.
Use SOS pads, wetted, of course and you wont hurt chrome. Let the rust soak a bit and scrub lightly. DO NOT mistake Brillo pads for SOS !!! WAY too coarse and they will scratch .

 

[B607]

They have some surface rust

If they have rust, they are likely not stainless. Gary