Quote Originally Posted by goshawkr View Post
Ummm....

There are many alloys of stainless steel, with varying amounts of corrosion resistance. None of them are "junk". There are trade offs in anything. The additive in the alloy that makes SS corrosion resistant also disrupts the magnetic properties of the iron in the steel. So the more the steel responds to a magnet the less it will hold up against rusting. If you need your stuff to resist the highly corrosive environment of salt water, a magnet wont react to it. And yes, there is a point where you can effectively say it is no longer magnetic.

Very few of us are weathering our birds on a salt water beach - so swivels will last a long time even if they are made from a lower grade SS that responds well to a magnet.

Just using a magnet is not diagnostic of what the swivel is made of though. Brass is used in super cheap swivels that are prone to failures, and it is not magnetic either.
Ok!! you can say something all you want. But the fact remains that steel and iron will always be magnetic no mater what you put it in. Lay a paper clip on the table cover it with sheets of paper till you can no longer pic it up with the magnet. Grab a stronger magnet once again it sticks and you can pick up the paper clip through the paper. Same goes with the non ferrous metals. They are not magnetic, but proportional to the amount of steel and the strength of the magnet. It is magnetic. After all this a place to be absolutely correct right. If I agreed I would be lying to myself and not a proper falconer. Just keeping it alive!