Cast or Steel Crank?

How do you tell the difference between a cast or steel crank?

If its a 440 crank, one way to tell them apart is to examine the crank for a raised up cast "440" on one of the counterweights, not stamped in but raised. If you find that, it is cast. The other way is to look at the seperating lines but that is difficult to explain here (better in a photo). Of course, if you have the original balancer, it will be thick and have "440 cast only" or something like that on it.

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How do you tell the difference between a cast or steel crank?

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Could be difficult if all you have to look at is one crank but if you have two and one has a rougher appearance to the non-machined surfaces than the other, it is probably cast. The forged crank should have a smoother appearance on the non-machined surfaces. There is a spark test that is often used also but it involves grinding and you probably shouldn't do any unnecessary grinding on a crank and sparks can be difficult to read unless you have some metalurgy background. Hope this is helpful. Yeah, and what repad said!!