Machining magnesium

[Vegard]

I've got one 7X12" minilite mag, and one 6X12 MAG products mag I just bought, that need new wheel nut seats.
What I have to do is machine a bigger hole, and fit a sleeve with a collar.

1. Is there anything one should remember when machining magnesium?
2. Should the sleeve be steel or aluminium? None of these?

Thanks.

[Ronnie]

Magnesium is very reactive check these links out


http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/bimetal ... 114556.pdf


http://www.fastenal.com/content/feds/pd ... rosion.pdf

http://www.pdhonline.org/courses/s118/s118content.pdf

[251 ENG]

Magnesium cuts real easy but you just have to remember that the swarf can catch fire if overheated . Then you do have a problem .

I would use stainless steel inserts

[Vegard]

Thanks Simon!!

[Vegard]

Btw. What you're implying is that I need to gather the swarf for future laughs then??

[In the shed]

Magnesium burning will pull the oxygen out of water and the oxygen out of CO2 if you have a really good blaze.

If it does light up, which it can do with machining, you need some way of cooling it very quickly and ensuring the reaction stops. Lots and lots of water.

The problem is that when you have the piece hot, it will burn readily. In order for something to burn, you need heat, fuel and oxygen. Since it's a good heat sink, you will generally have problems getting it to burn unless you get it all pretty damn hot. It is this heat sinking problem which allows you to get ribbon lit, but not anything bigger. If you get a load of Mg ribbon and roll it into a ball and light the fuse, the mass will sink so much heat out of the reaction, it will go out.

I think VW used to have lots of iron filings on big magnets and if there was a fire, they'd cut the power to the magnets which would drop on the fire and put it out, presumably partially as a heat sink and partially as a suffocating agent.

You might get a bit of fizzing and a bit of smoke....let the tool do the work!

[251 ENG]

Yes , we had a laugh with the last lot of swarf