Thanks for the much needed info. Have several wheels to repair,the $125.00 is worth it as the wheels sell for 75 to 100 each
i bored a couple of wheels, just took a hub and new lug nuts pressed in and welded a shaft to the hub and trued it up. oh and i've seen small purple K extinquishers around here somewhere. might be a good idea to buy one and have it around ,just in case you run into something that doesn't want to go out with a regular one. someone told me they will put out burning lithium batteries also,anyone know if thats true?
Just a quick comment....if you would happen to set a magnesium wheel on fire, the best way to stop it immediately is throw it on the floor. The burning, molten magnesium leaves the wheel. Just don't set the rest of the shop on fire.
I don't understand why automakers are allowed to use any magnesium in vehicles these days. It becomes very dangerous in a vehicle fire. It is only 1/3 lighter than aluminum and forms some very toxic compounds when it burns, especially if it contacts water. It isn't likely that someone will have the correct extinguisher to put it out. Magnesium also corrodes much faster than aluminum.
God help us is engine man running for public office? How long will it be before some useless ***** tables legislation requiring the rounding up and destruction of any and all old magnesium parts on the premise of "protecting the environment"??p
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ X2 Very nice and understandible tech. I don't have the ability to weld aluminum much less magnesium. But I have the equipment and a good friend that can. Thanks for the info. Pat
I know this thread is really old but I recently referred to it to repair a pair of 16 x 10 Magnesium American 5 spokes that I acquired and I thought I would add a tip that I found useful. The holes in my wheels were from some weights that were glued and screwed onto the outer lip of the wheels - obviously the previous owner didn't care at all about appearance. They were random sizes and random spacing, approx .5-.75" deep and threaded into the wheels, not through holes like the ones that secure a tire to the rim. I followed the steps just like B*** stated as far as prep goes; drilling oversize to clean metal and I even chamfered the holes a bit. I did all prep that would generate dust or shavings outside in an area far from my welding activities. The first try at welding one up showed just what I thought, the air in the blind hole kept expanding and wouldn't let me close the hole. So I drilled .040 holes intersecting the existing holes for venting. Some were drilled at an angle to go through via the shortest path. I didn't go back and fill the .040 holes, they are in the area covered by the bead of the tire. No way these could be run tubeless but old magnesium wheels don't do tubeless very well even when they are new. Just thought I would thank B*** and the other contributors and maybe save someone a little aggravation. Like they said, it's like welding aluminum - pretty easy when everything is clean, clean, clean. Even though the rod was $145 a pound, it still beats the cost of having someone else do it - if you can even find someone who will tackle it, I couldn't.
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