I have some metal castings that i am unsure of their composition. They are not like any other aluminium castings I've ever seen. (hundreds of thousands) They are very thick but extremely lightweight , at first i thought it was plastic. I was thinking it maybe magnesium. They are destined for the scrap yard and they need to get to the right place.
Drill a hole, put the shavings on a piece of paper, burn the paper. Aluminum will melt. Magnesium will burn violently.
What engine man said,,, I use a knife & shave off a thin sliver then strike a match to it. If its magnesium, you will know!!!
Ive torched magnesium before.Do it outside ,Heat and if gives off a green or silver looking glow.Its mag....
Magnesium is a soft metal...if you can cut it with a pocketknife, there's a good chance it's magnesium. If you are able to shave some off and decide to throw some fire at it for a final test, do the fire part away from the main casting. Once you get the magnesium lit, there's not a good chance you'll get it put out. But on the off chance the entire casting does light, DO NOT put water on it, or it will explode. This will not result in good things.
I use to work in a diecast facility where we cast mag.Incredible stuff,tough and light weight but when it was on fire you could not put it out,We used to dump sand on it to contain it.As soon as the sand was removed it would flare up again,within a short time.It will continue to burn covered until all the material was burned up.Seen some awsome fires when I worked there.I would recomend the vinegar test.
you can tell two identical castings apart wether one is aluminum or magnesium by hanging each one on a wire and tapping them lightly with a small hammer/ aluminum will make a dull thoink and the magnesium will ring clear like a bell with a sustained note. its a trick we use in the hangar. once you see it done you never forget the difference
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