I just picked up a pair of these tonight. They are Silverstone wheels, and were made in magnesium in the 60's. The sticker which reads "American Racing Magnesium" seems a little too new for the wheels. Aside from a torch, how do I determine if they are the original magnesium, or later aluminum models. If it helps, the centers are threaded on the outside for "knock off" centers.
my 1960 magnesium ARE's torquethrust knockoffs the sticker looks brand new as it was aluminum , but the rim was fuzzy grey , try polishing a spot and see if it goes from a polished to a grey tone in a day or two . magnesium changes real quick . or do the vinager test a drop on mag will fizz aluminum it won't
yea them stickers hold up better than the wheels , they must have hard anodized them and silkscreened or roller painted them . try to do the test in a non seen spot and not a spot that would see a lot of stress , I would try it in the middle of the wheel on the tire mounting side , and also once it fizzes wash it off with lots of water to stop the reaction as it will keep eating .
Good to know about the vinegar, I've had it do the same to my stomach lining. Any harm in a bead blast to clear off years of grunge?
oh and another thing DO NOT use acetone on magnesium as it will ruin then immediately as its acidic because its a by product of fermentation
I wouldn't as you might make magnesium dust in your blast cabinet and if it were to light off . well . lets say it would be rather interesting ( flash bulb ) , I would mechanically clean them by hand with wet sand paper or a scotch brite and water . just remember to keep the metal cool and dust to a minimum .
its also a byproduct of distillation as we used to pick it up at ethanol plants here in the midwest for a major repackager who packages it for home use . its all the same but still acidic .
The Jalopy Journal
