Machining magnesium

[cncappsjames]

When in doubt, blame the new guy. Works every time... unless your shop practices "Extreme Ownership", then it's the leader's fault for not making sure everyone was adequately trained.

[gcode]

19 minutes ago, cncappsjames said:

When in doubt, blame the new guy

or the guy who just quit, got laid off or was fired 

[MIL-TFP-41]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:10 AM, Colin Gilchrist said:

If you do this > you'll want to alert the Fire Department beforehand, and DO NOT do this at night. Ask me how I know. Something, something, 2nd shift, something, something, bored machinists, I think you get the picture.

One of the things I though about doing was collect a hefty bag full of the chips, then somehow hike up a mountain that overlooks our town, (its 2500 vertical ft up to the top) and light a campfire, dump the chips, and run. I imagine it would light up half the valley. Doing it at night in the snow would complicate the effort, but minimize the fire danger.

It would be a bitch of a hike in the summer during the day. Winter at night....gotta be more devoted to pyro than I am to do this.

[GoetzInd]

Haven't machined magnesium in while, but used to relatively frequently for consumer electronics stuff. Like any self respecting machinist-types, we lit it up out back once. I remember it took a good amount to get going. Like concentrated blow torch for 30sec. Not to toot my own horn, but my processes aren't usually subjected to that kind of heat. Usually.....  So go nuts, and maybe keep the chip conveyer going and one of dem fancy fire extinguishers around that has an expiration date of no later than 5 yrs ago 

Mike 

[Colin Gilchrist]

On 2/19/2024 at 3:06 PM, MIL-TFP-41 said:

One of the things I though about doing was collect a hefty bag full of the chips, then somehow hike up a mountain that overlooks our town, (its 2500 vertical ft up to the top) and light a campfire, dump the chips, and run. I imagine it would light up half the valley. Doing it at night in the snow would complicate the effort, but minimize the fire danger.

It would be a bitch of a hike in the summer during the day. Winter at night....gotta be more devoted to pyro than I am to do this.

When I was in my early 20's, maybe 23, I took a hike up to Rattlesnake Ridge, near the town of North Bend in Washington State. I brought along a woman I was dating and really liked was madly in love with. She was gorgeous and I wanted to impress her. I had a friend who was former EOD in the Air Force, and he made some spectacular fireworks. I took a very large, uh, let's say, "firecracker" with me on this hike. It is about a mile to the top of this ledge, about a thousand feet above rattlesnake lake, with the cascade mountains all around. Imagine the most beautiful scenery you've ever laid eyes on, and it was about ten times more beautiful than that.

So I waited until there were no other hikers around at the top of this ridge, maybe 30-40 minutes until the coast was clear. I (very carefully) lit the fuse and waited until the wick was uncomfortably short, and chucked this thing off the edge, but behind the ledge, where the view is obscured and close to the 'mountain wall' behind the ledge, because this was likely the safest place to perform this stunt. The initial boom was loud, very loud. Let's call it unreasonably loud and very impressive for me, and my date. What I did not expect was the sound after the initial boom. We stood in awe as the wave front of the boom propagated along the walls of the valley. The mountains on either side reflected some of the sound back to us on the ledge, so we could hear the boom as it both travelled away from us, and echoed its passage back to us. The sound swept up the valley and continued for at least 20-30 seconds, the roar gradually fading into silence. We shared a private moment, and passed a bunch of sheriff deputies heading up the trail when we were almost to the parking lot.

Was it foolhardy, dangerous, and illegal? Yes. It was also a magical adventure and a memory I'll treasure forever.

I think a Mag. fire on a mountain in winter might also be a magical experience, provided you take the right precautions, and accept the risk & accountability which accompanies such an endeavor. Lighting the fire and "running", I wouldn't recommend. Stand in the shadows and slip away into the night instead after admiring the fruits of your labor.

[AHarrison1]

5 minutes ago, Colin Gilchrist said:

Stand in the shadows and slip away into the night instead after admiring the fruits of your labor.

.. meanwhile, the fruits of his labor be like...

[SuperHoneyBadger]

Just imagine if those Norwegian black metal guys had a steady supply of Mag chips back in the 90's...

[Colin Gilchrist]

On 2/15/2024 at 4:01 PM, DC CNC said:

Thanks everyone. We are still working on a place to recycle chips.  

Maybe way out of left field, but how long is this long-run job? At 500 lbs/week (upper end of your estimate), that is 26,000 lbs of magnesium chips a year. Even if you're at the low end of your estimate, that is 13,000 lbs. just of swarf.

Have you considered a small onsite furnace to melt the chips and pour your own ingots? I know that may seem crazy on the surface, but it is chips and dust that are the fire hazard. Bulk magnesium does not burn unless heated above its melting point (1198F for pure magnesium). It is also suitable for transport once you've condensed it back into a solid. This may make it easier to find a recycler, or maybe even a metals supplier/foundry who would pay you for ingots to use as feedstock, since it would come already alloyed, and likely only require minor adjustments to the elements/ratios. The ingots could also be stored outside.

What about a racing wheel manufacturer like Litespeed or Dymag?

[Johnward Holmeson]

16 hours ago, SuperHoneyBadger said:

Just imagine if those Norwegian black metal guys had a steady supply of Mag chips back in the 90's...

I spit out my drink.  HAHA.  Varg just going nutso with magnesium