Acquiring Scrap Magnesium for Making Magnalium

[Richtee]

I have been both successful and un- with a steel can and BBQ charcoal. The failure was spectacular. The sun in my driveway. Use charcoal on the top. Plenty.

Edited November 21, 2023 by Richtee

[Arthur]

Look for proper crucibles, graphite clay etc. Clay crucibles withstand fire, graphite do NOT. look at ebay.com/itm/203028362001 melt 3 pounds Mg add 3lbs aluminium and pour from graphite crucible straight into water then crush the magnalium popcorn. Use an inch of charcoal granules or powder to keep the air off the hot metal, or use an appropriate flux. Make moderate batches then the accidental fire is moderate.

Other furnaces and crucibles exist. Hot magnesium will take fire. Consider not using a flame, using the correct flux, using a nitrogen or argon cover gas or using charcoal to reduce the contact with hot mag and air.

 

Vacuum furnaces are best, induction furnaces don't have flame nor do electric.

 

Be very sure that the site is suitable to have a magnesium fire and remember that it's almost impossible to extinguish a magnesium/magnalium fire.

[Guest]

 

 

I appreciate the potential sources, I live near a major city and the metal collectors around me tend to not want to part with their metals for some reason, and are certainly not okay with you digging through on your own. Idk - guess they are concerned about terrorists?

I'm good for noe, I didn't find a source for $2.50/pound, but the Mg boat anode on sale did get me down to $3 and some change if I recall, and I was able to knock out 20 lbs (5lb Mg anode per batch) of Mg/Al so I prob set for quite a while..

I don’t know from trying to find magnesium, but one thing I learned when I was heavily into boolit casting, everywhere I went to acquire wheel weights, including scrap yards, I’d come to find they were secretly holding onto it for “some guy” already.