Lancer85
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Making Magnesium Turnings
I need some magnesium turnings of Grignard quality but have no way of buying them. What are some possible ways I could make them? Drilling holes
through a magnesium ingot is the last resort as that would be tedious and would probably produce magnesium pieces too large.
Another idea was maybe putting through magnesium ribbon through a micro-cut paper shredder. I'm not sure if that will work or if the paper shredder
blades would be strong enough.
Let's hear your ideas!
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Mateo_swe
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 Isnt magnesium soft enough so you could shave of thin flakes with a woodworking tool?
Something like in the picture?
Or use a dremel type rotary tool.
[Edited on 2024-11-14 by Mateo_swe]
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Sir_Gawain
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A lathe is probably your best option. Magnesium should be soft enough to cut without using oil.
“Alchemy is trying to turn things yellow; chemistry is trying to avoid things turning yellow.” -Tom deP.
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Fulmen
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Nah, Mg is too hard for woodworking tools. It's comparable to pure aluminum. You could hand file it if you only need a small amount.
Drilling, milling or turning would be more efficient.
We're not banging rocks together here. We know how to put a man back together.
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unionised
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You can work aluminium and magnesium with woodworking tools.
3:05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-3l1yau5aU
If you want magnesium turnings the way to do it is to turn it on a lathe. There's a hint in the name.
Be careful not to set it on fire.
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BromicAcid
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The scrap yard by my old house had some magnesium scrap in the form of sheets. I took a drill to it going it a it sequentially with 1/4 - 1/2" bits
and made a ton of shavings, goes quick because the MW of Mg is so low, it does make nice turnings.
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j_sum1
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I used a stepper drill bit and got some great turnings.
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Lancer85
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A stepper seems like a smart idea. Would you say it would be enough to get 50-100g worth without having to spend all day?
[Edited on 15-11-2024 by Lancer85]
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Fulmen
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True enough. I would say pure Mg is comparable to pure Al, so fairly soft. But I responded to a picture of a planer, and that's probably not going to
work.
At least I cannot imagine it's possible to make any significant amount of turnings that way, and I have machined magnesium in the past.
The step drill sounds like a better choice. The fire hazard should be minimal as long as you keep the speeds down and don't allow chips to accumulate.
We're not banging rocks together here. We know how to put a man back together.
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j_sum1
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Since the stepper has gained some interest, let me provide some details - from memory.
I have some half inch Mg plate. Hitting it with the drill bit and a battery drill caused filings to spin off really quickly. It took only a couple of
minutes to fill a jam jar.
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unionised
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Quote: Originally posted by Fulmen  |
...But I responded to a picture of a planer, and that's probably not going to work.
...
The step drill sounds like a better choice.... |
I assure you that it's possible and practical to plane aluminium.
The step drill does seem like a step forward (sorry, couldn't resist a pun)
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Dr.Bob
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If you are in the US, I could likely get you some Mg turnings. I can ship small amounts of those I believe.
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Alkoholvergiftung
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Try ebay. I bought 2,5kg magnesium turnings from there.
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zed
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On the other hand, as I recall, older air-cooled VW engine blocks were made of Magnesium. Throw a rod, and the whole block is shot. If you can
salvage such an item; it might fulfill your Magnesium needs for a good long while.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=598238
[Edited on 17-11-2024 by zed]
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Mateo_swe
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Well many high preformance car and bike wheel rims are made out of magnesium but they cost a fortune.
A damaged one on the other hand is probably just the magnesium per kilo price if you can find one.
Or maybe just buy some of those fire making rods in the outdoors sport shops.
Its magnesium and they are meant to be flaked off with a knife and used as a firestarter.
Probably not that expensive if you want a smaller amount.
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bnull
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There is a woodworking too called a rasp. Magnesium should be soft enough to use it. What size of turnings are you interested in?
Quod scripsi, scripsi.
B. N. Ull
P.S.: Did you know that we have a Library?
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Myc
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I made my own turnings by drilling some magnesium rod using a drill press. It's pretty simple and fast. Initially I drilled using a ~10 mm drill bit
or larger and actually ended up with turnings that were too thin - and I guess had too much surface area or oxide or similar. I reduced the bit size
to ~5 mm and had much better results for what I needed it for.
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