Terry,
Thanks, I was aware of the physical properties of magnesium.
I believe a road flare has or use to have magnesium in them.
I even looked up the atomic mass of both elements. Magnesium is
number 12 and aluminum is 13 there is not much difference in mass,
so you are right on the specific gravity test in water. The brittle
characteristic
is what I was concerned with.
Les, from CDM answered my question for me. He informed me that
Minilites had their name stamped on the front of the rim.
Thanks,
Mike
Terry and Donna Cost wrote:
> Mike,
>
> A good way to test a wheel to see if it is magnesium is to set it afire. If
> it burns with a bright white flame, similar to a 4th of july sparkler, and
> is really, really hot, the wheel was magnesium. Also, if you weigh an
> aluminum rim, then immerse it in water, it will displace less water (denser)
> than an identical "weight" of magnesium, but you have to buy fifteen or more
> pounds of magnesium ingots for that test. You can also test for electrical
> conductivity by measuring resistance to current flow through the wheel.
> Aluminum should be the better conductor, especially at the higher voltages
> you will need. If you actually drive on the streets with magnesium rims, you
> will find that they are also very brittle and prone to cracking when you hit
> holes and curbs, sort of like extremely light cast iron (except for the fire
> thing).
>
> Leisure Suit Terry
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