Magnesium is brittle and subject to inter-granular corrosion much worse
than Aluminum - which is bad enough. Beech Aircraft used magnesium in
the construction of their early V-tail Bonanza's. Those birds had
magnesium ailerons on the wings and the rudder-vators(rudder/elevator
combination). Being brittle - they would develop cracks in the skin and
mechanics were always and forever having tot stop-drill the cracks to
keep them from spreading. Eventually the cracking would get os bad the
whole unit had to be replaced. Some years later Beech got aluminum kits
approved to replace the magnesium components - and a change in design
put out new airplanes with aluminum n the first place.

BTW - those V-tail Bonanza's became know as  "Doctor Killers" because of
the  high number of doctors killed in the things. There is a whole
'nother story behind that!

John

On 10/25/2013 9:04 PM, kimbrennan@mac.com wrote:
> I have a hand-me-down 8 foot step ladder (expandable to a 16 foot ladder) that is made out of magnesium. Aluminum ladders are so incredibly heavy in comparison. I can't imagine what that step ladder would cost now a days. I believe that there are a few hand trucks made (partially) out of magnesium. It's a wonderfully light metal.
>
>
> On Oct 25, 2013, at 5:42 PM, Jim Felder wrote:
>
>> This happened last weekend.
>>
>> I was making a mount that would allow me to put an old Evinrude engine on a
>> canoe. I grabbed a piece of angle that has been lying around my shop for
>> about thirty years, used as a prybar, etc. I had always assumed that it was
>> aluminum.
>>
>> I sawed it into the shape I wanted and then finished the edges with a
>> grinder. After I dressed it out like I wanted it, I started in on my next
>> project, a skid plate to go under my propane tank. As soon as I started in
>> on the steel, the whole workbench lit up in an intense glow for a few
>> seconds. I managed to get away without having holes burned in my shoes or
>> setting the workbench on fire.
>>
>> Be careful when working with magnesium and then working with steel! This is
>> one case where it really pays to clean up early.
>>
>> Jim
>