You could buy an old VW block ..

Grant


Check around the local VW shops. I've gotten busted blocks for hauling them
away.
VW blocks are not even close to pure magnesium. Lots of aluminum in them.
Shavings from milling VW blocks will burn, and you can get a block lit by
tossing it in the
middle of a big bonfire. Once it gets going you can get some pretty good
light bursts off of it
by putting a stream of water on it with a garden hose.

You want something spectacular, take a walnut size chunk of metallic sodium
and toss
it in a big puddle at night. Takes a bit for it to get to critical heat,
but when it goes
you want to be standing back a ways.

Bill