wrote in message
On Sun, 11 Jun 2017 13:55:45 -0500, Terry Coombs
wrote:


My old freebie Homelite chainsaw has worn the hole
where the starter
rope comes out pretty badly and today when a sharp edge
sliced my
almost-new starter rope in two I decided maybe I should
address the
problem . I was going to fire up the TIG welder , but
decided because
the piece is so light to test it and see if it's
magmesium - and it is ,
vinegar bubbled vigorously when I put a few drops on it .
So now it has
a brass bushing glued in there with some JB quick weld .
Not too many
years ago I wouldn't have checked , and most likely would
have burned my
shop to the ground when I lit up on that piece . I learned
the vinegar
test here ...

--

Snag
Your TIG welder would not have ignited the casting because
of the
argon gas doing its job of keeping oxygen from the HAZ.
I've burned
lots of magnesium. Solid pieces, as compared to chips from
milling, do
no ignite easily. Once burning though water makes it burn
even better,
which is why I have burned so much magnesium.
Eric

Yup. Water breaks down into hydrogen and oxygen at 5432 deg
F. ;)
Easy number to remember.