Telling die-cast from aliuminum?
 

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
"Existential Angst" wrote in message
Die-cast = zinc, presumably??

Certainly cain't use magnets, eh?
Chemical test? Grinder? Melt point -- not so
easy, really, unless you can sort of ball-park
it with O/A....

And is die-cast zinc relatively pure zinc? An
alloy?
--
EA



Diecast metal can be a variety of things,
including aluminum, magnesium, or brass. Zinc
alloys are the most common.

There are simple reagent tests and test kits
available to distinguish the two. But in most
cases you should be able to tell by the part's
density. The density of zinc is almost the same
as that of iron or steel -- three times as great
as aluminum.

--
Ed Huntress


Here's a good story:
A couple of months ago a guy showed up with a
handlebar bracket for an
antique chain saw that was cracked through the bar
hole. It felt light as a
feather. Can I weld it? Sure, it's magnesium. Oh?
Your competition says
it is cheap assed die-cast and can't be welded!
Well, I'm sure it is mg.
and yes I'lll fix it. If this were die-cast it
would fell heavy to me and its light.

Got it cleaned up and prepped for weld and jigged
up nice. Now, how will
it act? It was by far, and I mean easy, the
easiest thing I've ever welded!
Easy full penny with no problem. Had to watch the
temp or it would catch
fire so I let it cool often. If you try this,
watch for the base metal 'slumping'
and stop immediately! This was a true quicky of a
job and was so much
fun I didn't even charge him. Gave him the mg dust
in a folded paper
and told him to give it to my competition at the
local bar there, where they
smoke. ;)} phil k.

Telling die-cast from aliuminum?
 

"Phil Kangas" wrote in message
...

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
"Existential Angst" wrote in message
Die-cast = zinc, presumably??

Certainly cain't use magnets, eh?
Chemical test? Grinder? Melt point -- not so easy, really, unless you
can sort of ball-park it with O/A....

And is die-cast zinc relatively pure zinc? An alloy?
--
EA



Diecast metal can be a variety of things, including aluminum, magnesium,
or brass. Zinc alloys are the most common.

There are simple reagent tests and test kits available to distinguish the
two. But in most cases you should be able to tell by the part's density.
The density of zinc is almost the same as that of iron or steel -- three
times as great as aluminum.

--
Ed Huntress


Here's a good story:
A couple of months ago a guy showed up with a handlebar bracket for an
antique chain saw that was cracked through the bar hole. It felt light as
a
feather. Can I weld it? Sure, it's magnesium. Oh? Your competition says
it is cheap assed die-cast and can't be welded! Well, I'm sure it is mg.
and yes I'lll fix it. If this were die-cast it would fell heavy to me and
its light.

Got it cleaned up and prepped for weld and jigged up nice. Now, how will
it act? It was by far, and I mean easy, the easiest thing I've ever
welded!
Easy full penny with no problem. Had to watch the temp or it would catch
fire so I let it cool often. If you try this, watch for the base metal
'slumping'
and stop immediately! This was a true quicky of a job and was so much
fun I didn't even charge him. Gave him the mg dust in a folded paper
and told him to give it to my competition at the local bar there, where
they
smoke. ;)} phil k.

That's interesting. I've never welded magnesium, but I've read that it's
very easy -- if you're careful and know what you're doing.

The Brits used a lot of it in their racecars (and their mag-based Elektron
alloy), years ago when the building operations typically were a few guys
working in a dank garage. They welded a lot of it.

--
Ed Huntress