All MetalShaping

Go Back   All MetalShaping > General Metal Shaping Discussion > Basic questions and answers
  Today's Posts Posts for Last 7 Days Posts for Last 14 Days  

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-17-2023, 07:18 PM
Oxweld's Avatar
Oxweld Oxweld is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2022
Location: Northern California
Posts: 8
Default Magnesium Flux

Magnesium welding and brazing flux seems to have been discontinued by superior flux, and everyone else too it would seem... My old welding manuals state that some aluminum welding fluxes may be suitable for welding magnesium. My question is which flux(es) are suitable, or will I have to guess and check as I go?
__________________
Jameison, gas weldor.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-17-2023, 08:01 PM
Chris_Hamilton Chris_Hamilton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Southisde Virginia
Posts: 329
Default

If he doesn't reply in this thread, contact Kent White (TM Technologies). If anyone will know what's still available he will.
__________________
Chris (trying to be the best me I can be)
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-18-2023, 08:46 AM
crystallographic crystallographic is offline
MetalShaper of the Month October '14 , April '16, July 2020, Jan 2023
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Western Sierra Nevadas, Badger Hill, CA
Posts: 4,388
Default Edited: Mg flux, TIG welding

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris_Hamilton View Post
If he doesn't reply in this thread, contact Kent White (TM Technologies). If anyone will know what's still available he will.
Thanks Chris.

Hi Oxweld,
I'm not surprised Sup.Fl. is no longer supplying Mg flux.
Mg is flammable and cannot be extinguished, once going.
Prices for Mg are going strato.
The TIG was specifically designed for welding Mg, back in 1942, by Northrop.
... Because of flammability. "Cinderella of Metals" pretty much says it.

(Jack Northrop's YB49 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG4E55Havyc )

Someone somewhere may have a jar of Mg flux sitting on the shelf....??

(Welding Mg has not been a problem presenting itself in my own little world, so I have not devoted any energy to a "flux-welding" solution for it. TIG welding Mg is not a problem ... (forgings are best done pre-heated.))

-end-
__________________
Kent

http://www.tinmantech.com

"All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919.

Last edited by crystallographic; 02-18-2023 at 02:16 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-18-2023, 02:28 PM
BTromblay BTromblay is offline
ADMINISTRATOR MetalShaper of the Month August 2018
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Mukwonago, Wi
Posts: 567
Default

Hi,

I have a little bit of Superior magnesium flux left and I would be interested in more. I have Oxy/Hydrogen welded Magnesium AZ31B with excellent results. It is easy to get full penetration and a beautiful weld bead appearance on both sides of the panel. I know the Superior Flux Company has been open to mixing any of their fluxes if ordered in high quantity. I would be interested in purchasing more if guys are interested in going "in" on it. If you experiment with aluminum flux, let us know the results.

The welding of the material is fine, regardless of process, as long as good precautions are in place. Magnesium fillings and dust from grinding is the larger danger involved with this light weight material.

Flux clean up is ultra critical to prevent the development of corrosion. I use hot water, soap, brush and clean, clean, clean. Once the part is finished, I use MAG-COAT "Magnesium treatment solution, Chromium Trioxide) to prevent/slow down the future development of corrosion. Like my High school shop teacher Frank Maross said, "You can't stop material from turning back into it's natural state, all you can do is slow down the process."
__________________
Bill Tromblay

"A sign of a good machinist, is one who can fix his F$@& Ups" My mentor and friend, Gil Zietz Micro Metric Machine.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-18-2023, 09:12 PM
Oxweld's Avatar
Oxweld Oxweld is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2022
Location: Northern California
Posts: 8
Default

I have some of Kent's aluminum flux, and I think I will order some of Superior's Anti-Borax aluminum flux as well, I will give each a try with some scrap mystery magnesium and post my results when I do.

I would go in on a group magnesium flux purchase if you did organize one.
__________________
Jameison, gas weldor.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-18-2023, 10:51 PM
Chris_Hamilton Chris_Hamilton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Southisde Virginia
Posts: 329
Default

Would there be any benefit getting an analysis of the various chemicals involved in a good mag flux and then paying a chemist to make some? Perhaps a group buy?

There are sites to find freelance folks in all fields

Example:https://www.upwork.com/hire/chemists/
__________________
Chris (trying to be the best me I can be)
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 02-19-2023, 01:44 AM
Oxweld's Avatar
Oxweld Oxweld is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2022
Location: Northern California
Posts: 8
Default

Not much need to I think. Mg flux is usually a mix of some/all of the following: Sodium Fluoride, Lithium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, & Potassium Chloride. Just ratios needed, could experiment and probably make a decent flux yourself.

Or, follow this recipe from 1942: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2396604A/en
__________________
Jameison, gas weldor.

Last edited by Oxweld; 02-19-2023 at 01:49 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-19-2023, 06:48 AM
Chris_Hamilton Chris_Hamilton is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Southisde Virginia
Posts: 329
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oxweld View Post
Not much need to I think. Mg flux is usually a mix of some/all of the following: Sodium Fluoride, Lithium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, & Potassium Chloride. Just ratios needed, could experiment and probably make a decent flux yourself.

Or, follow this recipe from 1942: https://patents.google.com/patent/US2396604A/en
That's where a chemical analysis of some known good flux would be helpful IMO. It would give the %'s.
__________________
Chris (trying to be the best me I can be)
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-19-2023, 08:33 AM
Marc Bourget Marc Bourget is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Ca
Posts: 716
Default

The presentation of the goal of the invention is educational:


A fluxcomposition, to be useful in the welding I of magnesium-base alloys, must possess a considerable number of characteristics not ordinarily found in fluxes employed in welding other metals. It must be capable of being applied in a variety of ways, as a dry powder, as a core of the filler rod, or as a paste. It should flow readily overv the molten weld metal to protect it from oxidation by the air and should exert a solvent action on any magnesium oxide present to insure It should not the production of clean welds. evolve gases on heating, react with hot magnesium to cause pitting, or introduce metallic impurities into the weld metal. It ought preferably to have a density approximating that of molten magnesium, so that it will not remain embedded, even to a very minor extent, in the solidified weld metal, and thus to produce flux inclusions giving rise to serious corrosion. In addition, it should be easily removable from the welded piece, as by wire-brushing or washing, and should have no adverse chemical effect on the treating solutions in which finished magnesium articles are conventionally dipped to form protective surface coatings. No flux having all these qualities has been available heretofore, the fluxes actually used being at best compromises designed to exhibit undesired properties to the minimum extent possible.
__________________
Marc
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 02-19-2023, 12:49 PM
Overkill Overkill is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Cloverdale, CA
Posts: 1,233
Default Halibrands

Many years ago I had some Halibrand magnesium wheels repaired in Colorado. The name of the company has been lost to time, but I googled magnesium wheel repair and found multiple companies offering the service. They might be a good source of flux information.
__________________
John

Ron Covell, Autofuturist books (Tim Barton/Bill Longyard) and Kent White metalshaping DVD's available, shipped from the US. Contact lane@mountainhouseestate.com for price and availability.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:52 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.