Caution for old bows!!!!

[sticks&stringz]

So today i finally got around to shaping the grip on an older metal compound riser that i am turning into a recurve. so after i was done shaping the grip i was emptying my belt sander, when i suddenly remembered reading somewhere that older risers were made from MAGNESIUM!!! Well last year i took high school chemistry and we did a magnesium shavings/powder experiment. We  lit the magnesium on fire and it burned extremely hot and violently when we added oxygen to it.So i freaked out about the entire cups worth of shavings on my garage floor along with about a gallon of saw dust, not knowing whether it was magnesium or aluminum.my brother and i swept it all up and put it in a tin foil pan and took it into my back yard.We lit it on fire and it created a white hot flame that was about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. That combined with all of the saw dust could have created a house fire and destroyed my home. so i figured i would warn any of you who like to tinker with old bow risers and express the caution that must be taken, one spark and your house could burn down.

[4dogs]

Those shavings and dust make really good fire starter for you survival pack.    

[AZ_Longbow]

old bike frames as well. and do not ever throw water on a magnesium fire...

[JRY309]

That it will,I remember an old Macgyer episode that he took an old bicycle.He filed the metal frame into a pipe and made a blow torch to cut into an armored van with it!

[M60gunner]

Same goes for sandblasting magnesium. Cautioned someone yesterday. If sandblasting use the ground walnut shells.

[stillhunter]

LONG LIVE MACGYVER!

[NY Yankee]

Good thought.

[wingnut]

There has been more then one machine shop burned to the ground as a result of working magnesium.
Bad stuff for sure.

Mike

[bamboo]

Originally posted by AZ_Longbow:
old bike frames as well. and do not ever throw water on a magnesium fire...

I have never seen a magnesium fire that burned long enough to throw water on it!!!stuff burns super fast!!LOL!!

[sticks&stringz]

the martin archery factory burned down due to a magnesium fire earlier this year.

[Mike Mecredy]

you should have filled up an aluminum arrow shaft with the shavings...

Then,

Rigged up a sort of fuse that would burn about 5 seconds,

Then,

At night, drew it back, have an other light the fuse and shoot it in the air.

[SCATTERSHOT]

...Or better,yet, have someone else shoot the bow, too.

[monterey]

Just out of high school I worked in a luggage factory that had a shop for extruding magnesium frames.  

A fire in the extruding shop was almost a weekly event!   :eek: