09 May 12 07:09, TOM WALKER wrote to JAMES HAIGHT:   
      
    JH>> they played with the ratio of aluminum, silicon and magnesium.  It   
    JH>> was well known that if your Porsche 914 engine caught fire, then you   
    JH>> should aban the car and and just watch as the magnesium did it's   
    JH>> fireworks display and m like the wicked witch in the wizard of oz.   
      
    TW> Ibn fact as I recal lputting Water on a Magnesium fire actially made   
    TW> it worse as the fire burned so hot that the instant flashing of the   
    TW> water to steam provided more oxygen for the fire.   
      
   When I worked for Boeing, I was assigned as the T&D Maker who serviced   
   some machine tools that were used to machine magnesium.   
      
   The union rules stated that there had to be an extra man assigned to each   
   machine with a special fire extinguisher in hand especially formulated   
   for magnesium fires. When they began to machine the pivot wing-bearing on   
   their version of the SST, they assigned three extra men to the Verticl   
   Lathe that did the work. That bearing housing was 6 feet in diameter.   
      
   I never witnessed a magnesium fire until I had my own shop and started   
   machining magnesium, turning it into dust rather than chips. One tiny   
   spark from a dull tool was the culprit that started the fire and the   
   extinguisher put that out pretty fast. Otherwise I would have lost Ole   
   Bertha to it.   
      
      
                   R\%/itt   
      
      
     ... Only those who will risk going too far can possibly   
     ... find out how far one can go ~ TS Eliot   
      
      
   --- Twit(t) Filter v2.1 (C) 2000-10   
    * Origin: Roiz Flying \A/ Service * South Texas * USA * (1:387/22)