Can magnesium wheels be welded?

1959 - 1978, M151, M151A1, M151A2, Technical questions and discussions, regarding anything related to the M151.
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75ct
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Can magnesium wheels be welded?

Post by 75ct » Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:09 am

Oh about 30 years ago now I had some nice magnesium wheels that had some civvy tires mounted on them. I dropped them off at a tire place to have the old tires removed and when I returned, the technician informed me he had cracked a couple of them with his machine (it was an old school center mount type machine). Even though they are "destroyed", I kept them because they were, before they were cracked, in very good shape.
I was wondering if it's possible to repair (weld) them. The cracks are between the lug nut holes.


parker007
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Re: Can magnesium wheels be welded?

Post by parker007 » Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:16 am

magnesium can be welded but on a rim it not advised. also not many guys have the skills. finding someone with experience on is not easy, we have 1 guy in our county that can weld magnesium with good results.

hambone
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Re: Can magnesium wheels be welded?

Post by hambone » Wed Dec 21, 2022 4:44 am

It can be welded, it basically welds like aluminum, tig welding is the preferred method, you will need AC output w/ hi freq. Argon/Helium for the shielding gas. We had a bread company that gave us some bread racks 30 years ago that were made of magnesium, we built climbing stands for deer hunting out of them, very light and strong. Remember, too much heat and it will catch fire, not easy to extinguish.


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