Tig welding question

[masracingtd1167]

A friend wants me to weld a bracket to an injection manifold and I think it is magnesium . Can I weld an alluminum bracket to it ? I am not 100 percent sure it is mag and is there a way to tell Thanks Bill.

[TopfuelRon]

A drop of vinegar on magnesium will start to bubble almost right away, on aluminum it will just stay clear

[afuelcoupe]

no you can not weld aluminum to Mag but just get some magnesium rod and make the bracket out of mag and weld it up.......if in fact your base part is magnesium ....mag is about 30% lighter than aluminum so that should be a dead givaway.... even a bit of water on a lightly sanded place will turn dark almost instantly if it is Mag.
Magnesium is quite easy to weld it will not tolerate impurity's though 

[rooman]

Bill,
    as already mentioned, mag is considerably lighter than aluminum for the first clue. Also mag will usually be a dark gray color and is prone to corrosion (especially if the heads were ever run "wet"). If it is mag make sure to thoroughly clean the area to be welded immediately prior to welding as mag will oxidize while you are looking at it. Run a big cup on a gas lens, bump up the post flow and make sure to not pull the rod out of the shielding gas until it too has cooled. And as to your original question, no you can't weld aluminum to mag (at least not successfully).

Roo

[masracingtd1167]

Thank you for the advice ! Bill