Path: utzoo!yunexus!geac!syntron!jtsv16!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!oliveb!tymix!antares!pnelson
From: pnelson@antares.UUCP (Phil Nelson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NeXT FACTS (Magnesium case)
Summary: mostly uninformed opinion on lighting magnesium
Message-ID: <229@antares.UUCP>
Date: 28 Oct 88 05:31:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: antares.229
References: <23336@sri-unix.SRI.COM> <1988Oct25.190655.10391@utzoo.uucp> <607@optilink.UUCP>
Reply-To: pnelson@antares.UUCP (Phil Nelson)
Organization: Tymnet QSATS, San Jose CA
Lines: 31

In article <607@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:
|In article <1988Oct25.190655.10391@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
|> In article <23336@sri-unix.SRI.COM> kr0k+@andrew.cmu.edu (Kenton Arthur Radek) writes:
|> >... The main unit's cubic housing is made of lightweight magnesium...
|> 
|> That's gonna be fun if you ever have a power-supply fire!
|> -- 
|> The dream *IS* alive...         |    Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
|
|I don't think that's as much a problem as you think.  Back in high
|school, some friends of mine and I attached a chunk of magnesium
|ribbon to an 8' hydrogen-filled weather balloon (young, foolish, and
|lucky to be alive) and attempted to light the ribbon.  We made repeated
|efforts, and it just would not light with any combination of 
|firestarting devices we had available.  Magnesium powder burns very
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|-- 
|Clayton E. Cramer
|..!ames!pyramid!kontron!optilin!cramer


The average pocket lighter isn't very hot, really. To get solid Magnesium
going you will need higher temperatures. An electric arc might work.
(Now, where can we find the makings of an electric arc? Power supply?
Yeah, that's the ticket! a power supply! :-) :-)


-- 
{ames|pyramid}oliveb!tymix!antares!pnelson | Parallel IQ (the IQ of a group)
OnTyme: NSC.P/Nelson  POTS: (408)922-7508  | may be easily calculated given
Disclaimer: Not officially representing    | the IQ of each member - use the
McDonnell Douglas Corporation policy.      | formula for parallel resistance.