That fancy new magnesium float cracked on me during a pour in Phoenix last Tuesday

We were finishing a 30 yard driveway slab, about three hours into the job. I went to make a pass and heard a loud snap. The handle had cracked right at the blade connection, leaving a sharp piece of metal sticking out. I had to stop everything, grab my backup aluminum float, and finish the section by hand. Has anyone else had a magnesium tool fail like that under normal heat? I thought they were supposed to be tough.

3 comments

3 Comments

rowanellis19d ago

Always thought magnesium was the tougher choice for hot weather, but @vera_murphy and your story prove that wrong. It must get so brittle in that dry heat it just gives up. My old crew swore by it, but a clean snap like that is just a material failure. Guess some tools just can't handle a real Arizona summer day. Makes the trusty aluminum backup look pretty good.

casey_smith16d ago

So what brand did you switch to after that, @vera_murphy? Was it a total game changer?

vera_murphy19d ago

Man, that's brutal right in the middle of a pour. Was the metal super brittle where it snapped? I had a magnesium bull float do something similar a few summers back, just a clean break in the heat. It felt like the sun had baked all the flex out of it. Makes you wonder if some batches just can't take the Arizona oven. I ended up switching to a different brand after that.