
Burning a NeXT Magnesium Cube - aaronjg
http://simson.net/hacks/cubefire.html
======
biot
Too bad they didn't take video. For more images, be sure not to miss the link
at the top of the page to the album:
<http://picasaweb.google.com/nitrobaphotos/NeXTCubeFireAtLLL>

~~~
tawman
I missed that link, but thanks for re-posting it here. The real life photos
filled in the gaps of the pictures I visualized in my head while reading the
story.

Very cool and I can relate as we all have an old computer case in closet
somewhere.

~~~
joezydeco
The case in your closet probably is not made of pure magnesium. That was the
point of the burn.

~~~
inportb
the NeXT case was also not made of pure magnesium

~~~
joezydeco
Okay, what else was in it? And let's leave things like decals and paint off
the list.

~~~
inportb

      > magnesium alloy which is specially designed to be difficult to ignite
    

The story doesn't say what else was in it, but feel free to support the claim
that the box was made of pure Mg and not an alloy, modulo things such as
decals and paint.

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morganw
And sanding & polishing one:

pheatonforums.com is gone, but the 1st page of the project journal is on
archive.org:
[http://web.archive.org/web/20031011104839/http://www.pheaton...](http://web.archive.org/web/20031011104839/http://www.pheatonforums.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=137)

The directory of photos is still available: <http://planetcasemod.com/NeXT/>
<http://planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Polish/bathroom.JPG>
<http://planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Polish/done1.JPG>

And the UBB-code version of some of the posts to the board:
<http://www.planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Back/back.txt>
<http://planetcasemod.com/Phones/buffinghowto.txt>
<http://www.planetcasemod.com/NeXT/Front/Finished.txt>

The magnesium "tarnishes" and requires monthly polishing. Sealing is "not the
same as raw metal"
[http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1028300977&postcount...](http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1028300977&postcount=31)

~~~
sgt
I have mixed feelings about this. However, the work itself is great. Well
done!

------
rbanffy
Why do this?

~~~
burgerbrain
Fun? Curiosity?

~~~
rbanffy
I don't think it would be fun to burn down a Frank Lloyd Wright house or a
1963 Sting Ray coupé or smashing a Braun SK-4 turntable or a Beolit 39 radio.

There are objects that embody more than their function and the NeXT cube is
one of them.

It's sad that someone derives pleasure from the destruction of such beautiful
objects. I am glad there are people who preserve them for future generations,
but only so many of them were ever built. When the last one is destroyed, what
will we have? A small, but beautiful, part of our past will be gone forever.

~~~
SeanLuke
This was not done when the Cube had established itself in design history. I
believe Simson Garfunkel was doing this as part of an article for NeXTWorld
Magazine or some such. It is a very old picture.

~~~
rbanffy
I think I owe him an apology. It's much easier to do something like it when
the machines are still being built.

