Magnesium based alloy containing 0.5 to 47% of titanium by weight is produced as a solid solution alloy by vapour quenching. In specific embodiments a source of titanium is evaporated using an electron beam. The ingredients are vapourised from separate sources to avoid the problem of titanium insolubility in magnesium melts. Preferred ranges for titanium are 5 to 40% and 15 to 28% by weight. The alloy exhibits corrosion resistance particularly at higher levels of titanium. Alloys containing 15 to 28% titanium with either approximately 5% aluminium or approximately 1% silicon are disclosed. The alloys may contain other elements conventional as ingredients in magnesium based alloys.
