In sci.physics Morituri-Max <newage@sendarico.net> wrote:

The Ghost In The Machine wrote:

If we were to generate a Dyson sphere out of pure iron -- I've no
idea what thickness would be required to resolve all of the
stresses and strains -- Uncle Al's observation will come true;

<snip>

it could throw the shield out of alignment if we're not careful,
because of the thrust (not of light quanta, but the solar wind).
We'd need two holes, and careful construction techniques.

Or you'd need to run hoops around the inside of the sphere all the way from the 
north to the south pole, seperated and able to generate a magnetic field.. spin 
the iron sphere and hope you can channel the solar wind out the top or bottom...

heh heh.. since we're off in never never land anyway..

The solar wind is basically a gas.
If you constructed a gastight shell, then you only have to raise the pressure
inside by one, maybe two orders of magnitude before it becomes adequate 
support.