Ball milling different chemicals

[AndyPyroNoob]

Hi

 

Are there any chemicals, other than metals(Al,Mg etc) that a noob should not ball mill?

 

I have made myself some Bismuth Trioxide, Copper(II) Oxide, Copper Carbonate, Strontium Nitrate and Barium Nitrate to name a few.

 

Are all these ok to Ball Mill relatively safely?

 

Are there any chemicals that should never be ball milled by a Noob? I have made KClO3 and it milled perfectly good.

 

The reason I ask this is I finally got hold of some MgAl and my CuO and Bi2O3 are very lumpy and not very fine and uniform. I tried out a very small batch of Crackle and it worked ok but I know milling these chemicals will result in a much better crackle.

 

Thanks

AndyPyroNoob

[davidh]

A few things:

 

Make sure the material is friable. Things like parlon don't ballmill well.

Make sure it isn't too stickly. Shellac and Sodium Benzoate don't ballmill well, especially when warm.

Make sure you are OK with the contamination. If you need multiple jars and media to limit contamination, that can get expensive.

Otherwise most common pyro chemicals should be millable in a ballmill.

[davidh]

For milling these few batches of random chemicals, I recommend a collection of coffee grinders. I buy them used every time I find one in a garage sale, estate sale, etc.

[AndyPyroNoob]

For milling these few batches of random chemicals, I recommend a collection of coffee grinders. I buy them used every time I find one in a garage sale, estate sale, etc.

I did a search and found a $14Aus coffee grinder so I might get a couple of them and try them out. Thanks

[dlking59]

I got a coupe of these on Black Friday for under $20. Well built. https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-BCG111OB-Blade-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B003WIZ5PC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2JEG2CBZ0VZXO&dchild=1&keywords=kitchenaid+grinder+cup&qid=1632535925&sprefix=kitchen+aid+grinder%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-4

[AndyPyroNoob]

I got a coupe of these on Black Friday for under $20. Well built. https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-BCG111OB-Blade-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B003WIZ5PC/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2JEG2CBZ0VZXO&dchild=1&keywords=kitchenaid+grinder+cup&qid=1632535925&sprefix=kitchen+aid+grinder%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-4

Why is it cheaper to buy from the US with postage than to buy it from here in Australia???

[davidh]

I'm telling you. Buy used. Pyro works fine even if it smells like coffee. :-)

 

This is one of the queries I run nearly daily. When something crops up near me, I get it.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=priceasc&hasPic=1&query=blender%7C%28coffee%20grinder%29%7Cninja%7Cbullet&srchType=T

Edited September 25, 2021 by davidh

[dlking59]

I'm telling you. Buy used. Pyro works fine even if it smells like coffee. :-)

 

This is one of the queries I run nearly daily. When something crops up near me, I get it.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=priceasc&hasPic=1&query=blender%7C%28coffee%20grinder%29%7Cninja%7Cbullet&srchType=T

 

Thanks, I forgot about craigslist. Facebook has local sales also.

[dlking59]

Why is it cheaper to buy from the US with postage than to buy it from here in Australia???

 

I don't know. I keep an eye on Amazon, Best Buy, and other places especially with Black Friday coming up