Another way to make AL powder

[Pyro55]

This blender looks too good to be true. It should easily turn Al cans to powder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.willitblend.com/products.aspx Store

[NightHawkInLight]

It would dull the blades very quickly and make it useless.

[Chris]

It would be really interesting to feed a blender with Al foil. I don't think you could make the fine Al, but maybe coarser firefly Al could be produced. However, I for sure don't have an extra blender to sacrifice for this experiment..

[asilentbob]

Blender Al flake is nothing new.

[oskarchem]

Well some time back I used my blender to blend some Al foil, and it makes very coarse Al... Can't really call it powder, I have to try making a comp with it...

[Mumbles]

You can ball mill after it gets out of the mill to get a finer product. But yes, this is going to be my method of choice should chemicals such as coarse flake Al become unavailable. Due to the thickness, it might make a good firefly, or long hang time metal.

[Bonny]

You can ball mill after it gets out of the mill to get a finer product. But yes, this is going to be my method of choice should chemicals such as coarse flake Al become unavailable. Due to the thickness, it might make a good firefly, or long hang time metal.

Another good potential source for coarse Al is from drill shavings. They can be coffee milled or probably chopped up in a blender. i've made from 20 mesh to 100mesh this way.

[ActiveA]

I use Al in a blender for my comets. Gives a nice effect actually.

[Pyro55]

I already knew about grinding with a blender.

I became addicted to making my own pyro over 40 years

ago and I never "grew out of it" lol

 

What I wanted to bring to everyone's attention was this

(Awesome) blender. This is not your "everyday blender"

 

 

It grinds glass, spring steel or about anything, you put in it.

I don't think a regular blender would do this.

 

It is quite expensive, about 10 times the cost of a normal blender but it looks like a great tool for the "do it yourself pyro"

 

A couple of more videos.

 

[FrankRizzo]

LOL..those videos are always entertaining. The BIC lighter and Chuck Norris skits are two of the better ones.

 

 

IMO, $400 will buy most every legitimate pyro a lifetime supply of Indian dark.

[jacob]

And if it's too big to fit in the blender you can use this first.

[falcon]

I have a lot of aluminum. I keep the shavings from my

mill.

I do have a question. My aluminum doesn't burn. I want to know why ?

I have put the chip in a camp fire, and nothing happens.

I screen out the powder for flash and it wont burn.

I have German Black and it works fine.

What is wrong with my aluminum?

 

Thanks.

[asilentbob]

Shavings/chips from a mill are probably too course to burn in open air. Its not reactive like Mg. Have you tried simple BP/Al type compositions with it?

 

Aluminum foil doesn't burn in a camp fire either to give you some perspective.

[Arthur]

There is a documented method of producing fine aluminium from bar stock by making a grinder like a Dremel multitool and resting the Al bar against it AND running the grinding action under a light oil, to inhibit oxidation.

 

Bar stock Aluminium can have various alloying elements which may not suit your pyro needs (notably, strong alloys contain copper!). Aluminium from electrical distribution wiring is (in the UK at least) very high purity and very soft.

 

Getting fine aluminium from swarf or turnings may well need a ball mill, and possibly with steel drum and balls with all the attendant risks. Al is often milled with a coating additive to prevent the active surface being immediately oxidised. Stearic acid -a hard wax- is often used. The coating prevents the surface oxidising so reducing heat build up in the drum, fine uncoated Al can explode on initial exposuer to air.

[falcon]

Well that tells me a lot. I think my bares are T6 aluminum.

I was hopping to save money by using my chips from the mill. I guess I will have to keep buying my aluminum.

 

Thanks guys.

[asilentbob]

For fine aluminum yes you are going to either need to continue to buy it or start ball milling it, however course flake aluminum like firefly aluminum can make for very nice effects for comets and such, so I wouldn't throw out what you have.