tamthanhone Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 I got Aluminium bars and stick, I have made some fillings of it.1: can i use this in anyting, maby in stars?2: can i ball mill it to make it smaller ore to a powder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzoMittle Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 I got Aluminium bars and stick, I have made some fillings of it. 1: can i use this in anyting, maby in stars? 2: can i ball mill it to make it smaller ore to a powder? 1) Yup! Filings work great for black-powder based formulas (think Tiger Tail or Winokur's glitters). I would suggest using screens to separate the fines from the coarser material, if you don't have a full set of pyro screens yet use a normal kitchen colander. Try 2-10% to start with, I would also suggest making a small batch (about 100 grams or so) and testing it out to make sure your composition burns hot enough to actually ignite the material first. Make sure to add about 2% boric acid (found in most roach killing powders, check the label's active ingredient list to be sure), water can sometimes cause aluminum to start a reaction that can cause the composition to suddenly ignite on its own otherwise. Always work outside regardless. If you are getting these filings from a metal or auto shop you may want to rinse them off. 2) No. Never mill metals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagabu Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 2) No. Never mill metals. Why never? Proper methods and O2 introductions should make the danger manageable with proper PPE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeighborJ Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 Those filings are not commonly used for stars but they certainly are usable. The formula I use them on is: Lancaster metallic firedust #4 64-KCLO4 14-AL bright 14-AL 30/80mesh 8- shellac I don't often make it because it is basically a modified flash formula and my heart tends to skip a beat when I think about it. I have a gallon jug of homemade AL 40/80 mesh but it wasn't made by milling or filing. It was smelted and poured over a running grinder wheel it made nice tiny beads but is hard to find formulas to use it in. I would not recommend putting AL in TT just because they take so long to dry and oxidation reaction is almost guaranteed, especially with uncoated al. The last time I tried that they didn't work as planned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzoMittle Posted August 20, 2016 Share Posted August 20, 2016 (edited) Why never? Proper methods and O2 introductions should make the danger manageable with proper PPE. Okay, yes, it can be done but he's got 2 posts and asking if Aluminum can be used for pyro, he's a newbie and I don't want to give advice on how to go about something like that. I'll rephrase that to: Never mill metals with comps and only mill metals if you are damn sure of what you are doing, how you are doing it, and why you are doing it the way you are doing it. Those filings are not commonly used for stars but they certainly are usable. The formula I use them on is:Lancaster metallic firedust #464-KCLO414-AL bright14-AL 30/80mesh8- shellacI don't often make it because it is basically a modified flash formula and my heart tends to skip a beat when I think about it.I have a gallon jug of homemade AL 40/80 mesh but it wasn't made by milling or filing. It was smelted and poured over a running grinder wheel it made nice tiny beads but is hard to find formulas to use it in.I would not recommend putting AL in TT just because they take so long to dry and oxidation reaction is almost guaranteed, especially with uncoated al. The last time I tried that they didn't work as planned. Ya, TT is a bad example, just one of the first BP-based formulas that most people are familiar with that popped into my head. Edited August 20, 2016 by AzoMittle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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