saskwche Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 It's nice to see you joined our forum. We hope you enjoy it, and learn a lot. There are a lot of people here to help. Unfortunately, you cannot make german or indian blackhead at home. The machinery neccesary just isn't easy to come across, or replicate. Be forewarned that we're not boomers here, so if you're simply interested in salutes and the like, this may not be the best forum for you. ohh dont worry im over jsut making salutes im just asking cuz i have a few pounds of 4000mesh AL powder and some charcoal so wanted to see if i ither have to ball mill them together or if i have to (not sure how to say it) cook them together cause ive seen only one video of how to make it but the dude was using Al foil and newspaper and he cooked the remains of the charcoaled newspaper and Al together and was left with his so called german blackhead Al powder question though what is it thats needed to make the Al besides a ball mill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunzway Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 ohh dont worry im over jsut making salutes im just asking cuz i have a few pounds of 4000mesh AL powder and some charcoal so wanted to see if i ither have to ball mill them together or if i have to (not sure how to say it) cook them together cause ive seen only one video of how to make it but the dude was using Al foil and newspaper and he cooked the remains of the charcoaled newspaper and Al together and was left with his so called german blackhead Al powder question though what is it thats needed to make the Al besides a ball mill? I suggest you do some serious reading at some reliable sources. First of all, that method is hilariously incorrect and forget about making any fine aluminum powders such as german or indian blackhead at home. You can practically forget about making aluminum powder in general, it's not something you can just do at home or with minimal experience. http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3015 Tentacles sums of the manufacture of aluminum powder fairly well there. But frankly, it's not worth it and it's a dangerous procedure which requires a lot of knowledge to begin with. What's the problem with buying it? If you're truly not using it for salutes and for other things along those lines, it'll last quite a duration of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskwche Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I suggest you do some serious reading at some reliable sources. First of all, that method is hilariously incorrect and forget about making any fine aluminum powders such as german or indian blackhead at home. You can practically forget about making aluminum powder in general, it's not something you can just do at home or with minimal experience. http://www.apcforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3015 Tentacles sums of the manufacture of aluminum powder fairly well there. But frankly, it's not worth it and it's a dangerous procedure which requires a lot of knowledge to begin with. What's the problem with buying it? If you're truly not using it for salutes and for other things along those lines, it'll last quite a duration of time. you guys are getting the wrong idea im not trying to make salutes and cause im new to this forum doesnt mean i am a complete noob to pyrotechnics i have a basic understanding and yes i do know when milling metals you must keep them moist but i didnt know about the acid i have ball mill and i have lead media but will the acid break apart the lead media? also the reason why im doing this is cause it dont really have very much use for my Al or charcoal im taking a break on making anything since im back to school so i was thinking of selling my Al powder but i thought it might be of more use if it was dark Al and like i said about the video its the only one ive see and i know for a fact that the Al he used was not pure but wasnt sure how you would go about mixing both materials that are pure together so what you guys are saying is i must prove myself before i can will be told how to mix Al and charcoal together the correct way if so its cool i can wait for something like that sicne i have no use for it thank you for guiding me in the correct direction though i truley appreciate that its been a while since someone has done that for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEskimo Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Gunzway said nothing about you being inexperienced. All he said was that you should get some more reliable sources. The way they commercially make it, or so I've heard, is that they sandwhich the Al between two layers of paper, and pound the crap out of it. They then burn off the paper in an inert atmosphere, and that is one of the reasons the Al is 'dark'. The other reason is the way it reflects light.Also, could you please improve your grammar, and punctuation? Try to use commas, periods, and capital letters. They make this forum seem more professional, and I must admit, I didn't wholly understand your last post.You say that you have no use for your charcoal, or Al. Why not make a fountain, or stars, or something. Why are you so set on making dark Al? There is virtually only one use for dark Al, and that is FP. It also finds some uses in certain white, and streamer stars. Apart from that, you can't do much with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saskwche Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Gunzway said nothing about you being inexperienced. All he said was that you should get some more reliable sources. The way they commercially make it, or so I've heard, is that they sandwhich the Al between two layers of paper, and pound the crap out of it. They then burn off the paper in an inert atmosphere, and that is one of the reasons the Al is 'dark'. The other reason is the way it reflects light.Also, could you please improve your grammar, and punctuation? Try to use commas, periods, and capital letters. They make this forum seem more professional, and I must admit, I didn't wholly understand your last post.You say that you have no use for your charcoal, or Al. Why not make a fountain, or stars, or something. Why are you so set on making dark Al? There is virtually only one use for dark Al, and that is FP. It also finds some uses in certain white, and streamer stars. Apart from that, you can't do much with it. Not sure if i mentioned it but im going to sell the dark Al. Ii also said im taking a break from creating anything for a little while, so unless making the dark Al is simple enough without haveing to use industrial equipment im not going to make it. So do i need industrial equipment to just make dark Al? Not sure if i should ask here but anyone have a good idea on how to make a homemade rocket press? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Yes, you need industrial equiptment to make blackhead Al. Search the forum for the rocket press. I think there is a thread called "rocket press" in the rocketry section. I'm going to split the dark Al stuff off somewhere at a time yet to be determined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coil Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Hello all. My name is Darius, I'm 21 years old - and i am from Lithuania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightHawkInLight Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Hello all. My name is Darius, I'm 21 years old - and i am from Lithuania.Hi there, welcome to the forum! What interests do you have that brought you here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsroom Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Hello, After years of reading from this forum I decided to join in order to enjoy the full benfits that come with membership. I hope this will make me a Full Member, as I am always interested in the field of pyro... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightHawkInLight Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Indeed it did. Welcome. You can now post threads of your own. Just try to search a little to see if there is a recent thread discussing the same subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldstl Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Hello everyone, my name is Angel. I'm 34 years old and have been interested in pyrotechnics my whole life. Lately, I've been into laser and flashlight modifications. There is a lot of reading for me to do on this forum, as there is a ton of information to digest. Safety is and has always been my main priority. I hope one day I will be able to contribute here. Until then, peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Welcome to the Forums, Coldstl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divo Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Hey all- From Minnesota and interested in learning all I can about the fine art of pyrotechnics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightHawkInLight Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Welcome, good to have you here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwizardl Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Hi everyone I just found out about this site and hope it will help me with learning how to do some smaller pyrotechnics stuff. Name: James DavisAge: 29Location: Battle Creek, MichiganWhy here? did a google search for pyrotechnics forum and this was the first result. I'm looking forward to learning how to make smaller stuff like flashpaper, blast caps, etc more for movie fx stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Welcome to our forum. We hope you enjoy it, and can help you to learn a lot. You may also want to look into joining one of the local clubs, such as the Michigan Pyrotechnic Arts Guild, or Heartland Pyrottechnics Association. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cvh98 Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Hi All, Another Newbie to the forum introducing himself. I'm 50, a mechanic by trade, live just outside Oxford, UK, and have been involved in fireworks now for about 4 years having got to the age where I have a bit more pocket money to play with, and can do the things I wanted to do as a kid, but could not afford to. I have looked around at other sites, but this one has a good balance of knowledge, experience and seriousness with a good helping of fun thrown in. Keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 Thank you for the compliments, and welcome to the Forums! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbd4193 Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Hello all, My name is Tom and I've been a member of APC for a few years now. I figured it was time to make my first post and tell you a little about myself. I'm married with four children 2 boys (20 and 18) and 2 girls (14 and 12). I've always wanted to learn how to make fireworks but, always wasn't really sure where to start. I bought Tom Perigins book "Introductory Practical Pyrotechnics" about the same time I joined APC. I've add a few other books over the past few years and have read through them also. It all seemed a little to much for me. Then along comes Turbo Pyro. I figured why not give it a try. It showed up on a Wednesday and on Saturday my two daughters and I started. We started with the small mines. The three of us assembled them that afternoon and that night went out to shoot them. It was an awesome feeling when the the mines went off. It wasn't a huge firework just it was a huge feeling of satisfaction because we had made them ourselves. That was my humble beginning into Pyrotechnics. The girls and I have made all of the projects in Turbo Pyro and are ready to move on to other projects. The boys are a little upset with me because they are off at college and we are making fireworks at home. I told them we will make a few thing when they get home for Christmas break. We as a family will make a few thing for the 4th of July and have them in our display we have every year. I just wanted to thank everyone on here for all the wonderful information you have provided over the years. I'm sure my children and I will have a great time learning new things and as always doing it with safety first. Oh one last thing I think the girls have talked their Mother into coming over to the dark side. This could be the one thing that the whole family will enjoy together.Thanks Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 Welcome to the Forums, Tom! I think you epitomize the reasons the Turbo Pyro project was created: get people interested in pyrotechnics by starting small, involving their family and friends, and making it easy and safe to do using what are often household ingredients. After all, the family that blows things up together, stays together (to mangle an old saying ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helix Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hi I'm James Ive been interested in pyrotechnics for as long as I can remember. I've been a member for a few months here and have really just been reading and making a few small items when I get time. My interests also include metalwork, cars/ trucks, chemistry and physics. I'm from Scotland, run a small consulting engineering firm and am 39. great site by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Welcome to the Forums, helix! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odysseus Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 (edited) Hello everyone! I'm a sophomore electrical engineer at NC State University with a tendency to get my feet wet in everything I can. I just recently became interested in pyrotechnics over summer break, and now I suppose I've got something a bit more constructive(?) to do with my time. This forum seems like it's full of helpful, sensible, and knowledgeable people. Figured it'd be a good idea to join! I haven't made anything special yet, but my buddy has machined a couple of miniature cannons, so I'll probably post those soon. I hope to make some good stuff over this Christmas break for New Years. I can't wait to go home! Edited November 22, 2009 by Odysseus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightHawkInLight Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Good to see you here. Stick around, you may just get as addicted as the rest of us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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