-20# Al from aluminum foil?

[50AE]

Is it possible to grind some Al foil in a blender, screen it through a 20 mesh screen and use this stuff for flitters? Has someone done this successfuly?

[dagabu]

I don't know any good pyro that hasn't tried it! Personally, I mill turnings from making rocket tooling down to usable flitter sizes.

[Ventsi]

It turns into small nuggets, sorta like popcorn. I screen what passes through a 20# screen and mill it, it gets nice and flattened out, and you get some very nice flitter Al.

 

But yes, its perfectly do-able.

[AdmiralDonSnider]

Do you really get Al corresponding to "flitter" grades by milling foil?

 

The Eckart flitter in my magazine looks quite different from foil pieces, being thicker and looking like small, rounded plates, which are not as easily bent as foil is.

[Mumbles]

I've done it but it doesn't work the same for me. It always comes out too thick to light reliably. Maybe I wasn't getting it fine enough or milling it long enough. I definitely wasn't screening to -20.

[Ventsi]

Also, it helps to add in a bunch of water to the foil when you're blending it. Speeds things up. If you want thinner stuff, only use what passes a 40# screen. Both work for me though. It makes for a nice tail when added to charcoal comps, hangs real long too.

[50AE]

I successfuly made 20 grams of Al from foil, enough for 250 grams of silver streamer comp I'm going to try. Edited May 28, 2010 by 50AE

[Jerf]

I wonder how taking a roll of foil, with the paper core removed, and feeding it into a food processor with a small grading blade would work. WOW, my wife would sooo kill me!

[dagabu]

I wonder how taking a roll of foil, with the paper core removed, and feeding it into a food processor with a small grading blade would work. WOW, my wife would sooo kill me!

 

I have tried coffee grinders, food processors and blenders, none work, the foil just wraps around the blade.

 

I use a cross-cut shredder to make rectangles (feed it right off the roll) and ballmill with a table spoon of cab-o-sil. The cab gets integrated into the metal making it easier to mix with chems.

[FrankRizzo]

I have tried coffee grinders, food processors and blenders, none work, the foil just wraps around the blade.

 

I use a cross-cut shredder to make rectangles (feed it right off the roll) and ballmill with a table spoon of cab-o-sil. The cab gets integrated into the metal making it easier to mix with chems.

 

Dave,

 

Cab-o-Sil (SiO2) is considered an oxidizer when dealing with magnesium or aluminum. Not a good idea.

[50AE]

The stars I made with this Al perform very nicely! It's not worth the effort milling Al foil though, I'm currently searching for contacts with a lathe.

[dagabu]

Frank,

 

Can you shoot me the reference to this? I have a chemical engineer that disagrees with you and I would like to put it to rest.

 

Thanks

[Mumbles]

Here is one for instance: http://www.amazingrust.com/experiments/how_to/Thermite.html#SiO2

 

If he doesn't believe that, it has a thermodynamicly downhill by -618 kJ/mol.

[50AE]

Here is one for instance: http://www.amazingrust.com/experiments/how_to/Thermite.html#SiO2

 

If he doesn't believe that, it has a thermodynamicly downhill by -618 kJ/mol.

 

Thanks for the link, Mumbles! Good photos and info there!

[Fly]

I'm sorry but can I ask a very dumb question.What is involved in milling?I,m the new guy on the block & would really like to

learn all I can about this neat hobby.I made my first black powder last week & that was really neat.I made a motor ball tumbler,

& using lead balls I cast from my black powder gun mold.

 

But milling I know not how that is done.

Fly

[Ventsi]

Well are you asking how to mill stuff or what ACTUALLY goes on that makes smaller particles?

 

And welcome! Hope you enjoy the forum!

[dagabu]

Take a look at this Wikki page. A lot of us here use a Lloyd Sponenburgh type ball mill using a 6" ID PVC pipe with end caps. I use ceramic and stainless steel balls for grinding most comps.

[Fly]

Boy that was a dumb question.I have all ready made one & did not know it.I read about the idea of making one on another site.

I'm a retired tool & die maker & was wanting to make black powder for my guns.

 

In doing my research I stumbled on Pyrotechnics & here I'm.Sorry for the dumb question.But I really do want to investigate

getting this hobby.I saw a starter kit on Skylighter web site.What do you fellows think of starting out with a kit like that.

 

It was about $200 & had books supply's & so on.Would that be a worth the money or what?Also who is a good supply house?

 

Thanks Fly

[TheSidewinder]

Don't worry about questions. We're all new once.

 

While it's true you could get a fair bit more for your $200 by shopping carefully, the kit you saw at Skylighter *is* complete, and a very good way to start.

 

Another thing to do is read, read, read. Everything here is free, and we've got quite a good pool of knowledgeable pyros here whose experience can help you.