Cast Thermite

Step 3 Refining Part 2

This next step is not necessarily required, depending on how fine your burnt steel wool, (now called iron oxide), is, but as I am something of a perfectionist I like my chemicals to be as fine as I can get them.

If you have a ball mill similar to the one below, this step will be simple for you. Toss your iron oxide into whatever container you use along with some grinding media and away you go!

If, on the other hand, you do not have a fancy shmancy ball mill, no big deal. A Mortar and Pestle will get the job done just as well.

So will a coffee can full of iron oxide and some grinding media. All you have to do is shake it... A lot. By grinding media I mean something small, hard, and round, that is capable of breaking up the particles that you are trying to refine.

So, if you opted to go through with this step, use one of these methods to crush the iron oxide. Unless you get it ground to a powder it clumps together a little bit, but don't worry about it, because that's about the consistency that I use it at, and it still works. It doesn't have to be perfect by a long shot, just do what you can and move on.

Comments

[ramkanwar55]

you could just use the stone age method of using a file on an iron screw/nail

[bio-logical]

when i try to refine mine i use a sifter and the iron oxide doesn't seem to be anywhere but the outside of the strand because i keep seeing silver. any help

[codongolev]

you could probably use finer steel wool, and maybe try burning it with a hacked lighter to keep the reaction going.

[mattbomb]

would mare-balls(the glass ones) would they work or just break

[67firebird]

Ingenious ball mill------did you design/build it yourself?

Are plans or details available?

The only time I ever made thermite, it burnt through an iron crucible, through
an asbestos pad, through a coffee can full of water, another asbestos pad,
through the iron base of a ring stand,
and then through the science teacher's lab table, through a couple of shelves
and misc., and into the floor, before it went out.  I seem to remember some
kind of chlorate in it, maybe potassium chlorate?  It was spectacular, but I
caught a lot of heat over it (all puns intended).

[Zlwilly]

The design was made after looking over pictures of other homemade ball mills and considering what we had on hand. We had an old electric motor lying around, went to a local surplus store and bought some bar stock, and in about 2 hours it was done. It is really very simple to build and operate, and works rather well. The motor is geared down by the belt system you can see, so that it doesn't turn the plastic container too fast. The motor itself is mounted to a board which is hinge mounted to the base, which was made from junk 2x4's. The hinge uses the motor's own weight to keep the belt tight. The 'bearing' is really nothing more than holes cur in the wood, with a small hole drilled from the top edge down into the other hole. Put a drop of oil down in there once and a while and you shouldn't have to rebuild any of it for years. I've left mine running nearly unattended for days on end, so no worries there. Sounds like you had an interesting time. It's 'discoveries' like that where no one got hurt that you can look back on and laugh about it. :) I have some similar fond memories from my high school chemistry classes, ages ago.

[loopycar27]

if this whole thing works i love you