Make German Dark Aluminum Powder in Bulk

This instructable will guide you step-by-step on how to EASILY produce large quantities of extremely fine German Dark aluminum powder.

For those of you that don't know, German Dark aluminum powder is a special type of aluminum powder that has charcoal added to it. The charcoal prevents the aluminum from oxidizing into aluminum oxide when the aluminum is of a very fine grain. Preventing this makes the powder considerably more reactive, and, not to mention dangerous.

DISCLAIMER: I CANNOT be held responsible for any harm, injury, or death caused by misuse of this material. By following these instructions, you must be aware at all times that you are risking the safety of yourself and others.

Here's a video of me igniting a bit of the powder because I was bored. I sound like Justin Bieber in it due to the fact that I was 14 at the time.

Okay then, let's make some of the stuff!

Step 1 Get the Ingredients and Supplies

The materials you need are:

• Aluminum Foil
• A Rock Tumbler
• 1 tablespoon of powdered charcoal
• About 25 steel balls, for the grinding media
• A Large Magnet (Not pictured)
• Sheets of paper (Not pictured)

Comments

[duct tape]

This page is the #1 hit on google for the search 'aluminum powder'.
Congratulations!

[Berkin]

Not for me, but it's on the first page.

Still pretty awesome, I admit. :D

[duct tape]

The screenshot doesn't lie!
Additionally, the belt on my ball mill broke. :(

[Berkin]

O_O

Sorry to hear about your ball mill belt, hopefully they don't cost too much to replace.

[A.C.E.]

I've known about this instructable for awhile now, and now that im finally getting into making flash powder and seeing how expensive aluminum is, im considering making it this way. Do you know what the mesh/particle size is when you grind the aluminum for a week? And if you grind it longer will that number continue to decrease? Im looking for something under 6 microns. Thanks!

[patriot777]

I noticed that your video is private. If you are putting this information out publicly, why is your YouTube video on the subject private? Can you help, please.
Thank you, with respect-
patriot777

[Langarulz]

can i just make aluminum powder with this not dark german?

[randyclark747]

Please tell me what size steel shot to use in my ball mill, I am about to order one right now.  3/4 diameter, or 1/2 inch diameter.  I am considering using activated carbon from aquarium supply stores for my "dark" adding.  What do you think, mr Berkin.?

[Berkin]

I used 1/2 inch balls.

[randyclark747]

I have tried your method.  I failed miserably.  I wasted a hundred dollars on equipment.  I am reverting back to purchasing aluminum powder instead.  It just seemed to take damn near forever to crush the confetti down.  Plus, noisy, and I anticipated burning the motor out on the ball mill eventually

[spawnos3717]

If one could combine a standard mill with something like 'jpoops' setup, (a set of driven wheels under the mill container in addition to the main drive motor), it should balance the power between the two and augment speed as well

[barley8]

@randyclark747 what size steel balls did you use? If it took forever to crush down the confetti, is the foil too thick? I put a bucket over the tumbler to reduce the noise.

[Berkin]

Holy crap. That sucks. :(

I can only say that the same method does not work for everyone, I do apologize for wasting your time.

[Pyro7]

How is this more cost effective than say buying Star Molecule (military grade aluminum powder), Eckart Super H, or an off indian blackhead powder?

Serious question if anyone can answer. I have never seen anyone beat an Eckart Super powder, and not even come close to Star Molecule with a homemade powder. Did i miss something?

[spawnos3717]

I'm guessing that these military grades are so volitile and the ingredients are highly regulated that even if one were to top intensity, their freedom could be at stake. The government hates competition and no potential martial law would be possible without superiority.

[Berkin]

I am not saying that my method of producing powder is "superior" over all others, as that would be an outright lie. I posted this as a fast means to get good quality powder that burns well, and suits the average hobbyist's needs. I never suggested that this be used in any professional applications or commercial fireworks.

[darkmarc]

could you use shaving from lets say a cnc machine or if you were to drill AL the shavings from that

[Berkin]

Almost 20,000 views, dang...

Thanks guys!

[daniyalansari]

What kind of charcoal is this?
Is it like BBQ type or burnt wood?
Thanks

[A.C.E.]

Nice tutorial, now i have a good source for aluminum powder hehe, if i cant find my old rock tumbler though, ill have to go and buy one somewhere :p where could i get steel balls (or another grinding medium) locally? would places like Lowes or a hardware store have anything suitable?

[Billdo22]

What about the moister from ones breath? could that be enough to ignite it? i had a respirator on that channeled it downward towards what i was working on and i nearly lost my shop just now.

[Berkin]

Why are you asking me to confirm what you already know? Of course moisture poses some threat, but it depends on how fine your powder is, and what safety precautions you are taking while handling such materials.

Another user told me that putting your material in a plastic bag before milling it was a good idea, not only because it can keep your mill cleaner, but also because it's safer for when you extract your powder from the mill. If you're considering grinding up another batch, keep the hint in mind.

[elias.alberto]

Ball mills are not common in my country. In fact, I could translate it but have no idea of wtf it should do or look like because I've never seen one. I've tried viewing the youtube video, but it won't play because it's a private video. So, I was wondering if I could make a ball mill which would produce aluminum and iron powder. I want aluminum and iron powder to ignite thermite, then drip the molten metal into custom-shaped plaster, so I could design my own metallic parts. Any idea?

[Billdo22]

DIY cast Iron Very clever man, you need to make instructable for use to try

[Berkin]

If you don't know what a ball mill looks like, there's always Google Images. :)

I have heard of people doing very interesting things with thermite, but your idea is unheard of to me. But I wouldn't say no to you trying it.

[elias.alberto]

I've been into a mining company recently and I've seen what is a ball mill! They have some huge ones to make powder from the material they extract.

[Berkin]

Nice..

[steveastrouk]

JFYI Thermite was invented for casting and welding, and is still used for welding railroads together

[Berkin]

I know that.

[Don,t try this at home]

were did you get the charcoal powder i dont want to get it online do they got in in ace hardware???

[Berkin]

It's gardening charcoal.

[Don,t try this at home]

i just went out made a fire and got charcoal and im powdering it in the rock tumbler will that work

[Berkin]

Sure.

[TheBlackSharpie]

To get charcoal powder just look at the bottom of your bbq briquette bag
bbq charcoal may not be pure but it'll work

[Berkin]

If you're aiming for better purity, I would not advise using briquette powder. Most often times, manufacturers will add other chemicals to the charcoal to enhance burning. However, that might not be bad either...

[stephenniall]

Could i use activated charcoal For the charcoal ??? I have some spare and was wondering if i could use it

[Berkin]

Yes.

[loki1138]

One problem, adding the charcoal doesn't remove the oxidation that occurred in the ball mill. Almost all of the aluminum will already be oxidized as aluminum oxidizes so rapidly. To make real german dark, you have to heat the aluminum powder anaerobically in the presence of a carbon source. Put the aluminum in a semi sealed container with charcoal and heat. The result is that the oxide from the aluminum form CO2 and escapes as a gas, leaving pure aluminum and carbon. But be careful, heat too much and it will burn fast!

[Berkin]

Thanks for the tip. I don't think it'll be too much trouble if someone does it either way, because my powder burns pretty well even on it's own.

[loki1138]

That's true, aluminum is pretty awesome by itself. Ekhart does the heating process but adds a styrene coating so it doesn't spontaneously combust when you expose it to air. Your method is much safer and perfectly fine for flash powder and thermites!