Making German Dark Aluminum Powder From Foil
Intro: Making German Dark Aluminum Powder From Foil
This is an instructional for manufacturing your own homemade German Dark Aluminum powder. Homemade aluminum powder may not be as good as Eckart aluminum powder; however it is practical for use in pyrotechnics. German Dark Aluminum powder is a particular aluminum powder that has charcoal added to it to prevent oxidation while milling. Not only does charcoal prevent aluminum from oxidizing into aluminum oxide as it mills, it also makes the aluminum powder more reactive bringing about an acceptable product for pyrotechnics. German Dark Aluminum powder is a key ingredient in many pyrotechnic compositions especially in low grade explosive compositions such as flash powder. German Dark Aluminum powder can range from a coarse grade such as 100 mesh to a super fine grade such as 7000 mesh. The finer the grade of the aluminum, the more reactive it is.
Materials:
Aluminum foil
Willow charcoal (1 tablespoon)
Ball mill (or rock tumbler)
Steel media
Measuring tape or ruler
Scissors (or your hands)
STEP 1: Measuring the Aluminum Foil
STEP 2: Shredding the Aluminum Foil
STEP 3: Adding the Charcoal
STEP 4: Ball Milling the Aluminum Shreds
STEP 5: Milling Results
STEP 6: Final Product
STEP 7: Warning:
I myself have had an accident with a different pyrophoric metal. I ordered 100 mesh magnesium powder and ball milled 60g of it for a faster burn rate for when I mix it with one of my oxidizers. When I milled the Mg for an extended period of time without disturbing it, it flared up when I finally did open up the barrel to see how it was doing. The powder didn’t flare up violently, and thank God it didn’t because I was in my room at the time, so I was able to see that the Mg powder was a darker color and appeared to be a finer mesh. I knew not to put the fire out with water so I dumped my product and media out on the grass in my backyard. As I emptied the barrel, the Mg powder REALLY flared up into an intense blaze due to the magnesium having already flared up and the sudden abundance of oxygen. I singed the hairs on my right arm, scorched my steel media, and freighted my grandmother sitting on the bench. I would have used sodium bicarbonate to extinguish the fire but I didn't have any readily available at the time. However, the hairs on my right arm, steel media, and grandmother all eventually recovered from the incident. Later, I tried ball milling the magnesium again except this time I checked on my powder every 5-8 hours exposing it to fresh oxygen. My final product resulted in a fine Mg powder.
STEP 8: Testing the Final Product
The flash powder test with the Eckart Al had a faster burn rate than my homemade Al. It gave a clean thump rather than a poof with lots of sparks like the flash powder containing my homemade Al. Both flash powders were very fast except one was faster than the other and gave off far less sparks. Both flash powders are excellent charges for deafening salutes or flash bangers or celebration sticks or flashlight crackers or whatever the heck you want to call them.
STEP 9: Note:
-It’s possible to use high-alumina for media rather than steel. It should result in a faster milling time.
-For clean up I recommend that you use a towel, some cleanser, and a little water to clean out the barrel. You need the coarse detergent to rid the fine aluminum powder coat from inside the chamber. You do not want any remaining Al particles to contaminate your next element or compound that you may be ball milling.
-I’ve done some research on lead media and came across a thread on bombshock.com explaining why lead balls should not be used for crushing metal or any hard chemical. Apparently if the content in your chamber is not friable the lead will contaminate your product during the milling process. Unlike steel, lead is a soft yet heavy metal and if you try to grind a non friable substance then it is likely that your final product will have a darker tint due to lead particles being chipped off the media and milled into a fine dust. The fine lead dust is also very toxic and is a considerable hazard to your health.
-I recommend that you buy Lloyd E. Sponenburgh's booklet “Ball Milling Theory and Practice for the Amateur Pyrotechnician” if possible. It’s loaded with helpful information and even has thorough instructions on constructing your own ball mill.
13 Comments
Dan1234567890 5 years ago
2.) Could this powder be used in a thermite reaction?
draco_americanus 7 years ago
Generally what I do is buy the cheap atomized aluminum from fleabay and then ball mill that for a few days, it is a lot faster and yields a better product then from foil, I use ceramic media or .5 inch stainless steel ball bearings, I don't use lead, even hardened lead can contaminate your stuff. I would also not use normal steel ball bearings as they are more prone to sparking inside the mill, why take the risk.
I would never mill Magnesium, This article is not the only one where there have been fires and serious injuries. I milled Magnalium that is an alloy of aluminum and magnesium and that got slightly warm and emitted a smell that caused me to put the mill jar in a safe spot till it stabalised
RyanD248 5 years ago
after milling the aluminum, do you still add the charcoal and mill it? I have been using aluminum foil and aluminum cans as mine yet it takes a while to get to the right size for the mill. Just looking for easier options! Thanks.
FelipeG13 5 years ago
Hope you can help me
RyanD248 5 years ago
I would say have enough ball media in the mill to just barely cover the top of the charcoal and the aluminum. Also make sure to have enough room in the mill, like 1/4 of it, to have room for things to move around! Hope this helped cause that's how I do it.
Radagast97 7 years ago
NaHCO3 isn't a great fire suppressant for Aluminum or Magnesium. Mg and Al can steal oxygen from water, CO2, or carbonates to keep burning. I would think aluminum or magnesium oxide would be better, though no where near as available. If you do use bicarbonate, be aware the residue can contain sodium oxide and lye, as well as produce hot lye vapor - seriously bad to breathe.
Nitrato2 8 years ago
Nice tutorial. Short and well explained.
AJMansfield 10 years ago
I would think you would want the steel balls to not be coated at all, so none of the coating can chip off the way it sometimes does.
leenewman 10 years ago
TrollFaceTheMan 10 years ago
I would say no, for hardened lead still is softer then Aluminium, thereby it will consumed in the milling process, and contaminate your product...
Gasoline Ducttape 10 years ago
Penolopy Bulnick 11 years ago
Ammonal 11 years ago