Mr Cool
Frequent Poster
Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted 04-23-2001 01:31 PM
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Paint grade Al powder is often 300 mesh, sometimes finer. However, it is sherical, so it doesn't work in flash comps.
How about putting it in a ball mill? Do you think the milling media would be able to squish it enough to make it more like Al flake?
Please post any ideas you may have on this topic.



J
Moderator
Posts: 602
From: United Kingdom
Registered: SEP 2000
posted 04-23-2001 02:33 PM
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It can be used in flash, I have details on my site for a formula that works with 300 mesh spherical.
I know what you mean though, in most cases it must be flake. It's worth a try, and I'm planning to do this when my ball mill is up and running. Steel balls would probably be required, and there must be ledges in the jar to 'scoop' them up, rather than letting them tumble.

J

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"If the aquarium water has to be drunk don't waste the fish. In fact they'll probably be the easiest to eat even if you don't need the water. The cat is next in the pot." - John 'Lofty' Wiseman



Mr Cool
Frequent Poster
Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted 04-24-2001 04:50 PM
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I know. I made a special Al milling jar a while ago, and it did work. The only trouble was it was slow, so I probably need a wider jar so the balls drop further. My media was actually 0.38" steel slingshot ammo, so they might need to be bigger too.


Teck
Frequent Poster
Posts: 146
From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted 04-25-2001 02:50 AM
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I have 325 mesh spherical aluminum and it works really good in my compositions.
The formula I use the most is:
12.5g Sulfur
12.5g Al
25g KCLO4

This mixture has to be confined in order to be detonated(J tolled me this). When I experimented with this flash mixture I tried lighting it in a small pile, I could hardly light it and when I did it burned really slow. But when confined its awesome.

Also KmNO4 and any coarse aluminum powder or even flakes works really good.
I usually take some aluminum scrap and file it down with a file or a rotary hand sander and mix it: 35 Al/65 KmNO4.
Some people say this composition is VERY dangerous but I had no accidents with it.
And KmNO4 is fairly cheap I buy it for around $6.00 a pound.

You just have to use common sense and not be complacent with this mixture as well as other LE's as well as HE's.