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Quantum
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What sort of Al and Fe2O3 should I use for Thermite?
I am planning to make a few grams of thermite and I want to know a few things before I start. I googled and searched the board before posting but I
found little information about the Fe2O3 and none about the Al. I read that steel wool can be burnt in a steel tube and that produces Fe2O3 and that
steel wool can be put in a bucket of water and the Fe2O3 extracted and dried from the bottom. Should the Al powder be super fine like when its used in
flash powder? The only way I can make some that I know of is to use Andyboy's idea and blend it with water and then dry it out.
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JDP
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Fe2O3 can be made any way you want to, yet some are quicker than others. The Al powder dosnt really matter to much, the finer it is the easyer it is
to light and the faster it will burn, less fine Al will make it harder to light and burn slower. I'm not to shure the people in this forum know
Andyboy's Al method...
[Edited on 22-12-2003 by JDP]
~JDP
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Tracer
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Ferric Oxide should prolly no be produced by that method, it's slow and crappy you see. Just get some Sulfur Dioxide and mix that into some
circuit etchant (Ferric Trichloride and Hydrogen Peroxide). That will make a blue powder that you can let sit until it forms brown Oxide-Hydroxide.
Heat that in a pan over the stove until it turns light red, then you are ready. You can make tons of this stuff this way, but I would recommend more
research into the subject befor you go and make Ferro Thermite. Check out my post = Lota Questions (Related to Ferro Thermite) = in the general
section, but they may move it here since i accidentally posted it there.
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Quantum
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Thanks for your help! Im not planning to make it just yet because I need more expereance first but I wanted to hear some advice. Andyboy's method
involves putting small peices of Al foil in a blender along with water. The mesh is about 200 so it might work for thermite. Where can I find this
Sulfur Dioxide and circuit etchant? I have Sulfur so perhaps I can oxide it somehow; if you know please tell me. I think heating it would work or
would it just burn? The circuit etchant is more tricky. Can I buy it at Radio Shack?
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Mumbles
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Burning sulfur does in fact make SO<sub>2</sub> and some SO<sub>3</sub>.
As far as that Al powder method, it seems alright. I would think that the water on the Aluminum would form a fairly decent oxide layer. I think some
other people use more inert mediums for this. Mineral oil sounds familiar. I use sorta the same method for pyro aluminum. I use that method with
fairly large pieces, and filter out the remenants(about 20 mesh) and ball mill for a good week. I get a nice dark powder that works well. As
I'm trying to clean the barrel of my mill out with water, I can hear fairly rapid fizzing. This gives me a fairly good idea that it is pretty
fine. Perhaps my water is just pretty acidic or basic too.
As for the circut etchant, I haven't a clue where to get it. Might want to try a little more specialised store than radio shack. Radio Shack
may be able to order it, but a more specialised store might have it in stock.
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Tracer
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You can get it at radio hack, but they may have to order the proper mixture.
O, and I fscked up, You want to use sodium hydroxide and pore that into the etchant. But dont get any on your skin! (Lye)
[Edited on 5-12-2003 by Tracer]
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unionised
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Just be warned that the reaction of NaOH and FeCl3 can be rather vigourous.
Mixing the solutions will give hydrated ferric oxide which you can roast to give Fe2O3
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Quantum
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Where can I get Ferric Chloride(FeCl3)? I know where to get NaOH OTC. Im defently holding back on this like my original post said. However I will make
a few grams of Al powder and see how that burns. About using oil instead of water to cool the Al foil how would you get the oil out; could you use a
solvent or will it evaperate?
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Mumbles
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You'd have to filter out the aluminum powder first. Then wash with a suitable solvent. Acetone should work well for removing the oil from the
surface of particles. If it's too thick to filter, try adding some of the solvent to make more fluid. You could try adding water. Most of the
aluminum should sink. Some will float on the oil, and between the oil and water layer. Just siphon off the oil and filter the Al out. Do it faster
as the water will react with the Al. Thats just how I think it <i>could</i> be done.
http://www.roguesci.org/theforum/showthread.php?s=&threa... Thats the original discussion I took my ideas from. They have some working
methods on there
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cactus3178
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http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&am...
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Mumbles
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Are you positive that is Iron Chloride, and not something else?
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Hermes_Trismegistus
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ALUMINUM POWDER
Aluminum powder is available as Aluminum powder for metallic paints at an auto paint store....usually in a kit form with the associated paints and
base coats but if you ask.......
I don't believe it to be oxidized badly because oxidation would reduce the sheen
Note* I've not tested this
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unionised
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Mumbles,
That's what it says on the bottle.
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Mumbles
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Alright, I think I see where it might say ferric chloride but I can't tell. My monitor isn't the greatest.
Aluminum powder is also used in some fiberglass systems I believe. I've looked into this before, and buying from a pyro supplier is actually
cheaper straight costwise than the suppliers I found. It wasn't an extremely hard search, but I found plenty of sources. The cheapest of what I
have bookmarked is $17 a pound. This is on par with some pyrotechnic suppliers, but I doubt it's 600 mesh dark flake. I personally
wouldn't use that(dark flake) on thermite anyway. I think something atomised, at a higher particle size would work just fine.
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T_FLeX
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A simple way to get a hold of iron oxide is to go to home depot and buy hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and steel wool.
Just dissolve the wool in the hydrochloric acid, but I have found it does take quit a while if you don't heat it. Once the iron completely
dissolves pour in the sodium hydroxide, filter off the iron hydroxide precipitate and then burn it untill you get iron oxide.
You can make a good ammount of iron oxide with this method for relatively cheap. For zinc powder there is a guy on ebay that sells 10lb cans for
around 25 bucks shipped. Good luck.
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pyroscikim
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"7.CO + 6.CH4 ==(AlCl3)==> C6H6 + C6H5-CH3 + 15/2.H2O " posted by Ramiel
This reaction looks feasible and relatively simple unless pressurising is involved which seems unnecessary.
Methane just comes off the gas tap at pretty high purity, and CO can be generated by heating a mix of excess conc sulphuric acid with oxalic acid
(availiable in most hardwares), or anhydrous formic acid, or a metal-formate. With oxalic acid CO and CO2 are both formed in 1/1 ratios
(COOH)2 --> CO + CO2 + H2O
but shouldn't affect the production of benzene i believe.
The aluminium chloride can just be made from anhydrous HCl on aluminium, since this occurs at much lower temp than pure chlorine. HCl is generated by
adding hydrochloric acid to concentrated sulphuric acid.
Put the AlCl3 into a ~2cm wide s/steel pipe and with some basic plumbing skills, one should be able to pass the CO and CH4 over the catalyst
"bed" in the heated (to 300degC?) s/steel tube, and duct the vapours of benzene into a condenser or just a glass bottle in iced water...
the temperature of the catalyst could easily be adjusted and experimented with, and if this process works, you could get yourself a lifetime's
supply of benzene if required... or just some fun with the practical work involved. The tube could also be used to contain other catalysts to make
various chemicals like ethene and acetaldehyde...
seems pretty intriguing for the chemists who really want the practical process of synthesise and experimentation more than product
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chemoleo
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huh? Although it's an interesting contribution, you already posted this in the Benzene Synthesis thread....
Whats this got to do with Al and Fe2O3 for thermite?
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Quantum
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Thats err nice. I don't think Im ready to make benzene yet. Anyway thats OT.
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theh0ser
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can i get iron oxide by electrolysing water (salt solution) and running electricity through a piece of iron and a bolt and have the polarity so the
bolt produces hydrogen and the piece of iron corrodes and then filter the water afterwards and dry out the stuff at the bottom? and also does putting
water and Al foil in a blender give you thermite quality Al powder?
hoser
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IgnorantlyIntelligent
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I put steel wool in a bucket with water and alittle ammonium nitrate(helps rust it faster) After about a week there was nothin but orange rust on the
bottom and some rusted steel wool still sittin above it. I extracted the powder at the bottom, dried it, and it was ready. It was probably coated
slightly in AN which may have helped the thermite.
As for the AL, I dont think it matters. Any small flake or ball AL should work fine right? It just has to be small enough to form a kind of homogenous
mixture like flash powder.
I never got around to use my iron oxide for thermite because I didn't get AL. Check paint stores.
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Nevermore
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| Quote: | Originally posted by theh0ser
can i get iron oxide by electrolysing water (salt solution) and running electricity through a piece of iron and a bolt and have the polarity so the
bolt produces hydrogen and the piece of iron corrodes and then filter the water afterwards and dry out the stuff at the bottom?
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that's definitely the best way in my opinion, i've been able to produce more than 50g of ferric oxide in 3 days by using an old iron driller
point, a water jar and some salt, attached to a 12V recharger for auto batteries...
if you care to stick the iron to the + wire it will get corroded and form a very fine mesh ferric oxide at the bottom, the one i got was a thin dust,
very alike the one that girl put in their faces..
i dried over an hot very hot plate till it became a nice dark red colour.
i've not been able to find AL powder yet..
still thinking about a way to produce..
Nevermore!
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theh0ser
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the last time i tried to produce the iron oxide with electrolysing, the dried product was some iron oxide but mostly salt crystals...guess i didnt
filter it good enough
hoser
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axehandle
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Fe2O3
Why, oh why, do you insist of _making_ Fe2O3 when it can be bought at any ceramics supplier for about $1/kg ????
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Mumbles
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Simple, because you can. It is more fun to make things than to buy them. You get that nice sense of accomplishment for a job well done.
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theh0ser
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i made some thermite using aluminum from a beer can that i ground up with a file....does anyone know if this is pure enough Al or if it will work....i
have a sparkler that im goin to light it with
hoser
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