please could you tell be how to make aluminium powder at home

At home, I think there is only one way, and that is to start grating aluminium foil. Maybe the other guys may know of a better way!

It seems like it would be easier just to find an aluminum block (like a heat sink) and file it down.

Yeah, that would be easier. But, if you want to be able to do it right this moment, foil would be the only way!

aluminium foil isnt pure aluminium it is'nt even close if you burn aluminium foil you will see a plastic covering aluminium foil isnt any real use so use an aluminum can, if you look on the side it will have a triangle with the words alu in it to confirm its an aluminium can

Invest in a bench grinder.

And where would we get an aluminium can? I hope not those drinks cans as they are coated with tin!

Aren't the tuna/fruit/such cans pure Al? It's hard to get aluminum powder these days, it's surprisingly regulated.

Pity. I think canned food also is coated with tin, but, I am not sure. Again, don't take my word for it

By the way I was just wondering how exactly would you go about grating aluminum foil? With a cheese grater?

All I need is a goddamn magnesium ribbon, some rust and pyro grade Al powder. It's thermite time!

 

Edit: Lance, I cut some into tiny pieces with scissors. It didn't work out too well, but it would have been perfect for an alkaline drain cleaner/Al-foil bomb.

Hehe, my chemistry teacher showed it to us. It was brilliant. It nearly wnet wrong as well! She placed the magnesium ribbon in, and lighted it. But, by mistake, it fell over and burned the filter paper instead. But, we still got to see the reaction! I wish I could see it again!

For christ's sake boy go to home depot and by a length of 3/4 inch square aluminum.....sold in the damn trim section, and buy yourself a bench grinder.

I'm not quite sure if you can even make thermite-grade Al-powder with a bench grinder. :|

Like so:

As you can see from the picture, a bench grinder isn't probably the best option: It gets dull from the soft aluminum that sticks on it.

Believe me, it does the job.

How fine the bench grinder-made powder is? Are they like filings or more like flour or table sugar?

more like flour....extremely fine.

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Pulled the link sorry. (Eats my bandwidth )

That was freaking awesome! What was in those?

I don't know what you're talking about senator. I have no recollection of such events. But the moral of the story is: Trust my advice, at least if I'm in the land of sobriety.

Do not put aluminum on a bench grinder, it will melt and ruin the stone. What need is emery cloth http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=emery%20cloth and a small block of aluminum. If there are any machine shops in your area, go see them and ask them for a few drops. Those are the leftover chunks of bars. The only way you can get powder is to sand it, and it is going to be messy. As you sand, the aluminum powder will stick in the cloth. It will probably take you a day to make a teaspoon full of it, so I hope you are patient.

 

You can make it faster if you have access to a belt sander. (http://doityourself.com/store/6236152.htm) You can probably rent one at a rental center. This one even has a dust collection bag. However - you have to be very careful, these machines will eat your fingers. You will want to hold the aluminum against the sander with a pair of insulated pliers, because the metal will get very hot. Do not wear gloves - the machine will catch the material and pull your fingers into the machine.

 

The cheapest and least labor intensive way out is to buy a can of it at a marine supply store. You can buy it online at $8 a can from Defender: http://www.defender.com/cgi-bin/Web_store/web_store.cgi?catalog=750413&frames=yes&store=yes

and aluminum can only has a thin layer of tin on its much pure then using aluminium foil like you sujested and if you want to make thermite an aluminum can works two reasons i know one there is a program called rough science where in one of the episodes he used an aluminium can to make thermite and two i have made it my self from an aluminium can

Trust me Gilded, I'm not steering you wrong. And geez people, it's not hard to re-dress the stone.