So while messing around trying to find a new mixture for rocket fuel I found reaction that looked very similar to thermite. I took some temperature readings, it heats up to 2700-3000F so not nearly as hot as thermite but pretty close!

 

This is also ignited with a normal house lighter.

 

It would help if you mentioned what your rocket fuel mixture was composed of. If it was just KNO₃ and sugar, then it was just really really hot most likely in a small area of the reaction, and for an extremely short period of time. No, your mixture is not going to melt steel either.

 

~EE

65g KNO3 35g Sugar, im not sure what material this was but I tried this on a cooking tray and It melted straight trough it.

So,it got hot enough to get steel to burn.

Big deal!

Try putting some steel wool in a candle flame.

 

 

You say you measured the temperature- how?

 

And, even if the figure you cite about 1650C is correct it's not nearly as hot as a typical thermite reaction up to 2500C.

Cooking tray can be made of Aluminium

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/aluminium-baking-tray

Cooking tray can be made of Aluminium

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/aluminium-baking-tray

I was giving him the benefit of the doubt on that one.

It could also have been glass or ceramic or whatever, But I'd still bet on steel.

It hardly matters.