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Question:

can i make my own powdered aluminium?

im wanting to try and source my own chemicals for experiments and such in the cheapest way possiblei thought a cheap method of making powdered aluminium would be to just sandpaper aluminium kitchen foil and collect the powder, what i need to know is:how pure is aluminium foil?.....e.g is it actually mixed with some other metals and is an alloyand will the powder i collect be as good as bottled aluminium powder? i know it wont be perfect but as long as its similar that should be fineim using it for pyrotechnical experiments by the way

Answer:

Aluminum foil is pretty pure for most purposes (99.1 % pure). However, I really think sandpapering aluminum foil is not your best option. For one, aluminum foil is quite expensive, I wonder if you could just get a bunch of the powder for a cheaper price than buying an equal mass of aluminum foil. Also, how would you even begin sandpapering it? If you rub a crumpled up ball of aluminum on a rough surface, you don't get a powder, you just get a ripped up ball and a gray mark on the rough surface. But you could try, tell me if it works. However, I think you may have better odds with aluminum cans. They are cheaper and thicker thus not so prone to ripping. Although I still doubt you could get a reasonable quantity of aluminum powder from that. If all else fails, you could always try stuffing a bunch of aluminum foil in a blender.

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