01-15-2020, 05:51 AM
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 wayAluminum 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.Other related question