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LAN_403

sparky

Fri Jun 22 2007, 07:39AM

Registered Member #530 Joined: Sat Feb 17 2007, 07:56AM
Location: Victoria BC, Canada
Posts: 178

Absolutely! The amount of heat energy causes a loud "bang" sound even with a nearly silent .22 rifle. Kinda reminded me of a cap discharge. Its impressive stuff - try making some yourself!

There are plenty of videos out there that demonstrate the "explosive" nature of Al/CuO thermite. YouTube has some :)

You need fine Al with CuO 50/50 mix... this stuff will ignite with a fuse if it will burn hot enough. I use Thermalite fuse - commercial grade slow stuff... burns really hot!

Bored Chemist

Fri Jun 22 2007, 08:38AM

Registered Member #193 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 07:04AM
Location: sheffield
Posts: 1022

I gave up making explosives when I was a kid after an incident where I was lucky not to get hurt so I think I will give this one a miss too.
Just for the record here in the UK I can't walk into the supermarket and buy a fuse.

Nucleophobe

Fri Jun 22 2007, 07:01PM

Registered Member #108 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 11:44PM
Location: Billings, MT
Posts: 61

CuO Al on YouTube

Wow, that is impressive. What do you get you CuO from, sparky?

GreySoul

Fri Jun 22 2007, 08:38PM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

.22 lr FMJ?

...

maybe coper flashed... but 22 caliber rimfire bullets don't come in a "FMJ" variety last I was looking.

A .22 lr round is plenty to ignite many 2-part explosive "targets". aka reactive Targets.

-Doug

sparky

Fri Jun 22 2007, 10:11PM

Registered Member #530 Joined: Sat Feb 17 2007, 07:56AM
Location: Victoria BC, Canada
Posts: 178

This what happens when you suddenly shock Al/CuO thermite with a supersonic projectile!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkQVUMzJ4eI

.22 Lr plated bullet is what i meant --- .22 lr doesn't come in FMJ- hollow point or just about any high speed .22lr round will do. I buy bulk CuO from pottery supply places.... its heavy stuff and comes in regularly.

thermite

Mon Feb 18 2008, 12:34AM

Banned on 02/27/2008
Registered Member #1326 Joined: Sun Feb 17 2008, 11:19PM
Location:
Posts: 49

Not to sound deprecating, most replies are like: Its not that hard ...

Show us your procedure in a youtube video.

We know that many businesses are being promoted by hobby marketing. It is very hard to tell who is who.

First of all, paint Aluminum is the MOST UNSUITABLE form of Al for thermite. It is flakes. It possibly has organics that can cause it to blow in your face. The filings are not suitable either and they can injure your lungs. The grinding produces material that has non-uniform morphology and heavily contaminated by the alumina or silicon carbide of the wheel. Also if there are organics, then it will blow in your face.

Based on these solid facts, of which I am 100% sure, I am not sure if the promotions are real experience or speculations.

Please show us a video.

There are other fallacies and solutions which I will post at a later date.

However, there are a number of videos that have appeared recently on the internet on "thermate" in connection with Steven Jones and Eric Hufshmid where they claim that government or someone used this material to cut the pillars of WTC buildings.

They are mentioning something called nano-thermite which can evaporate the steel.

Check out how dangerous this material is and how useless an experiment is without a detailed analysis based on enthalpies, and a prolonged literature study.

I will work with anyone on these experiments, however, only along scientific lines and not just a thriller toy hobby.

Shaun

Mon Feb 18 2008, 06:03AM

Registered Member #690 Joined: Tue May 08 2007, 03:47AM
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 616

"Organics" will not cause thermite to blow up in your face.

ramses

Mon Feb 18 2008, 07:08PM

Registered Member #1208 Joined: Thu Jan 03 2008, 05:30PM
Location: Chesterland, OH
Posts: 154

another decent method of Al production is to put equal parts salt and aluminum foil into an old blender, and blend repeatedly. then dissolve the salt out and, if desired, put the powder in a ball mill with harder than aluminum "balls". open it every half hour so that the aluminum doesn't go pyrophroic (catch on fire when exposed to air) and catch on fire when you open it eventually...

additionally, i think that sand is silica dioxide, and may work in a thermite reaction. you would probably need to spike it with Mg and KNO3, but that would yield pure-ish silicon...

MOT_man

Tue Feb 19 2008, 08:00AM

Registered Member #1127 Joined: Mon Nov 19 2007, 12:08AM
Location:
Posts: 139

Yep, I know several kinds of thermite that work well. One combination that hasn't been discussed is energetic thermite. It is a mix of 50/50 Copper Oxide (black) and 300 mesh Aluminum powder. It acts explosively when ignited much like flash powder but with a shower of hot white fireballs and a copper vapour cloud. Very spectacular and totally legal! In fact we used this material for target spotting for long distance shooting - it will ignite from a .223 cal bullet striking it.

Shaun

Wed Feb 20 2008, 01:19AM

Registered Member #690 Joined: Tue May 08 2007, 03:47AM
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 616

Hmm, that "energetic thermite" sounds very cool indeed, MOT man. *searches Ebay for black copper oxide*

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