aluminum powder

[Brian6396]

I found two small containers of aluminum powder in with the rest of my grandpas gun finishing supplies.
what is aluminum powder used for?

 

[ohio ramrod]

Aluminum oxide is the most common abrasive used in grinding wheels and sandpapers. I assume it is an aluminum oxide powder and was used to polish or lap. :idunno:

 

[Lonegun1894]

Exactly what Ramrod said, which is why we all need to be careful and use bore-guides to protect out muzzles. And some of us refuse to use any kind of aluminum cleaning rod or ramrod on ANY of our guns so we're not polishing the muzzles and damaging our toys.

 

[hawkeye2]

It's used as the pigment in DIY aluminum (silver) paint. Ditto for other finely divided metal powders such as brass, bronze, etc..

 

[TFoley]

I found two small containers of aluminum powder in with the rest of my grandpas gun finishing supplies.
what is aluminum powder used for?

If you mean aluminum OXIDE then as has already been noted, it is a VERY popular abrasive usually bonded onto a paper or fabric backing and used as an abrasive for hand or machine work.

It can also be sintered into sticks for the same job, or mounted on tools used in electric drills et al.

However, if what you have really IS powder, then extreme care is needed in handling it.

1. It is an explosive component in fireworks and high-explosive contents of artillery shells and air-dropped munitions.

2. More to the point, it an explosive component of many improvised explosive devices - think Oklahoma Bomber.

3. It is VERY VERY hazardous stuff, and MAY explode in air, like powdered lead does.

If THIS is what it is, then you need some serious advice from a licensed explosives expert to determine what to do with it.

tac

 

[TFoley]

More - from another forum -

Quote - Originally Posted by Bluskyz View Post

Question - I have been reading up on thermite and the required ingredients. I have extremely fine aluminum powder from a small etch-a-sketch sitting on plastic wrap in my room. On the comments page of the site i got the thermite ingredients from, multiple people said that thermite could explose if you use too fine of a powder. I have also read that powdered aluminum can become very explosive when it is exposed to air or if it becomes damp. Ive gotten particulary worried because the humidity right now is 93%. So, is powdered aluminum too dangerous to have in house and is too fine powdered aluminum explosive when in thermite?

Answer - It's very explosive, like gun powder basically. I don't think you can injure yourself with amounts less than a gram unless it blows up in your eyes, but, just know it's very dangerous. When it's wet it releases gaseous hydrogen and forms aluminum oxide but if your particle size is micro sized and not nano-sized, the reaction might stop early due to the formation of a protective oxide layer. This reaction with water is not that dangerous with micro sized particles, I have personally done it 100s of times, the powder basically burns into a boiling black goo releasing hydrogen. It looks very similar to when you add HCl to aluminum scrap, it's a runaway reaction. Unless you do that with amounts larger than a pound, there won't be enough hydrogen accumulation in order to blow up a 250 square foot room but be safe, still.

Storage...I would store it just like LiAlH4 basically, it's actually not that different from LiAlH4, in a tightly closed HDPE (plastic (2) code) vial (avoid using glass vials, dangerous) inside of a larger vial containing silica gel or preferably magnesium sulfate, or sodium sulfate, anything that removes water basically.

End of quotes.

tac

 

[RedFeather]

Also used in firecrackers as a flash powder.

 

[robinsroost]

It is not all that dangerous, by its self. The Gilbert Corporation, maker of toy chemistry sets, in the 60's, used to include powdered aluminum in their sets. It is one of the two ingredients used in making exploding targets, the other is sodium nitrate. The targets only explode if struck by a fast moving high powered round, at 2500 fps or so. Keep yer powder dry.......Robin :stir:

 

[TFoley]

Also used in firecrackers as a flash powder.

I DO bleeve I mentioned that in my first post - as in '1. It is an explosive component in fireworks'

tac

 

[Brian6396]

The first time I started going thru his stuff I found a container of liquid mercury, weighed about ten pounds. I called around till I found local dispisal.
now I wonder if he was trying to make his own caps.

 

[Artificer]

It was also used as a floc or stiffener for glass bedding (epoxy or fiberglass bedding) back when we still had to hand mix some into glass bedding compounds. If your grandpa did any glass bedding of rifles, it may or even probably was why he had it.

Gus

 

[dikman]

On the subject of Thermite, I keep a box next to my lathe and sweep the metal turnings into it (usually steel). At one point I was turning some aluminium and swept the fine turnings into the same box. Well, one day I was using the belt grinder (which was mounted near to the lathe) and unbeknown to me some sparks flew into the box of turnings. Next thing I knew I had a fire going in the box!! I kicked it out the door and tipped it over, thinking that would put it out. Nope, it just kept burning merrily away.

I learned two things - don't mix aluminium shavings with steel, and if you do they make a very spectacular blaze! :nono:

 

[nkbj]

In the 70's my second (night time) job was mixing batches at an adhesives plant. Used the powder in some of the recipes. Too bad I didn't know then how much fun the stuff could have been!

 

[RedFeather]

That's a fair bit of mercury. If he shot smokeless guns, it might have been for removing lead from the barrel.

 

[Brian6396]

We may have a winner. Yes he did glass bed his long guns

 

[Blackbruin]

Also used on a leather strop for sharpening gouges, chisels, etc...

 

[Artificer]

We may have a winner. Yes he did glass bed his long guns

In the 70's through early 80's, people often used powdered aluminum as a stiffener/strengthener for these glass bedding compounds I remember using and one I can't remember right now. In the early mid 80's, most glass bedding compounds were changed so they came pre-mixed with powdered aluminum or steel already in the resin.
1. Micro Bed
2. Brownell's Accra Glas
3. Bisonite

So if you found any of these compounds in his shop, it most likely is why he had the powdered aluminum.

Gus

 

[Brian6396]

I didn't get to go thru his shop after he passed. I live in florida and he was in upstate ny. I got what the relatives thought wasjunk after they claimed/sold off most of it.

my dad had to pay one of his siblings a grand for a hawken style rifle. That was how much they had it listed for in a local paper when he went up for the funeral.