Actually, you'd be better off with a low speed, high torque and a relatively coarse and dense grinding medium - Most regular wheels will just clog and run the risk of creating a pyrophoric explosion, and you'd prefer lower temperature so's not to burn off the aluminium.

hmm, i looked up how to make a chlorate cell awhile ago, where would one get the anode and cathodes?

and as for aluminum, my engineering type class teacher put an aluminum bar on the laithe and cut into that, and i took a bunch of the shit that came off of it, do you think that would work? or would i be better off finding it elsewhere?

It's probably too coarse, but purity wise it'd be fine.

You can stick a piece of aluminium roundstock in the lathe; centre drill the end and put in a free-floating centre then jsut wrap sandpaper around it on a low speed to powder moderately effectively.

oh, yeah sorry i forgot the main part of my question, if i were to find a way to grind the shavings would it be good?

and yeah, unfortunately i cant really use the laithe, cause my school is dumb haha. well, at least not in the class i am in

You don't know how to use a lathe...... Thats pretty sad.

did not say i didnt know how to. in fact i do know how to. but i will get bitched at if i do use it. for i do not have one of my own.

-edit- reading back, i can see how you misconstrued my statement. i should have said "my school wont let me use the laithe" instead of "i cant use the laithe"

Anyone can get pure aluminum. All you have to do is go to your local welding/hardeware store and get a stick or two of aluminum filler rod thats ment for T.I.G welding. Also depending on how fine you want your aluminum there is a special grinding head for a die-grinder thats made just for aluminum. It looks just like a router bit but is for aluminum.

I think you can get good aluminum powder if you take apart an etch a scetch

so i hear

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Yeah, works well for some things, but it's spherical so crap for high-end flashy pyrotechnics. Fine for shit like boosting AN comps, though.