I might be able to get either Magnesium or Magnesium & Aluminum in a 50/50 ratio and was wondering which one I should get. I know Mg burns by itself, but are there any advantages to the 50/50 MgAl combination?

commonly a mixture of aluminum and magnesium is called magnalium. I have made it before to make crackling stars and flash pots (that oscilate on and off).

First you have to ask yourself, what do you want to do with the power, and secondly, what mesh's are the powders?

Making magnalium yourself might not be a bad idea, as it is VERY brittle, in a 50:50 or so ratio, and easily ballmilled. I did it in a ceramic furnace using a cooking pot as a vessel for melting the metals (slice of a magnesium brick and a peice of old computer heatsink)

magnalium tends to flicker and crackle in compositions, while magnesium will just burn

some random name of some person ?

;);););) ?



As for what the powder will be used for I will mainly be using it for flash powder. Seems like I should just get both.

If the flash powder is to be used for light flashes, Mg is a way brighter. If the mixture is to be LE, aluminum has more energy in gram, mol or volume. Al also comes in flakes, which are excellent for making LE flash powder. I think no mash powder is fine as those flakes. If stream of air blow some, they need half an hour to fall on the ground. Also, those flakes tend to make whole mixture runny, smooth.