I have found a pottery store in my area that sells two types of aluminium powder. Alumina Calcined and Alumina Hydrate. I am wondering if either of these can be used in a thermite reaction, but I have a gut feeling they can't. Also, if they can't, is there any way to make pure al using chemicals to purify it? I have like 3 kg of iron oxide just sitting there. :(

Thanks for the advice.

alumina=aluminum oxide.

dissolve in sodium hexafluoroaluminate, electrolyze... prettymuch don't bother.

Best possible sources for aluminum for thermite would metal fabrication places that work with aluminum and would have power and shavings lying around from grinding aluminum down... grinding it down yourself... or by far the easiest, buying it online. For thermite you don't want it too be too fine, your looking for probably a granular aluminum. Its going to tough getting the thermite to ignite, but you will get more of a blob of iron as opposed to lots of small useless blobs from using very fine flake aluminum.

It's a bit hard to get shit like pure Al online into Australia. Customs will come down on you like a ton of bricks.

Didn't I give you the source for it, Callum :D

Etch a Sketch!! But there is pretty much an almost useless amount of aluminum in them, but if you have no other means... Plus its pure and about 200 mesh...

I still prefer the old ball mill/aluminum foil method. Works just peachy. I've gone so far as to make working flash with it. Costs virtually zero to produce, but takes a lot of time. Things that don't rely on particle size like thermite will be even easier to pull off with home-milled aluminum. No sieves, no calculating run time vs. mesh, etc.