I attempt to bring the fun and excitement of pottery to the kiln-less individuals of the world. The unedited clay footage I talked about: • Just The Clays
@@FreedomOfDegreemaybe put it in foil instead of plastic? A vent hole would be needed to. It might not work but it's worth a try. A lot more water would capture the heat and then slowly give it off.
@@lorielverlomme8103 If it continued cracking as it cooled, I was going to try bury it in flour and then burning it. But with the rough prototype it didn't seem necessary.
@@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 If you're not careful with that, the aluminum will react EVEN MORE violently with the plaster than the iron oxide. It's pretty cool. Just be aware.
i could see the clay particles mechanically abrading the oxide layer on the aluminum powder when the two are being mixed, allowing the reaction with water to happen much more quickly
9:53 What was the pH of the material? Aluminum oxide is amphoteric dissolving in both strongly acidic and basic solutions! If the clay contained carbonates or hydroxides, the dehydration process could've become too alkaline and dissolved away the oxide layer.
@@isaacthedestroyerofstuped7676 Unfortunately I didn't test, but I have tasted the water and it's very neutral in that senses. I bet the clay does, but I got the strongest response using the "pure kaolin." I did take their word on it, but to be fair I didn't test it.
nice, and Al2O3 is a strong ceramic. did you try with SiO2 plaster as the clay. yep SiO2 is castable as slurry. aluminium oxide with impurities is a gem stone. you will have pure metal inside the fired ceramic tho. usually adding water to oxides makes them generate hydroxides and heat, that would accelerate hydrogen generation of the aluminium with water. instead of trying to fire the clay, how about adding iron powder and putting it in the microwave. also you could try mixing graphite in the clay and microwave that.
@@gsestream Does the hydroxide thing really happen to Al2O3? I thought it was particularly chemically resistant. But I also read that somehow aluminum hydroxide can react with aluminum oxide, so then it turns into a feedback loop. I do like the graphite idea. Microwaves are much easier to get ahold of than a kiln. As for plaster, I've got other plans for that. I was more focused on the sculptability of the clay. But a castable variant could have some insane uses too.
@@FreedomOfDegree Yeah, I just posted a comment talking about the fact that the protective layer is aluminum oxide. In strong acids, this gets broken into soluble aluminum ions and water. In strong bases, it becomes soluble alumnate ions. This continuously exposes more aluminum to water.
@@FreedomOfDegree yes Al2(OH)3, or aluminium hydroxide, and other metal hydroxides like in typical ceramics, leading to heating with added water. or no. al2o3 might react as powder form.
very intersting, you could try making a salt glaze for your clay-thermite! The sodium reduces the melting point of the clay locally, creating a glaze. This has also been done historically with normal clay firing
@@lugz0287 That's pretty cool! I was going to try grinding some glass to dust and then applying it, but I wanted to wait until I had a better more reliable recipe. But salt is definitely easier.
7:31 Did you notice your sphere also GREW as it got hotter? (very obvious in this back-and-forth clip) A very metal like quality heh Which people leverage to do things like getting two pieces of metal apart, heating the outer metal. Same if needing to put them together. _(or by doing the opposite, putting one in the freezer)_ _edit: __9:23__ ha... Albeit rather different, and yet equally curious!_ _edit 2: ~__24:30__ Hey hey, now he noticed!_ 😅
Definitely an interesting project with equally interesting findings. Can't wait for an update after you've found someone who can shed light on what's going on!
@@DUKE_of_RAMBLE I kinda want to try other materials. I'd always hear that thermal expansion is a big deal, but I'd not seen it so clearly as the sped up footage before.
@@FreedomOfDegree Yea, I wouldn't have thought it'd occur with a material like this... Even with metal in it, due to being such fine particulate and not an homogenous chunk. Quite the interesting science experiment you cooked up! _(no pun intended!)_
Aluminum oxide is a really good abrasive and therefore pretty hard it's also Sapphire, so you might be making crappy Sapphire clay which is saying something it's probably mostly trash Sapphire but in that shape it is super easy to make and reasonably effective at being hard which is why it skates a pin, it's terrible shitty Sapphire, which in small granular form is like ceramic. I should really like to see a large sheet about 3x8 in and see if you can make a sharpening stone a sapphire sharpening stone could be a million dollar idea
Insulation should also be considered, a lil' box with alumina firebrick as a base and rockwool walls and cover overtop. I've been indulging on liquid bread so I'm 95% spitballing
@@DUKE_of_RAMBLE Mg is probably better than sulfur which would produce gas when it burns. He's basically making a gassless silicon thermite like they use in m67 fuzes.
@@FreedomOfDegree I guess it is a question of how thick the layer is. And you could do a very thick slurry of clay and thermite and dip the clay piece in it. But clay mixed with something else will most likely be more brittle than just clay. I think there are plenty of real life application with this idea!!
![ARGENTINA vs. BOLIVIA [6-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C3wPtKNbAOA/mqdefault.jpg)
This was absolutely wicked! I cannot wait to see what you're able to do next with this, is seems really neat, and possibly incredibly useful!
This is fascinating!
Awesome idea and great prototype to start with
As a side note, the kaolin and aluminum could be used to make MRE heaters. Seems to put off considerable heat.
@@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 I was thinking something similar. I don't really know how to go about it because it's so rapid and sudden.
@@FreedomOfDegreemaybe put it in foil instead of plastic? A vent hole would be needed to. It might not work but it's worth a try. A lot more water would capture the heat and then slowly give it off.
You could try to insulate the clay when it is firing. Love how you test this!!
@@lorielverlomme8103 If it continued cracking as it cooled, I was going to try bury it in flour and then burning it. But with the rough prototype it didn't seem necessary.
Very interesting video. I think most clays are not pH neutral; Kaolin a little acidic, maybe that's causing the adverse reactions.
@@RadioTrefoil That would definitely disrupt the oxide layer. Maybe if I figure out the ph of the clay I can neutralize it.
Bro didn’t have to pull out the 6 dollar science toaster on us, but I understand. Had to flex on us a bit
phenomenal experiment!
The pattern of burning looks a lot like the slow motion shots of thermite in veritasiums latest video
This is awesome.
This is really smart, I recently bought some plaster for castable thermite but this is even cooler.
@@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 If you're not careful with that, the aluminum will react EVEN MORE violently with the plaster than the iron oxide. It's pretty cool. Just be aware.
@@FreedomOfDegree the calcium metal producer immediately burns. It's a pretty cool reaction. Just have to dry it fully first.
Got to say, this is really high quality content for such a small channel!
Thanks ❤
i could see the clay particles mechanically abrading the oxide layer on the aluminum powder when the two are being mixed, allowing the reaction with water to happen much more quickly
Yea, I came to the same conclusion!
Great video let’s see a basketball size ball of clay and aluminum ignite
@@benadams8711 Maybe someday.
I would love too see a video explaining the science of this.
9:53 What was the pH of the material? Aluminum oxide is amphoteric dissolving in both strongly acidic and basic solutions!
If the clay contained carbonates or hydroxides, the dehydration process could've become too alkaline and dissolved away the oxide layer.
@@isaacthedestroyerofstuped7676 Unfortunately I didn't test, but I have tasted the water and it's very neutral in that senses. I bet the clay does, but I got the strongest response using the "pure kaolin." I did take their word on it, but to be fair I didn't test it.
nice, and Al2O3 is a strong ceramic. did you try with SiO2 plaster as the clay. yep SiO2 is castable as slurry. aluminium oxide with impurities is a gem stone. you will have pure metal inside the fired ceramic tho. usually adding water to oxides makes them generate hydroxides and heat, that would accelerate hydrogen generation of the aluminium with water. instead of trying to fire the clay, how about adding iron powder and putting it in the microwave. also you could try mixing graphite in the clay and microwave that.
@@gsestream Does the hydroxide thing really happen to Al2O3? I thought it was particularly chemically resistant. But I also read that somehow aluminum hydroxide can react with aluminum oxide, so then it turns into a feedback loop.
I do like the graphite idea. Microwaves are much easier to get ahold of than a kiln.
As for plaster, I've got other plans for that. I was more focused on the sculptability of the clay. But a castable variant could have some insane uses too.
@@FreedomOfDegree Yeah, I just posted a comment talking about the fact that the protective layer is aluminum oxide.
In strong acids, this gets broken into soluble aluminum ions and water. In strong bases, it becomes soluble alumnate ions.
This continuously exposes more aluminum to water.
@@FreedomOfDegree yes Al2(OH)3, or aluminium hydroxide, and other metal hydroxides like in typical ceramics, leading to heating with added water. or no. al2o3 might react as powder form.
very intersting, you could try making a salt glaze for your clay-thermite! The sodium reduces the melting point of the clay locally, creating a glaze. This has also been done historically with normal clay firing
@@lugz0287 That's pretty cool! I was going to try grinding some glass to dust and then applying it, but I wanted to wait until I had a better more reliable recipe. But salt is definitely easier.
7:31 Did you notice your sphere also GREW as it got hotter? (very obvious in this back-and-forth clip)
A very metal like quality heh
Which people leverage to do things like getting two pieces of metal apart, heating the outer metal. Same if needing to put them together. _(or by doing the opposite, putting one in the freezer)_
_edit: __9:23__ ha... Albeit rather different, and yet equally curious!_
_edit 2: ~__24:30__ Hey hey, now he noticed!_ 😅
Definitely an interesting project with equally interesting findings.
Can't wait for an update after you've found someone who can shed light on what's going on!
@@DUKE_of_RAMBLE I kinda want to try other materials. I'd always hear that thermal expansion is a big deal, but I'd not seen it so clearly as the sped up footage before.
@@FreedomOfDegree Yea, I wouldn't have thought it'd occur with a material like this... Even with metal in it, due to being such fine particulate and not an homogenous chunk.
Quite the interesting science experiment you cooked up! _(no pun intended!)_
Aluminum oxide is a really good abrasive and therefore pretty hard it's also Sapphire, so you might be making crappy Sapphire clay which is saying something it's probably mostly trash Sapphire but in that shape it is super easy to make and reasonably effective at being hard which is why it skates a pin, it's terrible shitty Sapphire, which in small granular form is like ceramic. I should really like to see a large sheet about 3x8 in and see if you can make a sharpening stone a sapphire sharpening stone could be a million dollar idea
Insulation should also be considered, a lil' box with alumina firebrick as a base and rockwool walls and cover overtop. I've been indulging on liquid bread so I'm 95% spitballing
A touch of sulfur or magnesium powder would make it easier to ignite.
Hah, I was wondering about adding some Mg!
@@DUKE_of_RAMBLE Mg is probably better than sulfur which would produce gas when it burns. He's basically making a gassless silicon thermite like they use in m67 fuzes.
Would dipping wet clay in thermite to make a layer do the job?
@@lorielverlomme8103 I'm not sure the layer would burn hot enough. And it might just melt off as it burns.
That sounds like a steam explosion waiting to happen imho
@@isaacthedestroyerofstuped7676 you would dry the piece first of course.
@@FreedomOfDegree I guess it is a question of how thick the layer is. And you could do a very thick slurry of clay and thermite and dip the clay piece in it. But clay mixed with something else will most likely be more brittle than just clay. I think there are plenty of real life application with this idea!!
I thought Ricky Berwick got into science videos from the thumbnail haha.