WARNING - Due to the caustic nature of the substances used and gases present, a gas mask and a pair of safety gloves are advised. THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURE MUST BE DONE OUTSIDE!
Aluminum foil Container Gloves
Sodium hydroxide Cloth Gas mask
Water Mortar & Pestle/Ball mill
Roll pieces of aluminum foil into small balls or cylindrical tubes and place in a container. Soup cans work good (Yes, I know most are made of Al but they are hardly effected by this process).
Pour 1/2 a teaspoon of sodium hydroxide onto the foil. Shake the container slightly to ensure spread of the sodium hydroxide.
At this point it would be a good idea to put on a gas mask and prepare to stand back.
Measure out around 100 ml of water and begin slowly pouring it over the foil. In around 5 seconds steam and hydrogen gas will start jetting out of the container so stand back until this has completely stopped. After 10 minutes check to see if the aluminium has become brittle enough by poking an old pencil or stick into the crumpled foil. If the foil is dark in colour and falls apart when prodded, it is done.
Empty the foil into a seperate container of water to wash away the sodium hydroxide solution. Next, get an old cloth and continue to wash and strain the foil of water a further 4 to 5 times. Once done, crush the ball of aluminium mush and lay it out on a smooth surface to dry for a few hours. At this point, impurities are present. A weak solution of sulphuric acid should be added.
Once the aluminium mush has been washed and dried, it can be powdered using a mortar & pestle or placed straight into a ball mill, however, due to the amount of impurites present, further processing will be necessary first before any useful aluminium can be extracted. - Dr. Hextromeister
