Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I'm wanting to make potassium nitrate for various uses, I would like to make black powder,fireworks,homemade rockets and several other projects. I'm using cold pack as the ammonium nitrate.but it's listed as (CAN) calcium ammonium nitrate, so is this going to work for my projects? Or is the end results not going to be the best of quality.

I'm also working with thermite and any suggestions other than an old etch sketch (I already know that one)of easy to obtain materials. Right now I'm grinding on a piece of aluminum but it takes so long to get just a little bit.

Any cautions or safeguards,storage and handling for either project.

Hi maramar,

Are you working on a K-12 science project? If so, what is the hypothesis you are trying to test? If you are not working on a K-12 science fair project, then a different set of internet forums will be better able to help you.