Unicorn said:
The only thing about graphite that scares me is that it's harder than the aluminum light (it is harder right???). .......
No, it isn't. Graphite is actually one of the softest of naturally occuring materials. And because of its molecular structure, it isn't abrasive to things that are even as soft as it is:
The bond between layers of graphite are so weak, that layers as little as one "atom" thick peel off easily. That is one reason why it is so messy. Just the pressure of rubbing it between your fingers can "grind" it into such small particles that it penetrates like a dye or ink.
What may cause confusion is that some of the stuff called graphite isn't pure graphite... or even
mostly graphite......
For instance... As most people know, the "lead" in a pencil isn't actually lead, but graphite; Fewer people are aware that it isn't graphite but graphite mixed with clay and "baked". A pure graphite pencil "lead" would be just about impossible to sharpen, much less write with.
Industrial graphite like EDM electrodes, high temperature crucibles, glass molding tools, etc. are only partially graphite; They use pitch, coke
(Petroleum or coal with the volatile materials burned off in a low oxygen / oxygen free environment) and sometimes also clay.
Now that kind of "graphite" can be very abrasive.... In fact it '"eats" high speed steel machine tools for breakfast'.....
Maybe any military regulations against using graphite to lube a weapon are just to make sure that the industrial "pseudo-graphite" don't get used by mistake????