About the dream you are dreaming.. here are my thoughts...
1) There are substantial posts on the subject material you are asking about in TFSearch Engine.
2) It is well advised to have the flask in a water bath to keep temperatures down.
3) The reaction is more controllable if you add most of the Nitro FIRST since this is the most exothermic part of the reaction. Then once you have it added, and the temperature moderated you can then start dripping in your ketone.
4) Thickness of Al Foil.. The thicker the (usually) better. It will slow the reaction down and allow you to add your nitro faster and in a more controlled fashion. In other words, no "volcanos".
5) You may note that in most of the synth's I've seen they do not mention that you need at least a LITTLE H2O in there to start the reaction. If you do not, you will find your flask turns into a VERY thick soap that does not stir well.
6) Regarding Al foil being left in the reaction after 3 hours or so.. I've always had it at least 90% gone, I've sometimes seen some small pieces floating around in there. After the base is added, it is all gone after an hour.
7) Final reaction color after NaOH is added and let to sit for an hour has ranged, for me, from a dark grey, to a dark grey with deep green tones.
Hope that helps.