I have a little project going on that I would like to get wrapped up ASAP. My local hardware store doesn’t carry thermal compound but I have plenty of anti seize in the garage. My only concern would be where the grease that suspends the aluminum powder might end up with heat but I’ve used the stuff on brake and wheel components countless times so why not?
Probably OK to use for now (and maybe more permanently) but it’s a bugger to clean up when you want it gone. As long as you are OK with that I’d say use it- it should perform as you need it to.
Another, even cheaper option might be No-Al-Ox or something similar, which can be found at electrical supply stores, as well as The Home Depot and Lowe’s. I don’t know how it will perform for heat transfer, but it is supposed to be designed to prevent corrosion and sustain electrical conductivity. So, maybe it will work. Actually, just about anything in a very thin layer between star and pill should work better than air anyway. So, use whatever you can get your hands on. As Sharpie said, even plain high temp grease would probably work well enough.