Different reactive materials were prepared and evaluated as potential heaters to evaporate refractory and readily ionized samarium metal. Fully dense, nanocomposite powders of thermites and boride-forming compounds were prepared using arrested reactive milling. In some samples, samarium powder was blended with the nanocomposite powders; in other samples samarium was added using an additional short milling step. Powders were pressed in pellets and ignited at a low pressure. Flame propagation was monitored optically; combustion products were collected and analyzed. It was observed that nanocomposite 2B-Ti powder, in which samarium was added via an additional milling step was most suitable for evaporating samarium, while preventing its reaction with other material components. Up to 30wt-% of samarium could be added and most of it evaporated in the presented experiments.