What''s the skinny on Tungsten?
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by valeria101 » October 29th, 2004, 12:17 pm
Havier than the usual jewelry metas, shinier (and harder to scratch)... workeable just by specialized jewelry shops and very trendy.
The other day I happend upon zirconium rings :) Guess all they need is a periodic table beside the jeweler's counter ! Like the idea of super-techie jewelry though... |
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Tungston:
Very high specific mass - it will weigh a lot for a ring that size (a lot "heavier" than lead or gold). Very hard. Very difficult to machine. Cannot be worked with normal jewelers tools and methods. Cannot be resized. Rings are machined. If it doesn''t exactly fit, you get a new ring of the right size (most tungston Mfr''s will exchange the ring for the jeweler, at no cost to you). In a medical emergency, I wonder if the hospital will be able to cut if off your hand as it will be harder and perhaps tougher than the blades on most bolt cutters (and yes, they routinely cut rings off of peoples hands). Concerning the comment a person made on Zirconium. Interesting, I was wondering about Zr. Since it makes nice tubing, I suspect that it would be at least somewhat workable by jewelers. High melting point though. One of its key industrial uses: nuclear power plant fuel rods (fuel rod consist of several % of U235 in ceramic fuel pellets stacked inside a zirconium tube that is welded shut with zirconium plugs at the ends). Perry |
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Perry is right about tungsten. It's some nasty stuff to machine and finish. There is no resizing it except to grind out some material from an internal diameter. It weighs the same as platinum, which is 4 times as much as titanium.
For removal in emergencies, it is tough to cut, but tungsten can be cracked off since the metal is formed from powder. This can be done in a vise, vise grips, press, or a hammer. It is relatively easy to shatter. |
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I only know of bands being made, at most with small diamonds burnished. These come with a velvet-like, opaque black finish that is claimed to be scratch-resistant (? no idea what this claim is worth). I saw some pieces in Olso this summer, and now there is some mention online too (example). |