Who knows about tungsten?
So, after much debate, some fly tyers decide to stop using lead. I probably won't, but it brings up a question I've been kicking around for a while.
What can us 'do it yourselfers' do with tungsten? It's the obviouous best substitute, as it's heavier than lead. But is it workable for the home hobbiest? I don't want to have to buy it already made into dumbbells and cones if I can do it myself, it's too pricey.
Can I get it in a bendable form of small wire? How maleable can it be made? Can it be cut with my wire cutters?
Can it be melted/poured like lead, maybe with more heat, but can it be done without dangerous fumes or severe fire risks?
Does it have to be machined into shapes? If so, in what forms can it bought in bulk? Any special health risks with the particulates?
I'd enjoy playing with it, but I'm not up on metallurgy where tungsten is concerned.
With all the knowledge here, someone should be able to shed some light on this.
Buddy
Tungsten is a heavy metal....
The data concerning the toxicity of tungsten is limited, but cases of intoxication by tungsten compounds are known, the lethal dose is estimated to be between 500 mg/kg and 5 g/kg for humans.[36][37] Tungsten is known to generate seizure and renal failure with acute tubular necrosis.[38][39][40]
The effects of tungsten within the environment are essentially unknown, a concern that has arisen in response to increasingly widespread use of the material as a fishing sinker, some of which are inevitably lost into water bodies. The same unknown variable applies whenever tungsten may be deposited into the environment, either knowingly or inadvertently.[41]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungsten