Who knows about tungsten?

[Buddy Sanders]

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

[kglissmeyer]

Buddy, good question. I have found a reasonable solution that circumvents the use of tungsten. I call it 'Poor Man's Tungsten' and use non-lead wire tucked under whatever bead you might be using for the particular fly you're tying.
Here is the link to a recent Fly of the Week I presented that shows how simple it is to do this without the added expense of using tungsten beads:

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/fotw...tw20091228.php

As for other tungsten products such as wire, etc. I haven't found nor heard of any such products. If anyone does know of this, let us all know.

Thanks for binging this up, Buddy.

Kelly.

[iaflyfisher]

Feather-Craft has a tungsten impregnated stretch lace:

"TUNGSTEN STRETCH LACE Solid round stretch material that's been impregnated with tungsten powder giving it serious weight. Use it for bodies or ribbing. .025" dia (un-stretched). Color is Iron-Grey"


You can also purchase powdered tungsten from golf club shops and mix it with epoxy.

[Cold]

Tungsten has a higher melting point than nearly any other common metal (several thousand degrees hotter than iron iirc), making casting out of the question.

Most tungsten products aremanufactured through a process of powder metallurgy, where a metallic tungsten powder is heated and compressed until the grains of powder fuse, but it never truly melts. It could be done, but not in any kind of a metal vessel or using any metal components in the process (which would be very expensive).

I'm not familiar with how they make the tungsten wire for light bulb filaments, but considering the properties of tungsten, i'd have to suspect that the wire is fairly brittle.

Probably the most useful form of tungsten for the fly fisherman, aside from beads, cones, and eyes, would be the sink putty that is sold in many fly shops, a tungsten powder in a malleable polymer medium. Other than that, the equipment necessary to work the stuff makes any products made with it fairly pricey.

[Buddy Sanders]

Can it be worked on a lathe with common metal working tools?

I.e; could I chuck a piece of tungsen rod into a lathe and turn dumbbell eyes or cones?

If so, does anyone have a source for just tungsten rod stock or bars and how much does it cost?

The powder has some applications. I'd imagine you could suspend it in lots of epoxies or finishes.

They are making the dumbbells and cones, plus all kinds of things for the bass fishing market now. Anyone know how?

Buddy

[Cold]

I'm not really sure about it's workability (I took a class where we covered alot of this, but that was a while back), but I think it's quite hard. You'd not be able to use any standard metal, but rather you'd need some ceramics...carbide may do the trick, not sure. In fact, most of the metal that would be obtainable would probably be an alloy of some sort (the "tungsten beads" used are actually probably an alloy as well, and not elemental tungsten).

You're not going to find round stock tungsten, I dont think. As I said, its typically not melted down and worked effectively as a liquid, making extrusion impractical to produce as a finished product to sell as-is. Even at that, I'd have to venture a guess that buying elemental tungsten in quantity would be prohibitively expensive.

I'll disclaimer all of this by saying I'm no metallurgical professional, just someone who's done a little learning about the subject.

[ducksterman]

Tungsten pellets used in shotgun shells may be a relatively inexpensive source of round beads of tungsten alloy...don't really know though nor do I know how you would use them.

[NJTroutbum]

It's expensive.....I know that much. It's not malliable enough for the hobbiest. You can grind it....and drill it. But you would not play well trying to melt and mold it.

[herefishy]

I wonder if you couldn't take the tungsten putty that you use for sinkers and shape it for an underbody, like for a stonefly? Think I'll try it.

[Normand]

it comes in wire

http://www.troutlure.net/displayFull...roduct_id=1029

or even sheets

http://www.britnett-carver.co.uk/flyonly/prods/249.html