View Single Post
  #1   Report Post  
Posted to rec.crafts.metalworking
Tim Shoppa Tim Shoppa is offline
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 88
Default Finding really dense metals

I'm looking for something even denser than lead. Ideally I'd like to
fill up a small can, about pint-size, with scrap metal and get a
weight close to 10kg (22 pounds). I might not make 22 pounds but if I
could just get most of the way there it'd be good.

Lead is of course much more available but only about 65% as dense. It
takes me almost a quart of lead to get that much weight.

Tungsten and uranium fall in this category. Anyone know of a good
souce of these, or other heavy metals, as scrap metal? I suspect they
show up in some aerospace junkyards... I've heard as depleted uranium
being used as counterweights in aircraft. And both probably show up in
armor-piercing weapons. I'm not fundamentally opposed to cutting or
machining either of these to make the scrap fit into a can densely but
I suspect they are not the best things to have floating around the
shop as dust. Lead I can melt, but I don't think I can use a propane
torch to melt tungsten or uranium, can I? I think Uranium filings
would probably just burn...!!!

Tim.