www.buckingbar.net Tungsten Bars!

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:59 pm

Well, all I can say is WOW!

Thermos came down and brought his tungsten bar that he bought from Dean when we bucked my tailcone and it is INCREDIBLE! It was soooo nice, I HAD to get one of my very own!

It weighs as much as any one of your larger bars and is a fraction of the size! Being a skeptical yankee, I entered into the concept fairly biased. I DID NOT think it would make that much of a difference what the bar was made out of, and I suppose it doesn't as far as the rivet is concerened.

The thing that makes this bar different is the way it HANDLES! It is utterly positionable and allows the bucker to control the forming rivet MUCH better because it bounces less and stays where you want it easier.

If you are a novice bucker, you will make better rivet heads with this bar! If you are a proficient riveter you will enjoy the handling of this bar!

Dean was SUPER FAST with the shipping! I ordered it on Monday and I got it yesterday. I am all caught up on my riveting, but can't wait to use it again!

I highly recommend Dean and www.buckingbar.net if you want a tungsten bar!

REALLY NICE!

You won't be disappointed!

CJ

JohnR · Post by **JohnR** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 9:53 pm

CJ, I told ya and told ya. They are great!

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 10:20 pm

You did, John!

You did!

I found it hard to believe, but it's true!

All you have to to do is try one and you will be forever changed!

CJ

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:33 am

I agree 100%
I bucked all the tank rivets and LE rivets solo, and this would have been MUCH more difficult to do without the tungsten bars.
Along with the pneumatic squeezer, this is one of my most valuable tools.
Well worth the cost!

Thomas

Wicked Stick · Post by **Wicked Stick** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:41 pm

CJ,

What's the 411 on the Tungsten Bucking Bars "RADS/min" ?
Have you check it yet

ptrotter · Post by **ptrotter** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:58 pm

RADS/Min? I don't think Tungsten is radioactive. In fact it is used for radiation shielding in some instances. Depleted Uranium, on the other hand, which is very dense as well, might be.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:55 am

No test equipment yet. My buddy says he can get some though.

Paul, I see bucking bars on ebay and they are really popping up all over. I just can't help but wonder if some of these are actually DU.

One reason why I went with Dean is because I liked his style and he seemed trustworthy. That may not be the case with other vendors you may find.

CJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:53 am

I felt the same way about Dean, and that's the reason I went with him as well. When I talked to him on the phone, I asked him if I could give him my debit card number over the phone to get the order going. He said he would take it because he doesn't want card numbers floating around his office. He said, send me a check, your bar order is already in.

ptrotter · Post by **ptrotter** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:11 am

I got my Tungsten bar a few weeks ago from Dean and I love it. Good guy to deal with also.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:02 pm

Wicked Stick wrote:CJ,

What's the 411 on the Tungsten Bucking Bars "RADS/min" ?
Have you check it yet

Update:

Clean as a whistle! Zero Rads, not that I doubted it. Dean is dealing out tungsten, not depleted uranium.

That is the reason I chose him as a supplier. Other sources I couldn't be so sure of. I saw some on ebay, but wasn't comfortable with the people there.

The guys in the Environmental Technology Department at school hooked me up with the test equipment and it didn't even register. They say that people with medical isotopes can ping the machine! This showed NUTTIN'!

I am pleased!

Happy bucking!

CJ

jim_geo · Post by **jim_geo** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 2:43 am

WS, interesting question. X-rays are produced for medical use in a tube that has conical Tungsten Anode that has been set spinning to avoid burning it from the current flowing from the cathode. As far as I know there is no radiation given off from the raw uncharged metal other than acceptable background levels. I could be wrong but I think Tungsten is pretty benign on it's own.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:32 am

Well Jim, yes. But you (and everyone else) should be afforded with some background on this subject.

The question arose because the properties of Depleted Uranium and Tungsten are similar.

DU is a shiny dense metal that would also make a fine bucking bar! The only problem is that the health risks associated with it are obvious.

Someone asked me if I was certain this WAS NOT DU and I really couldn't answer it! I COULD find out if it had any remaining radiation, if it actually were DU. Hence the tests! I was very please to confirm NEGATIVE, thereby concluding it's authenticty (by process of elimination) as Tungsten alloy.

Tungsten in it's ore form is actually a powdery solid and quite dangerous to our health if inhaled or rubbed into our skin.

These bars are TUNGSTEN ALLOY which combines the powdery ore with another substance. Probably a ferrous steel, is my guess. I have not checked to see if it is magnetic, but will. In this solid form, it is mostly safe. They say we should wear gloves when using it and some MSDS sheets confirm this as the extended risks are largely unknown. It is my belief that in it's solid and alloyed form, so little of the actual tungsten powder will actually make it into your body it makes it a non-risk item alltogether. That being said, be careful when machining this bar should you desire! If you do, wear the best PPE you can get. Inhaling the dust is paramount. Gloves and long sleeves, etc. are also recommended!

Tungsten is tungsten!

Does this help?

CJ

cjensen · Post by **cjensen** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:37 am

Thanks for passing that on CJ. I honestly didn't know any of that about Tungsten. If I did decide to grind mine for some reason, I would've just done it without a second thought. Not now...

tshort · Post by **tshort** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:57 am

oops ...

I did do some grinding on mine a few weeks ago!

Thomas

ptrotter · Post by **ptrotter** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:50 am

CJ,

I expect that the alloy is primarily nickel, with maybe a little copper. Iron is less likely, but there might be a little. Probably too little to show any magnetic properties.

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:31 pm

INTERESTING STUFF HERE!

FERROUS! Containing iron!

It is slightly magnetic!

Paul, I am kinda suprised too!

But, on second thought... if it is density is our goal, wouldn't iron be the best choice over nickel or copper (or anything else for that matter)?

I am guessing so.

CJ

ptrotter · Post by **ptrotter** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:23 pm

While density is our goal, the goal when making an alloy is find a stable chemical combination that meets whatever goals are required for that material. I would guess that Dean and anybody else who would like to make bucking bars is getting whatever alloy is available at a good cost and isn't particular. I would think that these are around 92-95% tungsten anyway so the alloy material is probably not too relevant.

All I really care about is that it works great

captain_john · Post by **captain_john** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 9:57 pm

...and indeed it does!

CJ

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:33 am

woops, I guess all those hours of welding and grinding my tungstens to a point on the cutoff wheel I should have been protecting myself...

bleh, everything kills us one way or another

tmbg · Post by **tmbg** » Wed May 23, 2007 2:56 pm

oh and btw, I bought one of 'em bars, and it's fan-freakin-tastic