Tungsten Hosts?

[mwang]

And that's before any actual machining or any other issues.

Bear in mind the ring that I cracked was also not pure tungsten. Given how lasers are treated (at least by me) durability is never an issue, but it's just something to bear in mind that it's far from an indestructible material, which is how some portray it. Also unlike steel, aluminium, titanium, etc,. it doesn't bend... it breaks, and it breaks thoroughly.

The alloy my block is made of is used as a bucking bar: dampening the shock of putting rivets in the manufacture of aircraft. It is designed to withstand massive amounts of shock continuously for years. What was the alloy that your ring was made of? Are you sure it is not tungsten carbide? Many rings nowadays are made from tungsten carbides and they look just like tungsten and have densities of 15-16 g/cm^3 and feel quite heavy. The tensile strength of tungsten carbide is much less than pure tungsten, and that in turn is much more brittle than my block's alloy.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Can't be sure, and it's been years since I got it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was tungsten carbide.

 

[micheal rosen]

Can't be sure, and it's been years since I got it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was tungsten carbide.

it was tungsten carbide, i can guarantee. they don't make tungsten rings becuase in an emergency you wouldn't be able to break it/get it off (since tungsten and its alloys are tough as all hell).

edited the OP, looking for someone to help design a host.

 

[AAlasers]

Tungsten is a relatively expensive metal to buy in raw form (10-30$/kg), a moderately expensive metal to buy in a basic machined form (rod or sphere) (60-200$/kg), and a very very expensive metal to buy in a complex machined form (laser host) @ probably around 1500$/kg. A simplified host would probably still end up being quite expensive.

What might be a superior option is to buy tungsten tubes and have the endcap and focus ring made of different metals. That would reduce the price to levels around that of hosts that exist now.

Tungsten Tube-Tungsten Tube Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on Alibaba.comTungsten Pipes

AAlasers

 

[micheal rosen]

Tungsten is a relatively expensive metal to buy in raw form (10-30$/kg), a moderately expensive metal to buy in a basic machined form (rod or sphere) (60-200$/kg), and a very very expensive metal to buy in a complex machined form (laser host) @ probably around 1500$/kg. A simplified host would probably still end up being quite expensive.

What might be a superior option is to buy tungsten tubes and have the endcap and focus ring made of different metals. That would reduce the price to levels around that of hosts that exist now.

Tungsten Tube-Tungsten Tube Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on Alibaba.comTungsten Pipes

AAlasers

Very good point! I'll ask about that.


I think we should have just a single 18650/2x 16340 host. What should the inner and outer diameter of the tube be? and what should the length be if we're going to machine threads on the outside? Keep in mind, the walls should be more tha 5mm thick.

 

[micheal rosen]

Ok, so I just got a quote from them for 19mm ID, 24mm OD, 75mm long tubes with polished outside and threaded ends so we can make tail caps and heads for it fairly easily. The quote was 250$ plus 60$ shipping. Should I ask if there is a possible volume discount or is there almost no interest in this?

 

[Lifetime17]

Hi Mike,
Hey what about heat trasfer with tungsten? I know stainless steel is not so good. Would this be close to the molecular structure of the host??
Rich

 

[micheal rosen]

Hi Mike,
Hey what about heat trasfer with tungsten? I know stainless steel is not so good. Would this be close to the molecular structure of the host??
Rich

Tungsten has a thermal conductivity similar to aluminum, but a heat capacity close to copper. However, it is very hard and won't scratch like the other two. It is also very dense, giving a heavy feeling in the hand.

 

[Lifetime17]

Wow thats interesting G That should be an awesome build. Wish you luck with it looking forward to see how it comes out.

Rich

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

It's an interesting, and very good material for a host, but I think you will probably get very few people willing to commit due to price.

 

[AAlasers]

I'm quite confident the price would be significantly lower for even a small order of 3 or 5.

You should inquire on pricing for 3, 5, 10, 25.

Or something along those lines, because I can easily see quite a few people ending up wanting these if they could be had for under a hundred bucks.

I would be willing to drop 150 on one of these, maybe 200 including the rest of the host components.

 

[ABarnett]

Is there still any interest in building these tungsten hosts? Even though it's more of a novelty than a practical material to build a host from. I would still want to add it to my collection. And if there was a nuclear blast it might still work. Although I might not be around to see it.

 

[Benm]

Why would you want a tungsten host, really?

Sure, it's a hard metal and not prone to scratching, but that's about it in terms of anything beneficial.

Downside it is nearly impossible to machine, very heavy and pretty expensive.

The thermal capacity is very good if you count by volume, but that's mainly because of its high density. If you count it by weight results are far less impressive.

As far as use in jewelry goes: both tungsten carbide and tungsten metal are used sometimes. Tungsten carbide is brittle, exterme scratchproof and could be a good choice for rings. Tungsten metal on the other had is not brittle at all, and very hard to cut/break/etc making it more suitable for piercings and such.

You probably wouldn;t want a tungsten metal wedding band or something similar since it is virtually impossible to remove in case you have swelling in the finger it is on. A tungsten carbide ring could be fractured and removed if needed, but a tungsten metal ring would have to be grinded through while on your finger - not a good idea for something termally conductive

 

[Alaskan]

Make it out of solid silver, it is easy to machine and has a higher heat transfer than copper

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Of course the downside is it will tarnish, and scratch very very easily.

 

[Alaskan]

Yea, as soon as I posted that, I thought I should have mentioned those aspects too.