# What is the heaviest metal available to consumers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611 "2006-02-08T22:52:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/21 "2006-02-09T03:56:06Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Here’s the background. I build and fly a lot of model airplanes and we often balance them with a piece of lead in the nose. Lead is used, I think, because it’s heavy and can be melted down easily and shaped. > Any suggestions? I’d stick with lead, It’s economical, easily shaped, cut, etc. Handle with gloves, respirator when melting, sanding, etc. Minimum hazardous material exposure. To quote Alfred E. Newman, “What? Me worry?” :smack: Give the EPA a coronary! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/22 "2006-02-09T05:08:48Z")
[hijack] **Q.E.D.** That is interesting about the half-life of Bismuth 209 (well at my age, it’s exciting 😃 ) On my website I have a time converter that spans a range of units from the Planck time all the way up to the half-life of Bismuth 209, the value of which I found was 2 × 10[sup]18[/sup] years. I think that value has been around for decades. Was that the theoretical value to which you referred? Anyway, if the _new_ value 1.9 × 10[sup]19[/sup] years is correct, I guess I’ll have to update that converter. Not only that - think of the marketing potential of that new data: Bismuth 209 - now with 95% _less_ radioactvity!!! :: Calling my broker right now to get a good price on Bismuth 209 futures. :: [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/23 "2006-02-09T13:24:18Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > I’d stick with lead, It’s economical, easily shaped, cut, etc. > > Handle with gloves, respirator when melting, sanding, etc. Minimum hazardous material exposure. > To quote Alfred E. Newman, “What? Me worry?” :smack: > > Give the EPA a coronary! 🙂 I’m a firm believer in industrial safety but I don’t think it’s necessary to go overboard. Thousands of printers and Linotype operators handled tons of lead in type-metal (lead, tin and antimony) and breathed the fumes from the melted metal for many, many years. I would be interested in seeing life expectancy data showing that they suffered great harm. Ingested lead, such as in lead based paint, can be injurious to small children who tend to eat everything they touch. However adults aren’t growing and rapidly developing bone and such and their brains are fully developed and in fact are usually on a downhill curve. Reasonable precautions: Don’t eat it. Don’t handle it all day and then lick your fingers, or drink the water you wash your hands in. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/24 "2006-02-09T14:09:31Z")
You can get [osmium](http://cgi.ebay.com/Osmium-solid-metal-pieces-1g-to-1kg-element-sample_W0QQitemZ6206291701QQcategoryZ413QQcmdZViewItem) or [iridium](http://cgi.ebay.com/Iridium-metal-pieces-1g-to-1kg-element-sample_W0QQitemZ6206291218QQcategoryZ413QQcmdZViewItem) BBs at $31 and $16 per gram. Gold is currently about $18 per gram, and is easily available and workable. Tungsten is cheaper but unworkable. You can get it as [small pellets](http://cgi.ebay.com/TUNGSTEN-Metal-Element-30-8-grams-99-95_W0QQitemZ6237854304QQcategoryZ413QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) or as [fishing](http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklestore/showcase.cfm?PID=325) [weights](http://www.wiredworms.com/ConquestTungstenPages/TungstenDropShot.html) though. Tungsten used in shotgun shells is an alloy that is designed to bring it to near the same density as lead. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/25 "2006-02-09T14:31:37Z")
I’ve machined tungsten in a lathe. Drilled and tapped the ends and have the coolest darts in the bar. Yes it’s very hard, but with the right tools it’s no worse than some of the alloys that have come through my shop. Unless you have access to a machine shop I’d say it would be very tough to do at home. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/26 "2006-02-09T15:14:43Z")
There was a place on the net that sold tungsten cylanders (tho at the time I was aware of them they were out of stock). They also sold magnesuim cylanders of the same size and someone used them as desktop items. Can’t find the place now though. Brian ---
**Author:** ![bradministrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/27 "2006-02-09T15:54:36Z")
There was a model railroader who weighted N-scale locomotive bodies with depleted uranium to get more traction. This was back in the 70s or 80s, and I believe he worked for a defense contractor. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/28 "2006-02-09T16:24:04Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > You can get [osmium](http://cgi.ebay.com/Osmium-solid-metal-pieces-1g-to-1kg-element-sample_W0QQitemZ6206291701QQcategoryZ413QQcmdZViewItem) or [iridium](http://cgi.ebay.com/Iridium-metal-pieces-1g-to-1kg-element-sample_W0QQitemZ6206291218QQcategoryZ413QQcmdZViewItem) BBs at $31 and $16 per gram. Gold is currently about $18 per gram, and is easily available and workable. Tungsten is cheaper but unworkable. You can get it as [small pellets](http://cgi.ebay.com/TUNGSTEN-Metal-Element-30-8-grams-99-95_W0QQitemZ6237854304QQcategoryZ413QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) or as [fishing](http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklestore/showcase.cfm?PID=325) [weights](http://www.wiredworms.com/ConquestTungstenPages/TungstenDropShot.html) though. Tungsten used in shotgun shells is an alloy that is designed to bring it to near the same density as lead. Iridium is rather inert; I’d go with that. Does anyone know if osmium metal will oxidize in air? The stinky tetroxide is some nasty stuff. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/29 "2006-02-09T17:01:06Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Iridium is rather inert; I’d go with that. Does anyone know if osmium metal will oxidize in air? The stinky tetroxide is some nasty stuff. webelements says: > [@](#): > > The solid metal is not affected by air at room temperature, but the powdered or spongy metal slowly gives off osmium tetroxide, which is a powerful oxidising agent and has a strong smell. Note that the name “osmium” came from the “strong smell” of osmium compounds. The tungsten fishing weights would be a cheaper way to go, and the OP might find some in the right size and shape for his purposes. Unless he has access to a machine shop like **Mr. Goob** ’s, he’s not going to get them into any other shape. I’d love to see those darts, or, more specifically, pick one up. A commercial fabricator has this to say about tungsten: > [@](#): > > Tungsten is very difficult to machine and fabricate. With experience, it can be turned. Milling is all but impossible. It is only done with great difficulty and high cost by those most experienced with it. Forming must be done at very high temperatures and with careful stress relieving. Welding is not recommended and riveting is difficult at best. Extreme care must be exercised when designing a component from tungsten. Rembar will readily provide assistance during the design stage upon request. Rembar offers tungsten in powder, sheet, wire, rod, and pressed/ sintered forms. If it is possible to fabricate the part needed from tungsten, Rembar can do it for you. From [http://www.rembar.com/Tungsten.htm](http://www.rembar.com/Tungsten.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/30 "2006-02-09T19:09:37Z")
Cool, thanks for the responses, all. Anyone know where I can get 1oz chunks of Iridium? I’d be cool, just for the showoff factor, even if it didn’t end up being all the much smaller than a similarly heavy hunk of lead. ---
**Author:** ![Hooleehootoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/eada6e/32.png) [@Hooleehootoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hooleehootoo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/31 "2006-02-09T19:19:44Z")
It appears to me (from this [source](http://www.advent-rm.com/items.asp?criteria=line&linenumber=W2325) )that the price of tungsten is around $3/ gram, and from here that the price of [gold](http://goldprice.org/gold-price-per-gram.html) is about $18/gram. Since the two metals have density that is nearly equal, it would only take a bit of a denser matrial such as Iridium to make something with the density of gold. Then you gold plate it, (to some thickness… maybe a few mm) and you have yourself a pretty good counterfeit. How do people that buy bullion avoid getting taken like this? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/32 "2006-02-09T19:24:33Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Anyone know where I can get 1oz chunks of Iridium? [Here](http://cgi.ebay.com/Iridium-Metal-Solid-Pieces-1g-to-1kg-element-sample_W0QQitemZ6206285551QQcategoryZ415QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). Enjoy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/33 "2006-02-09T19:30:50Z")
> [@Hooleehootoo](#): > > How do people that buy bullion avoid getting taken like this? It might have the same density, but the electromagnetic signature would be very different. This property is used to detect counterfeit gold bullion and coins, by using a purpose-designed metal detector. It works the same way as discriminating hobbyist metal detectors do to differentiate between valuable items, such as gold jewelry and coins, and buried junk, like tin cans and nails. ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/34 "2006-02-09T19:37:48Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > [Here](http://cgi.ebay.com/Iridium-Metal-Solid-Pieces-1g-to-1kg-element-sample_W0QQitemZ6206285551QQcategoryZ415QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). Enjoy! 🙂 Here’s another source too: [http://www.elementsales.com/](http://www.elementsales.com/) ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/35 "2006-02-09T19:42:26Z")
> [@Jayrot](#): > > Anyone know where I can get 1oz chunks of Iridium? I’d be cool, just for the showoff factor, even if it didn’t end up being all the much smaller than a similarly heavy hunk of lead. They will also cost you about $500 each 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/36 "2006-02-09T19:50:17Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > This property is used to detect counterfeit gold… That was supposed to read “… **could be** used…” I don’t know for certain whether such a device is actually used for this purpose; there may be other methods that I’m not aware of. Paging **samclem**! ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/37 "2006-02-09T19:59:06Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > It might have the same density, but the electromagnetic signature would be very different. This property is used to detect counterfeit gold bullion and coins, by using a purpose-designed metal detector. It works the same way as discriminating hobbyist metal detectors do to differentiate between valuable items, such as gold jewelry and coins, and buried junk, like tin cans and nails. Even not considering this, a couple more points - I doubt that you can buy tungsten in ready made ingots formed to mimic gold bullion, appropriately stamped. You would face considerable expense getting the stuff formed into that shape, given the fabrication difficulties. Also, I suspect a lot of the protection for a gold buyer comes from a non-technical source. I doubt that gold bullion changes hands in any significant quantity without substantial identification and registration procedures. It would be difficult to cover your tracks well enough to prevent getting caught when somebody uncovered the deception. BTW, if you follow the other links in this thread, $3/gram is very high. I suspect that is for extraordinary purity or specialized forms like wire or foil (your site is a research supply house). The guy selling the “pellets” on EBay is selling them for about $1/gram, and the 1/2 kg “desk weight” cylinders are priced at $99: [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6163094515&ssPageName=MERC\_VI\_RSCC\_Pr4\_PcY\_BIN\_Stores\_IT](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6163094515&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/38 "2006-02-09T20:10:18Z")
For those wondering why bismuth isn’t the densest stable element, there are two things which determine the density. First, there’s the masses of the individual atoms, and second, there’s how far apart the atoms are. How far apart the atoms are in turn depend on the size of the atoms and on the crystalline structure (some arrangements of atoms are more “efficient” than others). Although bismuth has a slightly higher atomic mass, it’s forms much less space-efficient crystals, so lead is still denser overall (and gold, tungsten, etc. are denser than lead). ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/39 "2006-02-09T21:57:40Z")
Here’s a link to a thread from a few months ago about tungsten: > **[Getting tungsten from microwave magnetrons](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=332945)** > > For anyone who knows about microwave ovens. I read that the magnetron contains tungsten metal. How much of the metal is used? I am interested in scavenging this out of old microwaves, if it is worth the effort. What shape and size is this tungsten... (I mentioned the fact it has almost the identical density as gold. I guess Q.E.D’s electronic detector would foil my plans for that … darn ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611/40 "2006-02-09T22:32:32Z")
Slight hijack… Can’t you shift some gear forward in the plane and get away from having to use any dead weight?? /slight hijack [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-heaviest-metal-available-to-consumers/343611.md?page=3)