Subject: Found Tungsten!! No uranium though.

From: "daryl (d.a.) bender" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Jul 1996 11:34:00 -0400 [/PRMD=BNR/ADMD=TELECOM.CANADA/C=CA/;bcars520.b.265:04.06.96.15.34.20]

If you are interested in specialty metals try ROBIN MATERIALS - 
SPECIALTY METALS, Titanium, Molybdenum, Kovar, Tantalum, Tungsten,  
Invar, Rhenium, Ziconium, nickels etc etc etc; 

http://www.rmat.com/

I have no cost info but it could be pricey. Sorry but I seem to have 
lost the address of the depleted uranium source. 

I will say that any gun that requires the use of E=mc**2 to calculate 
balistics is WAY BEYOND Navy or even Dirty Harry 8^). You might try 
s=1/2at**2 + Vot + So, or E=1/2mv**2. E=mc**2 is for NON-depleted 
uranium and c is not just any velocity but the fixed speed of light. A 
few punches on the buttons of a calculator will show that that will 
pierce dam near anything ;^) Hmmmm..... a nuclear power hammer 
Hmmmm..... 8^)

Daryl

>At 08:14 AM 7/4/96 -0400, you wrote:
>>Depleted Uranium anti-tank rounds are made from the green salts 
remaining
>>after most of the radioactive (nuclear fuel) has been extracted. 
They are
>>processed into powder, compacted and ultimately machined into the 
pointed
>>round for armor piercing projectiles.  It is done here in the Boston 
area,
>>but production of this material has been on standstill for several 
years now
>>with the end of the cold war.  The reason depleted Uranium is used 
is its
>>high density and hardness (about Rockwell C 36).  Applying  E=MC2, 
(if you
>>believe in such things), the E (energy) will be far greater if the M 
(mass)
>>or (weight -  as we say here on Earth) X the C squared (velocity) is
>>increased.  And of course the depleted Uranium weighs about twice 
what Iron
>>weighs (.28#/cu.inch for Iron, and .70#/cu inch for depleted 
Uranium).  So,
>>again is this an blacksmithing question, or are you starting an 
army?
>>Mike Schermerhorn

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From: Steve Herrick <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 22:39:26 -0700 (PDT)

Did anyone know that Thorium (as in thoriated tungsten welding electrodes)
is as radioactive as uranium when they are both in their natural state?

Hrolthgar -   [email-masked]
           Steve Herrick

---

From: [email-masked] (Dan Hughes)
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 09:17:00 -0400

>Hrolthgar -   [email-masked]

It's everywhere, its everywhere. Thorium is used in coleman lamp mantels,
it is the source (thorium decays to radon) of radon ( the material everyone
wishes wasn't in their houses). Thorium is the decay product of both
uranium 235 and uranium 238.
Uranium as it is found in nature consists of 99.2745% uranium isotope with
mass # 238 and 0.720% uranium isotope mass number 235. Uranium 235 is most
easily fissionable with thermal energy neutrons to create energy. Natural
uranium is processed to produce uranium with an increase in the percentage
of U-235. The result is material that is "enriched" uranium (increased
percentage of U-235) and  material that is "depleted" uranium (decreased
percentage of U-235). Enriched uranium can vary in percentage of U-235
depending on its intended use. Natural (.72%) up to 5% enriched is used in
commercial power reactors. Usually less than 20% but up to 90+% enriched
uranium is used in research reactors. Uraniumin the reactors used in navy
ships is 90+% enriched. Uranium weapons use enriched uranium with greater
than 93% U-235. Most of the depleted uranium in the world comes from
weapons production.

Depleted refers to the lack of the uranium 235 isotope. It is STILL
RADIOACTIVE.
Depleted uranium is radioactive with a half-life of 4.5 billion years. That
means that one half of the 235 will decay to Thorium 232 every 4.5 billion
years. The decay particles emitted are alpha particles and gammas. The
alpha particles are stopped by as little as a sheet of paper, or the dead
layer of skin and therefore are not harmful unless they are emitted
internally. Uranium ingested will decay and the emitted alpha particles
will cause damage to tissue. Uranium is also a heavy metal and will poison
similar to lead. The gammas are equivalent to high energy X-rays and can
cause damage to tissue without ingesting it.
Uranium is not a material that should be used by people who don't know how
to handle radioactive material. Even if it would happen to be useful as a
material for punches the disadvantages of its use far outweighs its
advantages. If you want to have a dramatic demonstration of its
radioactivity find a piece (dish, plate , or bowl) of orange fiesta ware
which you can still find at garage sales, flea markets, or antique stores.
Take it to a health physicist at the hospital, university, or research lab.
Call first because it will set off their monitoring equipment when you
enter their facilities. The orange color comes from uranium nitrate.
Uranium is everywhere in the soil. Thorium 232 as mentioned above decays to
Radon 226. Radon is the radioactive gas that everyone is worried about in
houses.