Source for larger quantities of Tungsten Putty?

[RexCadral]

Anyone got a source for Tungsten putty beyond the teeny little Pinewood Derby tins? I'd like to buy a pound of it... something I can keep in my toolbox for years.

[Fathead59]

Check Hobbi-Linc , but they only sell it by the once

[dw5555]

Check Hobbi-Linc , but they only sell it by the once

If you can only buy it "Once" you better make sure you have enough. If you buy it buy the "ounce" you have more options.

[Fathead59]

Lol , I wasn't sure if that was spelled correctly or not . Thanks for the correction

[jrrclk]

Be very carful with "cheap" tungsten putty. It can run after a week of two. I've linked my video on the subject as well as still from the video showing what I mean.

[Billy boy]

That is runny. My experience with tungsten was slotit’s and was very crumbly and wouldn’t stay together. I threw it out. Did I use it wrong?

[jrrclk]

What I've found with slotit is that you have to "knead" it like bread dough until it forms a small ball. Then you can press it in place on the chassis.

[chappyman66]

The cheap tungsten putty is just silly putty with tungsten powder mixed in. That's why it runs, eventually. It won't stay in place unless contained because it's basically a thixotropic "liquid". So it might work for a race, but by the next day or next week it will have flowed.
I haven't tried the Slot.it version, that might be better.

I suggest tungsten tape.

[War Eagle River]

Tungsten putty’s will have to be kneaded. They have a polymer in them that when kneaded it becomes sticky. Have heard of folks adding oils to the putty, and that is when it runs or oozes. Haven’t seen any bulk Tungsten putty for sale. Sold by the ounce, that’s 28 grams. Use sheet lead or sheet Tungsten then use a very small amount of putty to get your desired tuning. Bought 3 containers of it many years ago, still have at least 3/4 of it left.

[jrrclk]

I use putty when I'm at the track since it's easy to move around. I replace it with tungsten rod or lead when I get home and have time to attach it properly. The only time I keep it on the car is in places you can fit it into that would not be practical for lead.

[GT6]

I'll second the recommendation to use tungsten putty for tuning, but replace it with solid weights once you determine the optimal placement and amount. I made the mistake of using tungsten putty in a proxy series; the car came back with globs of W putty wrapped around the rear axle and in the bearings - NOT conducive to good performance :P.

[Kevan]

Tungsten putty is only as dense as Lead, Tungsten is 70% denser than lead and you can buy it in 150mm lengths as TIG welding rods...even 3/32" (green tipped ones are pure Tungsten)

[Fast Co.]

A few years ago I bought 3 small aluminum tins of tungsten putty that was advertised as Tank Weight Putty on eBay. The stuff was shinier and more pliable than the stuff I had previously used. That stuff came in a white plastic container about the same size. It was crumbly and required a lot of kneading to heat it up to the point where it was usable. The problem with the Tank Weight Putty is that it runs. I used some in my GT3 Proxy car and it came back melted across the chassis and was preventing my motor pod from floating properly. It could have been worse and ended up around the rear axle or in the bearings as what happened to GT6. I would advise against using it, except maybe in cars that will be used at home only and can be kept rubber side down when not in use. I've been using the tiny tungsten buttons that Slot.It sells but they are expensive.

I'm trying to get away from using lead, but I haven't found a good, inexpensive tungsten solution.

[Fathead59]

How hard is tungsten to cut ? As in , if you get a cylinder of it could you cut pieces off of it to use

[Kevan]

Obviously they use putty and add a load of tungsten powder...and Tungsten has a melting point of 3,422 °C so doubt it's the Tungsten that's melting

[Fast Co.]

That's the thing about tungsten putty and the rubber-encased tungsten weights sold for sports use is that they're not 100% tungsten so they're not as dense as pure tungsten. That might be ok, because as Kevan mentioned above, tungsten is 70% denser than lead. The tungsten welding rod cut into usable discs sounds like the best solution to me - if the rod can be cut.

[Fathead59]

I can see your point about the putty melting first

[HO RacePro]

Just for giggles, here is a listing of metals with their densities.

https://www.theworldmaterial.com/density-of-metals/

Turns out that if you can't find what you need in tungsten you can substitute gold. Gold is just a hair more dense, and pure gold is very malleable -- easy to form. Platinum works too. And if you want to go for ultimate density, Osmium is the thing. All these super-dense metals cost a bundle. A shame that.

Fact is, the only really cheap alternative for high-density weights is lead. Toxic, yes, so don't eat any. Might do well to wear nitrile gloves when handling it. Lead is wonderfully easy to work.

Fun fact: Lead anneals at room temperature. Like most metals it will work-harden. (Work-hardening is what happens when you bend a paper clip to the point where it becomes brittle and breaks.) But if you just let a piece of work-hardened lead sit for a while it will get soft again all by itself.

Tungsten is available as pure metal in various shapes. McMaster-Carr (my favorite toy store!) sells it. At breathtaking prices. And no way is tungsten metal easy to work. So sorry.

https://www.mcmaster.com/tungsten/hi...ngsten-sheets/

Ed Bianchi

[War Eagle River]

Haf fondu tat if yu lick the lead in yur slopcards yu wil knoc a tenth iff you tims¥

[Fast Co.]

That's really good to know!!

[Fathead59]

But wasn't that from eating lead based paint when you were a little kid

[Silberpfeil]

“Orvis” the fly fishing folks offer it…

[SlotCat]

But does it run in warm weather like the Derby Works junk that I bought at LHS? Slot-It tungsten putty was good several years ago, but very dry and got much worse almost unusable after any length of storage even in ziplock bags. The new Slot-It putty is super soft and runny right out of the container. It's very difficult to cut and place lead sheet inside Carrera cars or any other with nooks and crannys to be filled under the rear axle etc. Love the Slot-It and NSR cast tungsten weights that snap right into their respective chassis, but need help on other brands!

[Starfighter Ace]

I have had very good luck with the Tungsten Putty sold for Pine car Derby. Several companies sell it, Hobby Lobby stocks it in the winter time as part of their Pine car display. It's not crumbly like the Slot.it or the consistency of silly putty like some mention. It's more like chewing gum, stretchy, stiff until kneaded, and , knock on wood, hasn't run.

[Fast Co.]

Good to know. I'll give it it a try.

[jrrclk]

I have had very good luck with the Tungsten Putty sold for Pine car Derby. Several companies sell it, Hobby Lobby stocks it in the winter time as part of their Pine car display. It's not crumbly like the Slot.it or the consistency of silly putty like some mention. It's more like chewing gum, stretchy, stiff until kneaded, and , knock on wood, hasn't run.

This is the the tungsten putty from Hobby Lobby after a couple of weeks

[Starfighter Ace]

Oh, what a mess! What brand, do you recall? I have found: Pine Car; Woodland Scenics (probably the same); Revell; and Pinewood Pro. P have used Pinewood Pro myself.