The woman behind the sales counter of the fancy jewelry store told us that if I was ever in an accident, the ring could not be cut off of my hand, and the finger would have to go instead; it was just that strong.  Additionally, the ring looked superior to anything else under the display. Noted. At least I was getting a ring I could not break. I was wrong.

While at the movies, I caught my tungsten ring on the back of a chair. Off of my finger and onto the floor it went. At first I could not find the ring. Then I found half of the ring. This was a problem.

Maybe this is a familiar story? Lots of people who fell victim to half truths are left with exactly what we are, a $300 paper weight. To pour salt into our open wound, there is no warranty.  A little internet research and we discovered the accident-cut-off-theory to be a myth as well.

Wedding rings, one of the most recognized symbols of marriage, have historically been made from a variety of materials including gold, silver, titanium, and recently tungsten carbide. With the sale of tungsten rings rising over the last decade it raises the question, why are so many people opting for tungsten carbide over traditional metals? Marketers promote tungsten rings as being extremely durable. Manufacturers claim that their hardness makes them more scratch resistant than rings made of traditional metals. Tungsten rings also sport a more modern look that many people prefer to gold or silver. With the increased popularity of tungsten carbide rings there have also been reports of tungsten ring problems. These problems include cracking, breaking, and difficulty resizing. The source of these problems stems from the same properties that make tungsten carbide rings alluring in the first place; their durability and hardness.

To better understand tungsten ring problems one needs to know a bit about tungsten and tungsten carbide. Tungsten is an elemental metal used to forge strong composite materials such as tungsten carbide. It was first discovered in the late 1700s but has only recently become popular in the manufacture of jewelry. It is important to note that tungsten alone is not used to make rings; the composite tungsten carbide is. Manufacturers use tungsten, carbon, and cobalt or nickel to make tungsten carbide. This makes it extremely hard and scratch resistant. It is this hardness that makes tungsten carbide so popular but is also the source of most tungsten ring problems.

The extreme hardness of tungsten carbide presents yet another one of the major tungsten ring problems. It's impossible to resize a tungsten ring. If a person were to try to resize one it would break. This is problematic because people's fingers change size throughout their life. A person who purchases a tungsten ring today would likely have to buy a new one in the future.

Yes, tungsten rings are more affordable initially than rings made of precious metals but may end up costing more in the long run compared to a gold or silver ring that is easily resized. In addition, rings that are too small can actually create a health hazard. Faced with having to buy a new ring a person may decide to continue wearing a tungsten ring that is too small. They may not realize they are damaging the circulation in their finger before permanent damage has occurred.

Marketers would have a person believe tungsten carbide is indestructible while ignoring tungsten ring problems. Tungsten carbide rings do present a durable and scratch resistant option but they do come with drawbacks. When dropped they can easily crack or break, they cannot be resized, and are difficult to remove if stuck on a finger. Faced with having to buy a new ring when one breaks or needs resizing, tungsten rings may end up costing a person more than a ring made of a precious metal such as gold or silver.

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While brass is still used for inexpensive darts, such darts are large in diameter and the grip wears down quickly.

Tungsten is a very dense metal, also very durable.  Using tungsten to make a dart barrel results in a smaller dart for the same weight.  For anyone who plays darts often, the durability is important, as that helps retain the dart's precision-machined shape, grooves, and knurling.

Size is usually the first factor considered when choosing tungsten darts.  At about half the diameter of a similar weight brass dart, it is a lot easier to fit two or more tungsten darts into a double or triple area.

Think about the end of a cricket games, where you need to hit several bulls to finish.  An old-fashioned fat brass dart, the area is nearly covered by the first dart.  Switching to a slim tungsten dart barrel easily allows two or three darts to fit in the same area.  (Of course, you still have to be able to hit that bull!)

As with most products, tungsten darts are not all the same.  Raw tungsten does not melt easily, and is not readily made into machinable shapes.  Tungsten is generally ground into a fine powder, which is then blended with a variety of other metals that act as binding agents.  In the case of darts, the most common blends contain nickel, with smaller amounts of copper and ferrous compounds.  The mixture is heated and compressed to make a solid billet or bar, which can then be machined into darts barrels.

Very high percentages of tungsten, such as 98% tungsten darts, have a wonderful dense feel and a surface that resists wear for a long time.  However, the high concentration of tungsten powder also makes them brittle, and more prone to break if dropped on hard surface such as a concrete garage floor.  Very high density darts also are difficult to make, requiring special and expensive tooling to machine the barrels.

To get around those problems, most tungsten darts are now made of mixtures ranging from 70% to 95% tungsten.  Lower density barrels are much cheaper, as they are easier to manufacture with automated machinery  Low density darts also wear faster, from skin acid, friction, hitting other darts, falling on floors, etc.

The majority of steel-point darts used by competitive players in league and tournament play are now made of 90% Tungsten.  Soft-tip darts are commonly made of 80% tungsten, which is cheaper, less dense, and less brittle.  Soft-tip darts are prone to bounce out a lot, and electronic machines are often found in places with hard floors.  The softer 80% tungsten darts are less likely to break when constantly falling such hard floors.  As steel-point darts are more often played over carpeted areas, breakage is a little less of a problem.

Bristle dartboards for steel-point darts have a scoring are that is roughly 20% smaller than most soft-tip boards.  With smaller scoring areas on a bristle board, the thinner diameter of 90% or 95% tungsten darts makes sense for competitive steel-point darters.

Budget priced darts are generally made of 80% or 70% Tungsten.  Below 70%, most of the benefits of a tungsten dart are lost.  Darts made of 60% tungsten or less are very bulky, and have poor wear resistance.  The reason for making darts of 70% or less is to get the price down.. which generally means taking other shortcuts in the machining process that also result in a lesser quality dart.

Within each percentage range of tungsten darts, there is a wide range of quality.  Every company has its own special blend of metals that are combined to make the raw billets.  The best darts for competition are also the most expensive to make and the most difficult to machine.  Cheaper darts can be made by adjusting the blend by adding softer metals.  For instance, a bit more copper or iron may be added.  A "softer" blend means that cheaper cutting tools can be used, the tooling won't dull as quickly,  and the machinery can produce more darts in a given amount of time.

Different blends may also slightly change the appearance of the finished darts.  Some darts look shinier, others have a more grainy appearance.  Surface treatments during the manufacturing process can also make a great difference in the appearance of a new set of darts.  A wide variey of coatings are often applied to darts barrels, ranging from simple paint or powder-coating to high-tech vapor-deposit coatings such as Titanium Nitride.

What about the really cheap tungsten darts at the local "big-box" store?  Some darts advertised as "Tungsten" actually have very little tungsten content, even though at first glance they may look similar to a good quality dart.  The main giveaway is that these cheap imitation darts will be much larger in diameter & length, for the same weight as a high-quality dart.  And the price may be substantially cheaper than most other Tungsten darts.  Think in terms of buying gold jewelry at a flea market.. there would probably be little or no actual gold in that pretty bauble that sold for a super "bargain" price!

Some common sense rules are universal, no matter what the product. If a price looks too low to be real, then the darts are probably not any sort of a bargain.

Tungsten Alloy Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-alloy.com
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This is about all the different kinds of darts you could use to play the game of darts. It has changed a lot over the years, and whoever discovered that you could make darts out of tungsten is pretty smart!

In the late 1960's and early 1970's, there was a revolution in darts. The material from which darts were made changed dramatically. Darts were traditionally made from brass and were quite large.

Then along came tungsten, a very, very dense metal which meant that you could make a dart the same weight as you were using, but half the diameter. The advantages of that are quite obvious. The more darts you can get in treble 20 in 1 throw, the more you score.

You've only got 3 darts to kick off with. Three great big fat brass darts, a 180 was a pretty rare beast, but now 180's are very, very common place, with very thin darts. I can show you what I mean.

This is an example of what I was talking about. Now, these are brass darts and they weigh around 22 grams, 23 grams perhaps. Look at the size.

This is a tungsten dart that also weighs 21, 22 grams. Compare the two. It's much easier to get three of these fellows in the treble 20, than 3 of these.

Now, there are absolutely thousands of different tungsten darts out on the market. They're all extremely efficient and there's bound to be a set out there that suits you. Be it a little dumpy dart, a dum dum, or a long slender dart like this fellow, anything in between, all made of tungsten are extremely good value for money.

Now, there are no rules to say what sort of dart, what style of dart, what weight of dart, is the best for you. That, you must find out for yourself by picking up a set of darts and trying them and suddenly finding the one that really works for you. And that's a simple matter of trial and error.

Tungsten Alloy Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-alloy.com
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Dartboards are to be hung where the center of the board is 5ft 8in (173 cm) high.  strongly recommending that you hang it on a backboard, or any other type of backing, to help protect your walls. Four holes in the wall is better than hundreds of little holes. The line, or oche, should be 7ft 9.25in (2.37 meters) from the face of the board measured horizontally (if you want to measure it from the bullseye down to the floor, it is 9ft 7 3/8in).

The only thing you need to do to the dartboard after it is hung, is to rotate it. This will only work if your dartboard has the removable metal ring with the numbers on it. If the numbers are painted on the board, you will not be able to rotate it. Rotating the board will make it last longer. There has been a rumor going around for years that you should spray water on your board. DO NOT, DO NOT spray any types of liquids on a bristle board. It will ruin your board. The surface of the board begins to 'bubble' and fall apart.

Tungsten Alloy Manufacturer & Supplier: Chinatungsten Online - http://www.tungsten-alloy.com
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