Black tungsten is a popular material for wedding bands. It is one of the hardest alloys available, often made of titanium and nickel as well as tungsten. A ring made of tungsten will not bend, scratch or break. Tungsten is ideal for those who don't want a flashy, shiny band, and it is very easy to care for. Many tungsten rings are polished by the manufacturer, and because of the hardness of the metal, polished tungsten will remain polished indefinitely.

Instructions

1

Clean your tungsten jewelry with a soft toothbrush and liquid soap whenever it seems to have blemishes. Tungsten can only be scratched by diamond or the mineral corundum, according to Titanium Jewelry. However, it can pick up materials and debris from things it rubs against.

2

Avoid using chemicals to clean your ring, and do not put it in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. These things can cause spotting.

3

Use a polishing cloth every so often if your black tungsten ring has a sterling silver inlay. The cloth will not harm the tungsten, and it will clean the silver effectively.

4

Look out for oxidation spots on black tungsten that do not go away when you clean it. If you see these spots, it means your ring contains cobalt, which reacts negatively with the human body. There is nothing you can do to avoid these oxidation spots, besides not wearing the ring. Always check that a tungsten ring does not contain cobalt.

Tips & Warnings

Rinse the soap off well to prevent itching before you put your tungsten ring back on.

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Tungsten, a metal with the atomic number 74 on the periodic table of elements, occurs naturally in rocks such as wolframite, scheelite, huebnertie and ferberite. Uses of tungsten include the filaments of electric lamps, electron and television tubes, spacecraft and high-temperature projects, heating elements for electrical furnaces and many other applications, as tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal.

Instructions

1
Decide which tungsten product is best for your needs. Tungsten can be found in its raw form, in the form of heat-treated alloys, or mixed with other metals. Tungsten is extracted from minerals, which is a difficult process, so it is much easier to purchase tungsten from a reputable dealer than to manufacture or extract it yourself. The uses of tungsten vary depending on its form; for example, tungsten and copper mixes are often used in engines and electrical wiring, while tungsten alloys have been used in cannon shells and grenades.

2
Purchase tungsten from companies with inventories of metal products in the United States and other countries such as the United Kingdom. Companies include the Midwest Tungsten Service, which offers tungsten wire, alloys and raw metal to interested buyers. Eagle Alloys Corporation also offers raw tungsten metal, tungsten alloys and tungsten mixed with other metals, such as copper. Tungsten can be purchased online or from on-site companies who keep tungsten products in stock.

3
Compare prices of tungsten before ordering to ensure you are getting a good deal. If possible, compare the prices of local companies who sell tungsten with online companies. Once you decide upon the amount of the order, find out if there are any discounts for ordering a certain amount before purchasing.

4
Purchase the tungsten and use.

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Praxis talks with cellular service providers to address conflict in Congo

Everence

GOSHEN, Ind. — Praxis Mutual Funds, advised by Everence Capital Management, is working to end violence in the conflict minerals industry.

Praxis is a leading faith-based, socially responsible family of mutual funds. Everence, the stewardship agency of Mennonite Church USA, provides financial services to Anabaptists and others.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, four minerals fuel illicit trade, civil war and forced labor — including child labor.

Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold are critical for many common electronics products such as computers and cellphones. They are also known as “conflict minerals” for their central connection to some of the worst violence in the world.

Praxis is talking with major cellular service providers in the U.S. about the use of conflict minerals in cell phones. In an effort to end the conflict minerals industry, these discussions include talks about how the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010 — specifically, section 1502 on Conflict Minerals — can help companies find new ways to do business while also caring for global neighbors. This legislation requires companies to trace and disclose possible exposure to conflict minerals.

In April, Praxis staff attended a conflict minerals supply chain conference held by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative and the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition in Philadelphia. Participants learned how companies are addressing the issue, listened to reports about developments in Congo and heard updates on conflict mineral legislation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission, tasked with writing the regulations for section 1502, sought commentary. Praxis and others from the social and sustainable investment community provided input during this process. After two years of developing rules to govern implementation of section 1502, the SEC released regulations in August.

Praxis believes the rules are fair and will help address a humanitarian crisis in the Congo. Praxis is calling for the legislation’s full implementation in the face of escalating violence in eastern Congo.

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The electric solar sail, or ESAIL, is a ‘sail’ that provides propulsion for a spacecraft simply by using the solar wind, no fuel whatsoever. Invented only very recently, in 2006, a prototype has not yet been created. But now one of the primary limitations have been overcome, the production of the 1-km-long ESAIL tether, something which had been considered impossible by most global experts in ultrasonic welding.

The technology, which works by creating a electric field that deflects solar wind protons and takes momentum from them, offers the future possibility of fast, cheap, and fuel-less travel throughout the solar system. And perhaps more interestingly, an economically viable way to extract resources from asteroids.

Four years ago, it was the view of international experts in ultrasonic welding that it would be impossible to produce tethers made of extremely thin wires welded together every centimeter. (It’s necessary for the tethers to be created this way, though, so that micrometeoroids, like those that cause meteor showers, don’t cause debilitating damage to the structure.)

But now, researchers at the University of Helsinki have succeeded in creating a 1-km-long ESAIL tether, featuring 90,000 ultrasonic welds. This provides proof that it is possible to manufacture full-size ESAIL tethers. And thanks to this breakthrough, “the theoretically predicted electric sail force will be measured in space during 2013,” the University of Helsinki notes in a news release. The Estonian ESTCube-1 satellite launching in March will first test out a 15-meter-long tether. Followed by a test of a 100-meter tether in 2014.

The development of such a technology would allow for extremely cheap, large-scale gathering of the abundant resources available in space, primarily those available in asteroids and comets.

In fact, all of the “gold, cobalt, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, and tungsten” that we mine from the Earth’s crust was deposited by asteroid impacts well after the crust on the planet cooled. It’s been estimated that these and many more elements that are used by modern civilization in large quantities may run out within 50-60 years.

The ESAIL also would allow the large-scale mining of water, oxygen, hydrogen, and construction metals; to be used in space. This would completely bypass the currently extremely expensive process of sending objects into space — simply build it there first if it’s possible to do so.

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The new PRAB Candle Filter is specifically engineered to meet the challenges of effectively removing fine particulate from circulating oil in machining and grinding applications. The new filter uses a permanent media in a long cylinder that houses more than 10,000 thin membrane wafers to effectively and consistently capture grinding swarf down to 1 micron. The filters operate with virtually no downtime for maintenance – a self-cleaning, air-driven backwash system automatically clears the filter of dirt and debris so the filter can perform reliably under long production runs.

Engineered for oil filtration in EDM, tungsten carbide tool grinding, electrical discharge machine, honing machine, and bearing grinder applications, swarf and oil is purged into an external receptacle for easy collection and recycling. An optional chiller ensures constant fluid temperature, varying only 1-3 degrees Fahrenheit, to maximize tool life and part quality.

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Mens-Wedding-Rings.com has just commenced its Valentine’s Day Sale, featuring discounted prices on men’s wedding rings in a variety of materials and styles. This seasonal sale is ideal for couples who became engaged over the holiday season and are looking to purchase a men’s wedding band or anniversary ring for Valentine’s Day.

Jensen Beach, FL (PRWEB) January 11, 2013

Valentine’s savings start early this year with the newly launched Valentine’s Day Sale at online retailer Mens-Wedding-Rings.com (MWR). With many couples recently engaged over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, this seasonal promotion is perfectly timed for those looking to purchase high quality yet affordable men’s wedding bands for Valentine’s Day.

Mens-Wedding-Rings.com has already established a reputation for consistently low prices on men’s wedding rings and anniversary bands, but the Valentine’s Sale has further reduced pricing on over 200 styles of rings. Wedding bands in this special sale section range from items in affordable contemporary materials like stainless steel, titanium, sterling and Argentium silver, tungsten, ceramic and cobalt chrome to higher end precious metals like palladium and platinum.

MWR carries the U.S. based designer brand Benchmark exclusively, and there are a considerable number of highly sought after Benchmark designer rings to be found in the Valentine’s Day Sale section. Men’s diamond rings are also proving to be particularly popular with shoppers. Mens-Wedding-Rings has an array of traditional and contemporary diamond bands on sale, with both white and black diamond options and a variety of settings in different materials to choose from.

While there are many upscale rings in the Valentine’s Day Sale section at MWR, there is certainly no shortage of affordable bands. Prices start at just $15.95, with plenty of options priced under $50. These budget-friendly rings maintain MWR’s high standards of quality and durability, and make for great “placeholder” wedding rings, pre-engagement rings or affordable wedding bands or anniversary rings.

“Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to surprise the man you love with an unforgettable wedding band or anniversary ring,” notes Mens-Wedding-Rings.com president and owner Roy Devine. “Many of our Valentine’s Day Sale shoppers were proposed to over the holidays and want to present their fiancés with a wedding band in an equally memorable fashion.”

In addition to the reduced prices in the Valentine’s Day Sale section, Mens-Wedding-Rings offers free worldwide shipping, with all in-stock items shipped within one business day. MWR also has a 30 day money back guarantee and Lifetime Warranty on all items site-wide. Designer rings have an additional manufacturer issued guarantee with free lifetime resizing and refinishing.

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It's looking to grow in a suddenly hot tech market

ExOne, which is a developer of 3D printing technology, has filed to go public. Founded in 2003, ExOne builds 3D printing machines for industrial customers. It also sells associated products like consumables and replacement parts.

ExOne’s 3D printers manufacture casting molds and cores that are based on speciality silica sand and ceramics. They also handle other materials like titanium, tungsten carbide, aluminum and magnesium.

All in all, ExOne is a fairly small company. For the first nine months of 2012, revenues came to $15.9 million, up from $12.6 million in the same period a year before. During this time, its loss went from $5.3 million in 2011 to $11 million in 2012.

Yet ExOne has snagged a variety of top customers. They include Boeing, Ford, Caterpillar and Tesla.

The market potential is also attractive. According to a report from Wohlers Associates, the 3D manufacturing segment is expected to grow from $1.7 billion in 2011 to $6.5 billion by 2019. 3D printing is coming on fast and made a big splash at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. And one of the hottest stocks around (perhaps too hot?) is 3D Systems.

The lead underwriter for ExOne’s offering is FBR Capital Markets, and the company plans to list on the NASDAQ under the ticker of XONE.

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Coating liquid metal droplets in a nanoparticle mix creates an extra strong non-stick conductive material that retains its shape even under high impact, Australian research has found.

The breakthrough paves the way for new developments in soft electronics, said lead author of the research, Dr Vijay Sivan from RMIT’s Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“It’s a bit premature at this stage but in future we can see it may have a lot of applications,” he said, including extendable antennas, and stretchable and reconfigurable wires.

The research team’s paper, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, described how droplets of galinstan liquid metal were coated with powdered insulators including Teflon and silica and semiconductors such as titanium dioxide tungsten trioxide, as well as conducting carbon nanotubes.

Once given their nanoparticle coating, the liquid metal marbles “can be split and merged, can be suspended on water, and are even stable when moving under the force of gravity and impacting a flat solid surface,” with semiconducting properties at their surface, the researchers said in their paper.

“This new element thus represents a significant platform for the advancement of research into soft electronics,” the paper said.

A before-and-after video created by the researchers shows how, without the coating, the liquid metal marbles lose shape and stick when dropped onto a hard surface. The coated liquid droplets, however, retain their shape and bounce like a soft ball.

Associate Professor Patrick Kluth from the Australian National University’s Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, said the researchers had produced an interesting finding.

“The applications and limitations for practical use for systems like this can be: reproducibility of the fabrication process, scalability and cost of the fabrication (can they be manufactured in sufficient quantities at reasonable cost), and long term stability under application conditions (how long do they last in applications). Such factors will certainly determine the industrial success of an innovation such as this,” said Dr Kluth, who was not involved in the RMIT research.

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It’s a famous bet in the ongoing battle to try and get environmentalists to understand economics. The bet between Julian Simon, the economist, and Paul Ehrlich, the environmentalist. Ehrlich insisted that commodities would become more expensive: they were running out in the face of the population explosion. Simon asserted the opposite: more people meant more brains meant better methods of extraction and lower usage per unit of production. Thus prices should fall.

Simon won: but that’s not quite the end of the matter. With different commodities, or over different timescales with the same ones, Ehrlich could have. Which is something that Mark Perry notes here:

    “It will surprise no-one that the bet’s payoff was highly dependent on its start date. Simon famously offered to bet comers on any timeline longer than a year, and on any commodity, but the bet itself was over a decade, from 1980-1990. If you started the bet any year during the 1980s Simon won eight of the ten decadal start years. During the 1990s things changed, however, with Simon the decadal winners in four start years and Ehrlich winning six – 60% of the time. And if we extend the bet into the current decade, taking Simon at his word that he was happy to bet on any period from a year on up, then Ehrlich won every start-year bet in the 2000s. He looks like he’ll be a perfect Simon/Ehrlich ten-for-ten.”

For the underlying argument though this is the important point:

    I’m not so sure that Simon was just lucky. If Simon’s position was that natural resources and commodities become generally more abundant over long periods time, reflected in falling real prices, I think he was more right than lucky, as the graph above demonstrates.  Stated differently, if Simon was really betting that inflation-adjusted prices of a basket of commodity prices have a significantly negative trend over long periods of time, and Ehrlich was betting that the slope of that line was significantly positive, I think Simon wins the bet.

For Professor Perry shows us the all commodities index over the near century that we have data. And it is indeed declining. Sure, there are periods where the alarmists would win, but the general move over time favours the cornucopians.

My interest here though is to explain exactly why it was that Simon won in the 80s, the period of the original bet. And also why Erhlich would have won in the late 90s and 00s. But why he would still lose over substantial time periods (and no, I’m not willing to make a bet on this).

The original bet was on the following commodities: nickel, copper, chromium, tin and tungsten.

And there were a couple of standout points in that decade of the 80s. Tin, for example, slumped in price. But it wasn’t for any environmental nor even technological reason. It was because the world cartel backing the price went bankrupt. This was the International Tin Council. An organisation set up post-WWII to ensure a “fair” tin price. As anyone at all who has read the works of the late James Buchanan will immediately understand, the people who were really interested in this were the producers. Public choice theory does tell us that consumers won’t worry all that much about the price of only one material, for they use many and the price of just the one isn’t all that important. Producers will worry a great deal about the price of their only product. Thus governmentally determined “fair” prices will end up being high prices.

This is indeed what happened and to keep them high the ITC bought in and stored excess production. By 1985 they didn’t have any more money, they went bust and the price collapsed.

This was hugely beneficial to Simon’s side of the bet but wasn’t really the point he was arguing on. That is much better represented by what happened to copper. The full story is here.

The story is SX-EW (solvent extraction and electro-winning). This is what Simon was talking about: that technology would advance and new stocks of materials would be exploitable. This would happen faster than demand would leading to falls in prices. SX-EW opened up the entire planet to another wave of copper exploration. Roughly, before 1980, we made copper from copper sulfides. If we found a mountain of copper oxide then that’s what it stayed at, copper oxide. Copper oxide wasn’t copper ore, it was simply dirt, for we didn’t know how to extract the copper from it.

SX-EW changed that: it’s a process to extract copper from copper oxide. Thus all those mountains of copper oxide out there (and there are many, quite literally, mountains of copper oxide) became copper ore instead of dirt. Thus the price declined.

Moving on into the 90s the great event in the non-ferrous and minor metals world (all of these metals are in one of those two groups) was the collapse of the Soviet Union. Firstly, the economy collapsed meaning that there were no consumers there for the metals that were being produced. Thus they flooded onto the world markets, depressing prices. But more than that, there was also the series of stockpiles. One estimate is of $700 billion’s worth. These also flooded out onto world markets.

Take, as an example, tungsten. Today’s price is around the $50 a kg level. The price in the 80s was, inflation adjusted, not far off that. But in the 90s it fell to $7 a kg. Just so much was flooding out of the CIS (the ex-Soviet Union by this point) that that price had collapsed.  I played my tiny part in this, purchasing a few container loads here and there. And much the same happened to nickel, aluminium and chromium.

This explains why taking the prices from the mid 90s onwards would favour the Ehrlich side of the bet. Nothing at all to do with increasing scarcity in the grand sense, just a recovery of prices from their post-Soviet low. Once that $700 billion stockpile had been sold prices would obviously recover.

Just to give you an example of what this meant, I’m currently working in the Ore Mountains. On the Czech/German border. There are a number of tin/tungsten mines here, all closed by 1992 at the latest as as result of that ex-Soviet flood. They’re all reopening in the next few years as prices are back to around their long term levels. It was the 90s that was the exception: some of these mines have been going since the 14th century.

One more little story about nickel. There was great excitement in the 90s as an Australian company announced that it had a new process, capable of extracting nickel from a new type of ore. An ore of which there was bountiful amounts lying around in Australian deserts. The whole system would make them the lowest cost producers in the world.

This, not unnaturally, made everyone else hesitant to invest in new nickel projects. So no new ones were started. Then it turned out this new technology was a bit more complex than first thought and the company went bust. Which led to a vast spike in the nickel price. At which point people scrambled to get nickel projects going again, the new owners of the bust plant got it sorted out and prices came back down again. They’ve more than halved since the peak.

The end result of all of this is that yes, it is true that Ehrlich could have, would have, won the bet depending upon the starting date. But note that it would have been either political actions, or teething problems with new technology, that would have allowed that. None of these metals faces an actual shortage as yet. Further, note that over variable time scales Simon is still correct: it really is true that new technologies of extraction are developed and these increase supply and push prices down.

Which leaves me trying to point out that Simon really was correct: it’s just the timescale that can be a bit dodgy. We do discover new mineral resources, we do develop new extraction technologies, which make larger amounts of mineral resources available to us. There are other events that happen, certainly, which push prices up for periods of time. But the long term trend for metals at least is downwards.

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The way tungsten is sharpened can mean the difference between a sound and poor tungsten inert gas (TIG) weld. Unlike aluminum, tungsten for stainless steel requires a sharp point with a long taper to direct the arc from the TIG welder to the surface of the stainless steel. Using a tungsten sharpener places the correct taper and tip on a tungsten electrode without the off center grind associated with using a bench grinder.

Instructions

        1
        Set a tungsten grinder on a level surface. Turn on the grinder. Allow it to reach the recommended grinding speed.

        2
        Turn the size dial -- located on the front of the grinder -- to the size of the tungsten electrode you need to sharpen.

        3
        Slide one end of the tungsten electrode into the hole located on the size dial. Push the tungsten toward the grinder until the tungsten begins to spin. Release the tungsten. Allow it to spin in the grinder for one minute.

        4
        Turn off the grinder. Remove the tungsten electrode from the size dial. Inspect the point at the end of the electrode. Turn on the grinder and reinsert the tungsten if the end of the electrode does not form a sharp point.

        5
        Repeat the process to sharpen the other end of the tungsten electrode.

Tips & Warnings

    Protect your eyes by wearing safety glasses when using a tungsten grinder to sharpen a tungsten electrode.

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