Some additional info and sources

Safety Data Sheet:  https://www.tungstenheavypowder.com/wp/wp-content/themes/thpp/pdf/SDS-Tungsten-Powder-THPP.pdf

Other sources of tungsten:

https://www.maximum-velocity.com/product-category/pinewood-derby-weight/tungsten-weight

https://www.abc-pinewood-derby.com/weights.php

https://www.pinewoodpro.com/weight-sets.php

https://www.nscalesupply.com/PCR/PCR.html

http://www.derbydominator.com/Weights.htm

https://www.hobbylinc.com/pinewood-derby-car-weights

https://www.hobbylobby.com/search/?text=tungsten

I'm curious whether anyone has experimented with these from Maximum Velocity embedded in a matrix of glue:

I'm not so much sold on tungsten putty (commercial or home-made from tungsten powder) in situations where you want the densest use of tungsten to maximize weight/minimize volume).  I'm also not sure the extent to which putty might flow over extended periods of time.

Well now I’m gonna hafta buy

Well now I’m gonna hafta buy the MRH-RE subscription.

Just looking at the headline and what you can read in the preview picture I was wondering about putty not being quite as dense too.  In the R/C airplane world one of the tricks of the trade is to make a fillet on a joint between say a stabilizer and the fuselage by spreading baking soda on with your finger, then wick super thin CA in to fix it (and for bonus points it kind of magically turns transparent).  I wonder if you could take tungsten pounder and fix in place sufficiently well with super thin CA?  Or perhaps that’s already discussed in the article and I’ll find out when I subscribe and read it.

I used to sell powdered

I used to sell powdered tungsten (from Golfsmith) for weighting rolling stock including locomotives. I discovered that mixing it with diluted white glue allowed you to spread it into the smallest crevices. Mixed thin enough you could even "paint" it on. Caution must be used to not weight a loco too much or it will get too hot.

Tungsten and diminished demand

As I remember, tungsten is used quite a bit in the standard incandescent light bulb. As incandescent\s light bulbs get replaced by CFLs and LEDs, perhaps the diminished demand may cause the price to drop. Any comments on this?

@Ken Rice

The putty that Joe is using is actually not the same as glaziers putty or the like. It is formed by adding water to the Durhams Water Putty powder, which then hardens to a non-flowing substance when it cures. I have used it on my concrete patio to fill some blemishes and it remains rock hard for the past two years. I also use it to weight some small cylindrical pen and tool holders I have made from discarded medicine containers. Now I am thinking to add tungsten to those I may be making in the future.

Steam Engine weight

I was able to use tungsten putty marketed for plywood derby cars for increasing the weight of my BLI GS-4.  Because of it's weight and plyability I could get more weight into areas without having to remove things like the smoke generator.  The locomotive went from climbing the rails on a 28" curve to negotiating it no problem with increased pulling power.  I was even able to utilize the space in the nose cone and behind the pilot and only used glue to tack it case it shrinks over time.

Price of Tungsten

Tungsten is vary hard to machine and it is fairly difficult to make small parts or particles of the stuff, but every year I go through several pounds of small pellets. In the shooting sports we refer to those pellets as shot, and we have been hoping for a price decrease for many years. I would not doubt that more tungsten goes out the barrels of shotguns than has gone into light bulbs in the last several years. I do not see the cost coming down any time in the near future.

Weightng a Craftsman car.

So far, I've been weighting my BTS cars with metal figures, and horses (for the horse car) as well as metal trucks and wheels... but the one I'm going to have the hardest time weighting is going to be my flat car.

 

(The one on the left... obviously)

I don't want to mess up any of the detail... so is there a way? I plan to have a load on it, but the load I plan is a Jordan Highways buckboard... it would be so much easier if I could just use one of my Woodland Scenics trucks (all metal) but, wrong era.

It being a flat car, with metal wheels, and trucks, is weighting even going to be an issue? (old timey, so not like it will ever be on a long train)

I looked at Tungsten ...

at one time. Never found a source for quantities, except through the pinewood derby outlets.

Then I got busy and never got back to it.

Thanks, Joe, for sharing this.

Weighting flatcars

Ah, weighting flat cars. Because for ops I will add or remove loads as needed, I don't like depending on loads for weight.

Here's where your orientation toward ops or not will come out. Since I am an ops guy first of all, I don't really care what the underside of the car looks like -- as long as it looks about right from the aisle, I'm good.

So I'm definitely a function first, then form second sort of guy.

If you're willing to gut the underframe to add weight, you can completely replace it with lead sheets and make most any flat weigh what you need it to weigh.

Here's an example from my Run like a Dream Rolling Stock book:

Lead Sheet

Can you still get lead sheet,...haven't checked in a long time?

I guess you recommend the same sort of treatment for unloaded container well cars??

Same inquiry here....

Getting lead sheets? Some time back I purchased a fairly large roll of lead used for fishing. Slightly over 1/8", cut to length, hammer flat, glue in place. The Tungsten putty sounds interesting, I hadn't heard of that until Joe brought it up. I would have liked to have tried it for the F&C center depressed flat car I'm in the process of building. I also don't like depending on a load to give a car the proper weight. I cut & fit a piece of lead in every nook & cranny for the flat car and I was still light on weight, even with the car having a set of brass 6 wheel Buckeye trucks.

I may have found a solution...

The car I'm doing isn't for operations, so a permanent load is fine... so I found a white metal fire wagon I can use on it. (as long as I win the auction... I'm hopeful as it's the item's third time being put up with no sell)

How much?

How much sheet lead do you want?

Google: https://www.google.com/search?q=sheet+lead+home+depot&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1

I have found it in places selling roofing supplies. Apparently it is difficult to come by in California and Oregon, but please let's not divert the thread to that issue.

Personally, exotic metals are fun to talk about but a pain to acquire. Between lead shot, tire weights, and sheet, all of our club's 850 cars are up to a workable weight of NMRA RP21 plus one ounce. That weight seems to be perfect for uncovering trackwork anomalies ...

Any lead applied to the exterior of the car (like the bottom side of the floor) is painted to keep it from rubbing off  on people's hands.

I picked up a bag of shot at a gun store years ago.

I don't know if it is still available since environmental laws have changed regarding shotgun loads.  I'm not a hunter so I don't know what is available now.  I did not realize that shot size numbers are like electric wire, the bigger the number the smaller the shot, so I got it a size too big I think.  If the area is too narrow for the shot to fit in easily, I just put it in a vice and crush it to make it narrower.

I keep my hands away from my face at all times when working with the lead, and wash my hands thoroughly when finished. 

Last time I bought lead shot

Last time I bought lead shot it came from California and had free shipping. I bought number nine shot and bought 100lbs of it. They also sell lead sheets. Do not know the price now and can not remember the name I will check later.

Lead shot for weight

Lead shot on Amazon
1 lb bag #5 shot (0.12"), $9.95 free shipping for prime members ... http://a.co/d/40ODydI

It's got all kinds of warnings on it about it being cancer causing and restricted in California.

I think....

California causes cancer!

Peace Bill

Experiences with lead sheet, HO steam locos

Weight is good in model trains, any way you can add it.

The original post introduced a very useful alternative for some tricky situations.  Tungsten powder - I did not know it existed in power and shot form.  And tungsten putty for pinebox racers - it has to be fairly non-toxic.

Anyway, I am experimenting with lead sheet...

From Amazon I purchased a  20 lb roll of 1/16" thick lead sheet.   I wish I got the 1/32" thick lead sheet. I thought 1/16" lead would be easy to bend.  Not so much.

I am adding weight to old brass steam locos.  Most HO scale boilers are less than 1" diameter and it is almost impossible to coil it that closely. Instead, I cut it into strips 2 cm wide, chop the length to fit, and stack it.  I can usually add about 2 more ounces of weight.  Some is in front of the gearbox, some is on top and beside the motor.

Two more ounces make a big diff in a 2-8-0.  Before, it could just about pull 2 cars up a 3% grade.  After, it pulls  8 cars weighted to 4 oz each. 

So go ahead and add that powder, putty, shot, sheet, or wheel weights.

A word of Caution...

Hi all,

A word of caution with brass locomotives/lead shot/PVA glues. There have been several well documented examples of " lead rot"/swelling of lead shot enclosed in brass locomotives secured with PVA glue that have caused structural failure of the model when a chemical reaction in the lead shot has occurred causing the lead to swell. An example is documented at  https://www.lner.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2737 

Reading some of the other online reports, and distilling the results:

• the reaction takes time to occur - some reports have stated that the results only became obvious several years after the lead shot was glued in.
• Damage appears worst where the void is fully filled within a contained volume, like sidetanks, smokeboxes etc 
• Damage appears to be more prevalent in larger scales (more lead/glue and relatively thinner containment walls than for smaller scales?) 
• Opinion is divided over whether it is a PVA glue/lead reaction or impurities on/in the lead ("lead rot") that trigger this swelling reaction. 
• The brass may be adding to the problem,  with the acetyl (the A in PVA) in the PVA converting to something else (acetic acid?). There are fewer reports of swelling for lead shot glued using PVA into enclosed spaces in other materials. 
• Once the reaction starts it is difficult/impossible to stop unless the lead shot is dug out and replaced. 

A little caution may be a good thing??

Re: A word of Caution...

Lead swelling can ruin plastic shells as well.  Happened to one of my switchers that needed more tractive effort than out-of-the-box provided.

Lead swelling - thanks for warning

Unfortunately, I did not know of lead swelling until I started using it in brass locos and plastic rolling stock.

Fortunately, I don't pack the lead to solidly fill the volume.

Some are plates stacked without adhesive. Others are small plates adhered inside the rectangular Belpaire firebox with caulk or similar. I guess you could use silicone caulk, latex caulk, or construction adhesive. I have tubes of Foamboard adhesive laying about so I use that with good results.