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Daniel Joseph S.
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 Posted: Fri 19 Mar, 2004 3:04 pm Post subject: Is it possible to forge a sword out of depleted uranium? |
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That would be interesting. 
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Felix Thieme
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| Posted: Fri 19 Mar, 2004 3:13 pm Post subject: |
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There's no such thing as truly depleted uranium, so it would be considerably more radioactive than, for instance, almost any other metal. Also, as far as I know, it's incredibly dense (close to the same density as gold), and fairly soft...so, basically, it would be worse than a lead sword in many ways, not to mention uranium also being incredibly toxic in the same way that lead and arsenic are...
Anyway, I think osmium makes a much better material for crazily heavy swords, mostly because it's the densest element, and because it's extremely hard...oh, and it naturally turns blue when exposed to air. Or else a tungsten-edged blade with an iridium (platnum series element, less than a percent lighter than osmium, and much softer/tougher) core.
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Alexi Goranov
myArmoury Alumni
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| Posted: Fri 19 Mar, 2004 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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Out of curiosity, what is the point of making unbelievably heavy swords from exotic metals?   I think there are cheaper (and more realistic) ways to get a VERY HEAVY wall hanger that is not dangerous to your health (from radioactivity stand-point). Just buy Valiant armory swords 
Alexi
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Carl Croushore
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 19 Mar, 2004 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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DU is too soft, not to mention remaining radioactive enough to make you sterile (at the very least), carrying an ultra-heavy blade of it at your waist. 
Steel is simply the most practical - yet truly beautiful and noble - metal from which to create a sword.
-- Carl Croushore
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Jeremy V. Krause
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| Posted: Sat 20 Mar, 2004 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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Hay you guys! Isn't this lype of thread more appropriate on another forum- along with the ultimate katana threads. . . LOL
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Don Halter
Industry Professional
Location: Bryan, TX Joined: 25 Mar 2004
Posts: 94
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| Posted: Fri 26 Mar, 2004 2:33 pm Post subject: |
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OK, I got my uranium...where's my forge!
  
Just kidding!!!
I couldn't resist commenting on this thread . The block I have in my hand is about 3 lbs. The lovely blued finish is the natural oxidation color for this material. When fresh machined, it's brownish-yellow, then turns purple, then fades to blue-black. This is a collimation block from a Co-60 irradiator unit made from depleted uranium. It's about as hard as normalized 1050 steel. Hardly anything you'd want to make a sword from. I have no idea how it heat treats...and don't plan on finding out! It's pyrophoric (dust can spontaneously ignite in presence of air/water vapor) so sticking it in a forge would probably be a really, really bad idea. I know it can be extruded under extreme pressure and temps, though. I got to visit the place up in New Jersey that makes tank penetrators and that's how they did it. The radiative component isn't too bad, although nothing I'd want to wear around my waist all day or hang over the mantle( 0.46-0.61mCi of activity)!
Don "Krag" Halter
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This is a standard topic
