Bennett Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 (edited) Rhenium. One of the most fascinating metals. A micro amount in a ferrous system will make stable austenite and some beautiful steel. I need to clear out my cupboards. I have pure, 99.99 , sintered rhenium, in sheet form. 15 grams. $175.00 shipped and insured. EDIT: I screwed up on my calculator button and was able to edit the correct price before any views, (I hope). Sorry. Edited August 20, 2009 by Bennett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennett Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 Here is what 15 grams of rhenium looks like. Not a lot of material. Remember it's denser than gold. Surprisingly heavy. You could alloy it with tungsten and boron and have THE ultimate pub dart alloy. It would be like having depleted uranium, without the radiation. Rhenium diboride is harder than diamond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennett Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Some interesting facts about rhenium. It is the next to last, naturally occurring element to be discovered. It is the only metal to hold it's malleable nature from it's melting point, ( which is the 3rd highest of all elements), to absolute zero. No other elemental metals come close to that extreme. It has the 4th highest density, but the highest "character", IMHO. It is never found in native form. it apparently hitched a ride on the back of molybdenum in the super novas. It is a byproduct of molybdenum mining, and is scraped off the scrubber stacks of refineries, therein. It is used in high heat electrical elements, etc. It has great power over iron, as a small amount will effect the crystallization of ferrous metals into a stable, austenite, non magnetic allotrope. It belongs to the platinum group metals. Your chance to hold some, and make your own black project.... If you have the chutzpah, and imagination. Well, and enough heat. It takes a lot of heat..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennett Posted August 25, 2009 Author Share Posted August 25, 2009 (edited) Some shameless bumping here. I wager quite a few of you already own a rhenium alloy, in the form of a thermocouple. It adds high heat resistance to what ever alloy it occupies. Some of the blades in a few of the stages in the F-22 Raptor engines, contain Rhenium. Not to mention the ferro magnetic super conductor implications. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/3504 In an iron system, it will form a face centered cubic allotrope, which means austenite, stable that is. The stuff you smack, when it's red hot. The stuff you need to get to when you harden. Only this austenite is room temperature. No tougher, steel crystal. Yes, not even bainite!! Smack some bainite with a hammer. Austenitic, stainless alloys, use huge amounts of nickle, chrome and other junk, to make stable austenite, which is dead soft. You need less than 1% Rh to form gamma iron, AKA, austenite. Non sparking, corrosion resistant, very purrty steel. Dazzle your Professor/know-it all forum guru/know-it-all metallurgist! The down side is you need a small nova to get it into solution. *BUT* If I can do it though, so you can you! Don't have thermal envy. Just do it! Besides, This may be your last chance.. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/6082464/World-faces-hi-tech-crunch-as-China-eyes-ban-on-rare-metal-exports.html Just a few days left, and I will put it back in my vault. Edited August 26, 2009 by Bennett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennett Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 I lowered the price to $135.00 for 15 grams, which is 9 bux a gram!!!. You wont find it that cheap, shipped, in hand, any where. For a few days only. Going, going.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedNeckLeftie Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 My Good Man, If I were more alchemical than I currently am, I'd be all over this! Unfortunately, the last time I tried to make thermite (~1990) I failed--Al2O3 was probably way too coarse... Best Regards, Brian K. Rogue Amateur and Weekend Hobbyist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennett Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 My Good Man, If I were more alchemical than I currently am, I'd be all over this! Unfortunately, the last time I tried to make thermite (~1990) I failed--Al2O3 was probably way too coarse... Best Regards, Yeah, the size of the iron oxide is important, more so than the aluminum. Next time, if you get some coarse stuff, you can ball mill it with good results. I sold the rhenium, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenon Rain. Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 The down side is you need a small nova to get it into solution. *BUT* If I can do it though, so you can you! Don't have thermal envy. Just do it! I laughed really hard reading this, I think I remember your super high heat star furnace work about a year ago . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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