Mail order source for tungsten wire?

[David Petersen]

#4636

Reflecting on threads in other forums here discussing our personal preferences between carbon and wood (and yes, King, alum too), I have to say I’m a fence straddler. Alum has been out of the loop for me for a decade or more. But I recently went from wood to carbon in an effort to maximize EFoC and other Ashby set-up elements that screw-in points facilitate … and brothers, does it work! Yet still I long for the romance of woodies. So I just built a dozen footed shafts from http://www.whisperingwindarrows.com, excellent shafts! But dismal FoC at only 12.3% with 190 grain heads. So let’s forget the notion that you can get EFoC from even footed shafts. Yet I’m determined to make this work and recall the good success O.L. Adcock and others have had by internally footing wood shafts with tungsten rod. Tungsten is both heavier and harder than lead and at this point, the way to go. 3Rivers has an internal footing drilling jig for $30, but no tungsten. Aside from “your local welding shop,” which hasn’t worked for me, can anyone suggest a mail-order source for affordable tungsten wire/rod? Thanks, dumbo dave

[T Downing]

#32484

Dave, the footed shafts from Raptor Archery that I killed my elk with last year had tungsten built into the footing. Perhaps Ted has access to some tungsten rod. T

[Mike Bolin]

#32506

Dave, what diameter are you looking for? I have access to several welding supply shops here and I know it is available. Let me know and I’ll see what I can do. Mike

[David Petersen]

#33133

Thanks Mike and T. Mike. I remember that elk kill was a slam-dunk, T! Mike, the 3Rivers gig calls for 1/8″ rod. Here’s the link if anyone is curious: http://www.3riversarchery.com/Arrow+Building+Tools+Misc+Internal+Point+Weight+and+Footing+Jig_c52_s8_p71_i5603X_product.html

I think I’ve seen other jigs for different sized wire but I’ll probably go with this one. I would order several tungsten rods at once to limit your hassle. Thanks! dave 😀

[David Petersen]

#33192

MIKE — I located a local supply of tungston welding rod — $4.18 per 7″ stick of pure tungsten 1/8″. Considering its weight and cost of shipping, plus your hassle in getting it, your source would have to be a lot cheaper before I’d trouble you with it. My plan is to use a minimum of Scotch tape to attach rods of various lengths to the front of the arrow approximating their location if inserted, then measure the various FoC’s to determine what length rod I’ll need to get where I want to be. The minimal weight of a 1/8″ drill hole in the wood shouldn’t throw things off too much.

Any informed advice on any of this would be greatly appreciated. So far as I know. dave

[Mike Bolin]

#33383

Dave, I will check my source(s) here tomorrow and see what kind of price I can come up with. Should be able to get back with you Friday evening for sure. Mike

[Mike Bolin]

#35836

Dave, I have been laid off form work for a few weeks and I had the opportunity to work some long hours yesterday, so I didn’t get to check on the tungsten. I will be working Monday and Tuesday, but off after that, so I will check on the tungsten then. Sorry for the delay. Mike

[Fletcher]

#23137

Clearly, tungsten’s mass and stiffness make it a great choice for an internal weight for wood arrows. It’s cost is the major drawback. I’ve been having very good results with 1/8″ lead wire. It weighs 35 grains/inch and costs about $2 per foot. Two inches is pretty easy to do, but I see three inches to be the practical limit for drilling the hole.

A lightweight Sitka Spruce shaft with a 70 grain insert and a 200 grain broadhead will have some impressive FOC for a wood arrow.

[Bloodless]

#23853

This sounds interesting, Fletcher. Where do you find lead wire locally? Thanks, bloodless

[Fletcher]

#24171

I couldn’t find it anywhere until I searched it out online. I quite happy with it and need some more, so I’m going to buy a spool and add it to my arrow business. I’ll send you a couple feet.

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