Tungsten Sphere

Product Description

Machined from aerospace grade tungsten, this sphere is an excellent contemporary addition for your desk at work or side table at home. Surprise your colleagues and friends with the sphere's density, weighing over three pounds, yet fitting into the palm of your hand. Tungsten is one of the densest naturally occurring elements, and now you can add one of nature's wonders to your own collection. If you like the sphere, don't forget to check out our Tungsten Cube.

Features

• FREE high quality base ships directly with sphere
• EXCELLENT display of density properties
• PERFECT for your desk, science classroom, or for every day carry
• ROUND and heavy at a 2.175" diameter
• SURPRISINGLY heavy at 1.5 kg or 3.3 lbs

Top Reviews

A Uniquely Dense & Beautiful Specimen
by Gerry (5 out of 5 stars)
June 24, 2016

The 1.5 kg tungsten alloy sphere provided by Midwest Tungsten Source is a lustrous, beautifully finished specimen featuring one of the densest elements in existence. At 19.25 g/cc, pure tungsten is nearly as dense as gold, and the few "available" denser elements include only osmium, rhenium, iridium, platinum, uranium & plutonium. Aside from platinum, few have likely ever seen or handled any of these elements in significant quantity. It allows the handler to keenly appreciate just how massive even a 2.175" diameter ball of such a uniquely dense metal is, as compared to iron (7.8 g/cc), or especially the lighter metals, aluminum (2.7 g/cc) & magnesium (1.7 g/cc), which I display along with the tungsten for contrast purposes. Notably, tungsten also possesses the highest melting point (3695K) of the elemental metals. While the sphere is an alloy (90% tungsten, with 7% nickel & 3% iron added to reduce brittleness and improve machinability), it seems doubtful that pure poly-crystalline tungsten could economically & expediently be precision-machined to a spherical shape. The resultant alloy has a density of 17.3 g/cc, making it 53% denser than lead, and more than twice the density of most steels. It is relatively rare to encounter large quantities of high-purity tungsten in our daily lives, or to appreciate the element for its intrinsic beauty, as this sphere allows one to do. A plastic support ring is provided with the sphere for convenient display purposes, and the specimen arrived carefully packaged to avoid surface blemishes, along with interesting explanatory background material, and a certification assay. As a bonus, Midwest also included a 1" cube of 95% tungsten alloy (limited offer), making this a real bargain for element collectors, scientists, engineers, hobbyists, and students.
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An unique curio to wow your friends
by 2/m bar 3 (4 out of 5 stars)
April 19, 2018

It's a sphere of 90% W, one of the densest elements; as such, it's remarkably heavy for its size, and it will surprise you. I deducted one star because despite its novelty, it still is just a ball of a relatively common, non-precious metal that costs $250. Nonetheless, I'm happy with my purchase, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the extremes (well, at least the relatively affordable extremes) of the periodic table. My only regret is that a 3" or 3.5" sphere isn't available (and again, one that wouldn't be too outrageously expensive). A competitor (not on Amazon) does sell W spheres that large (and indeed even larger!), but I wasn't ready to drop $750 on a 3" (9 lbs) one, $1750 on a 4" (21 lbs) one, or $3500 on a 5" (41 lbs!) one. But still, how cool would it be to have one of those on your desk!? For the curio collector with money to burn, Midwest Tungsten Service might want to consider offering one or two of those larger sizes here.

As of mid April 2018, Midwest Tungsten Service still includes a bonus 1" cube of 95% W. Although slightly denser than the sphere due to its higher W content, the cube's smaller size nonetheless doesn't give it quite the same impressive "heft" of its larger spherical cousin. Incidentally, customer service from Midwest Tungsten is excellent, as I had to ask if the cube was still part of the offer and they were quick to reply with a friendly, helpful note. One thing about the offer, though: the unfortunate wording states, "for a limited time only...", but it seems to have been offered for at least the last year and a half. I must say I view that sales technique as a bit shady, akin to the pitch you might hear from a used-car salesmen: "someone else is interested in this beauty, so if you want it you have to decide now!!". I hope the company re-evaluates this approach and opts to either permanently include the cube with the offer, or just eliminate it and reduce the cost of the sphere. The company also sent me the chemical analyses of both the sphere and the cube. Note that both alloys contain several % nickel, so if you have a nickel allergy or sensitivity to the metal, you might want to limit your own handling of the sphere or cube and save the "heavy" lifting fun for your friends.
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... aluminum sphere the same size and it is a joy towatch people pick that one up
by Avi du Jour (5 out of 5 stars)
December 8, 2017

Bought a solid aluminum sphere the same size and it is a joy to watch people pick that one up, then hand them this incredibly heavy tungsten sphere. Perfect demo of volume/mass variables. It also happens to be quite beautiful.
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Totally worth it
by Bryan C. (5 out of 5 stars)
February 24, 2017

I cannot possibly overstate how cool this item is. I was waffling on whether or not to get it for weeks because it IS rather a lot of money for what is essentially a paperweight, but I'm so glad that I decided to make the purchase.

Of course, the first thing I did upon receiving it was to drop it straight from its box and onto my kitchen floor. It left a circular intention in my travertine several millimeters deep. Oops. There wasn't a scratch on the sphere, thiugh, so I'm still happy.

The sphere came with a nice acrylic base that will make displaying it easy, and I can't wait to take it to work come Monday. It's sure to be a conversation starter. More than that, I'm looking forward to having something to roll in my hands when I need to think or fidget. The sphere weighs almost four lbs, but it is such an immensely satisfying heft. It's also beautifully milled and has some extremely interesting light refracting properties.

It also came with a one inch cube, which I was thrilled about since I already had a one inch cube density set, so this compliments that perfectly.

Overall, extremely, extremely satisfied with my purchase, and I highly recommend.
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Nice for Elements Presentation and Density
by J. A. Gatti (5 out of 5 stars)
February 15, 2017

Purchased this tungsten sphere to add to my "Elements" presentation in my chem class. I also purchased a Mg sphere with the same diameter to open up a dialogue about "density" and "heavy" elements. The Sphere is well machined and a great desktop sculpture. Expensive but worth the investment in my opinion.
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Interesting ornament
by ScotInTex (5 out of 5 stars)
August 16, 2018

Anyone who has collected precious metals enjoys the weight of relatively small objects. Okay, this is not an investment, but it is a desk ornament or talking point for the office. Beautifully machined, this ~2 inch ball of titanium is surprisingly heavy. (okay, we know it is 1.5 kg from the description, but it still surprises anyone that you hand it to). Anyway, a talking point for a while but definitely a very pretty sphere to pick up and enjoy. Maybe even a sneaky work out weight that sits on your desk. Maybe you should buy two.
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Very happy with it.
by Steve D. (5 out of 5 stars)
October 9, 2016

It's a really cool conversation piece. Everyone who picks it up is always shocked at it's weight. An unintended use, works great as a massage ball. It's so heavy and smooth, you don't need to push very hard at all to get a knot out.
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Amazingly awesome sphere!
by Michael Hart (5 out of 5 stars)
September 6, 2018

I love this tungsten sphere and it fits in the palm of your hand but is very heavy. It's perfect for display at home or your office and makes a great talking piece. It also came with a 1" cube which is on display on my desk at work. People are amazed at how small it is but also how heavy it is. I definitely recommend this if your looking for something unique or if your into unique metals.
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Cool novelty with an imperfect finish
by J. Michaels (3 out of 5 stars)
May 18, 2018

The sphere itself is impressive and heavy as one would expect. I'm giving it a 3 star review because mine came with imperfections in the machining process - little squiggly worm-like lines etched onto the surface rather than a perfectly smooth finish. For the price paid, I would expect a higher standard of manufacturing. The included tungsten cube, on the other hand, is flawless and cool.
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The ultimate paperweight
by Gadget Dad (5 out of 5 stars)
February 20, 2017

Freakishly heavy and very nicely machined. It's a very expensive paperweight, but one that is also very unique and mind blowingly heavy. Always amazing me whenever I pick it up. Practical? No, but very cool and a great conversation starter just sitting on your desk.

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