?

Depends how much you’re going to use them, but I’m building an RV-8 and my tungsten bars will need to be pried from my cold, dead hands.

Cannon wrote:Depends how much you’re going to use them, but I’m building an RV-8 and my tungsten bars will need to be pried from my cold, dead hands.

I couldn't agree more. I built a (Quick Build) RV-8 and I don't think it ever left the bench.
The small tungsten bar is always my first choice.

Yes.

I have several. Yes, I think they are worth it, although DU bars would be even better.

I would buy tungsten bucking bars again.

As to mentioned Depleted Uranium ("DU"), while the density is similar to tungsten & hardness is high [ref https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6133316 ] I have never seen a DU bucking bar. I expect the required special shipping & handling costs would be expensive.

Depleted Uranium is dense enough and plentiful enough that some serious ocean racing sailboats used it for their ballast keel. Most notable was Pen Duick VI. The minor amount of radiation emenating from the DU is easily shielded by the water. It might even slow, or prevent marine growth on the keel bulb. Not that any of that helps with bucking rivets...

https://www.boatsnews.com/story/28451/eric-tabarly-what-remains-of-his-innovations

I have 5 custom bucking bars and probably 20 steel. the tungsten bars do 99% of the bucking in my shop. I only use the steel bars these days to get to weird places I can't get a tungsten bar to.

I would be curious to see what your favorite bucking bars look like. I don’t have a ton of riveting experience. Seeing what those who do have experience use, might be helpful.

My small tungsten bar rocks, $125 2 years ago at ATS.

Good thread, I had been wondering this. Solid rivets that you can't use a squeezer on are few and far between on Maules (except wings), so I just bought a starter kit from ATS, it only came with steel bars. Would be interesting to try Tungsten sometime.

I have the TBB-2 kit from Aircraft Tool Supply, they are wonderful! Much easier to get consistent good results and easier on your hands/arms.

https://aircraft-tool.com/shop/search.a ... d=tungsten

No question at all, a resounding YES from me. Especially in hard to reach places where you can’t get much pressure on the bar. Tungsten bars just make the job so much easier. One of my favourite is a little 1”x1”x3/4” block. Bucked a lot of air tractor leading edge rivets with that little bugger.