WTB used long shank Sapphire/Ruby needles

[DJA-L303]

Hello, I am desperately in need of getting my hands on a gently worn Sapphire or Ruby long shank needle to complete a polycarbonate embossing project. I have tried ordering a new 462 Ruby from Apollo but it was too sharp to emboss. I have also tried every steel needle on the market but they didn't quite hit the target of what I was looking for. Any help is much appreciated! Thanks Aaron... futureclassicmusic at gmail

[studiorp]

Have you tried tungsten ? Seems be more hard than a normal steel stylus, similar to diamond...

[uvoscillator]

I have 6 used and one new with 362 shank

[The Shank]

Have you tried tungsten ? Seems be more hard than a normal steel stylus, similar to diamond...

Definitely not.

[studiorp]

Why not ? Is there a specific reason ?

[The Shank]

Why not ? Is there a specific reason ?

...and I guess you should know why because you say that...

[The Shank]

And FYI :

Hardness Substance or mineral :

0.2–0.3 caesium, rubidium
0.5–0.6 lithium, sodium, potassium
1 talc
1.5 gallium, strontium, indium, tin, barium, thallium, lead, graphite, ice[12]
2 hexagonal boron nitride,[13] calcium, selenium, cadmium, sulfur, tellurium, bismuth, gypsum
2.5–3 gold, silver, aluminium, zinc, lanthanum, cerium, Jet (lignite)
3 calcite, copper, arsenic, antimony, thorium, dentin
3.5 platinum
4 fluorite, iron, nickel
4–4.5 steel
5 apatite (tooth enamel), zirconium, palladium, obsidian (volcanic glass)
5.5 beryllium, molybdenum, hafnium, glass, cobalt
6 orthoclase, titanium, manganese, germanium, niobium, rhodium, uranium
6–7 fused quartz, iron pyrite, silicon, ruthenium, iridium, tantalum, opal, peridot, tanzanite
7 osmium, quartz, rhenium, vanadium
7.5–8 emerald, hardened steel, tungsten, spinel
8 topaz, cubic zirconia
8.5 chrysoberyl, chromium, silicon nitride, tantalum carbide
9 corundum, tungsten carbide (and this is information is not really true, tungsten, is around 8 - 8.5)
9–9.5 silicon carbide (carborundum), titanium carbide
9.5–10 boron, boron nitride, rhenium diboride, stishovite, titanium diboride
10 diamond, carbonado
>10 nanocrystalline diamond (hyperdiamond, ultrahard fullerite)

[studiorp]

Thanks for this table, so for example a tungsten double a steel stylus, interesting...

And about syntetic diamond ?

[The Shank]

And about syntetic diamond ?

That's a very interesting question... And I'll create a topic soon about that, about diamond stylus and the transformation from a rough to a final stylus.

[DJA-L303]

I've tried both the one found on Ebay and Farmer John's tungsten stylus' but neither compare to a sapphire IMO

[Fatrecco]

That table (mohs?) means low alloyed Steel. High aloyed and hardened Steel which is used for forming metal, wood or plastic whould be much higher situated on this table. It whould be compete with tungsten.