Something denser than lead but with lead like properties?

Question

I read that tungsten is 1.8 times more dense than lead. What other elements are denser than lead but safe to handle. I want something that will fit under the keys of my computer keyboard so my pinky doesn't have to press so hard on the key.

score 7 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 25 '14 at 16:37

Here's a link to a listing of the elements in the periodic table sorted by density. The density of lead is 11.35 g/cm^3. If you wanted higher density, no toxicity and to really let your pinky live in style, then gold with a density of 19.32 would be a possibility. Other relatively available elements that are denser than lead and without toxicity concerns include palladium (12.02), rhodium (12.41), tungsten (19.35) and platinum (21.45). If you're willing to be a bit less dense than lead, then you can reduce price by using copper (8.96), molybdenum (10.22) or silver (10.5). Alloys of some of these elements are also available at high density, but the cost (due to fabrication costs) is likely to be as high or higher than that the element itself.

I totally forgot about gold. – Mr. Manager Jun 25 '14 at 16:41 — Mr. Manager, Jun 25 '14 at 16:41
Just whatever you do, don't install osmium key weights. – hBy2Py Jan 13 '16 at 03:48 — hBy2Py, Jan 13 '16 at 03:48

Something denser than lead but with lead like properties?

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