[TheForge] Forging Tungston?

[James Binnion]

On Oct 24, 2010, at 1:49 AM, Cheryl Brimson wrote:

> You are confusing "pure tungsten"  with the tungsten carbide used in  
> cutting tools and tig electrodes.

TIG electrodes are not tungsten carbide, they are either pure tungsten  
or an alloy of tungsten with 2% or less of another compound like  
thorium oxide, cerium oxide or zirconium oxide.

What is normally called tungsten carbide is typically a sintered alloy  
where the tungsten carbide powder is mixed with cobalt and other  
elements or compounds  then formed and heated to fuse the powders into  
a solid mass. It is rare to see anything made from pure tungsten  
carbide.

James Binnion
jbin at well.com