Tungsten is one of the oldest metals that has been used in metal fabrication and Metal Cutting Seattle WA. Since many may not be too familiar with this type of metal, here are some interesting and fund facts about tungsten.
* The name tungsten is Swedish in origin. It is derived from the words tung and sten which mean, literally, “heavy stone.” Tungsten is the original word for a mineral called scheelite, which is one of the first sources for tungsten ore. Oddly enough, tungsten is also found in wolfram, another mineral, which is why the elemental symbol is a W. In most parts of Europe, tungsten is not even called tungsten, it is still called wolfram.
* The diameter of tungsten wire is actually measured in milligrams instead of traditional measurements of length. This is because in days of old, workers who performed Metal Cutting Seattle WA did not have tools that could properly measure the very thin wire. So to solve this problem, they would weigh the wire in milligrams and use a complex mathematical formula to determine the length. In case, one is interested, the formula is D = 0.71746 x square root (mg weight/200 mm length).
* Contrary to popular belief, tungsten and tungsten carbide cannot be used interchangeably. Tungsten carbide is actually blended with cobalt to deliver an extremely wear-resistant material. Tungsten carbide is so strong it can only be cut using diamonds or diamond-tipped tools.
* Sometimes, customers may ask for liquid tungsten. This is not something that Specialty Metals nor any other metal fabrication company can feasibly do. While in theory any object can be melted if enough heat is applied to the object, tungsten has a ridiculously high melting point. In fact, tungsten has the highest melting point of any metal known to man, at a temperature of 3422 degrees Celsius. This makes trying to melt tungsten an impractical proposition.
Click here to visit online and learn more about not only tungsten but other metals that can be fabricated or manipulated into a wide variety of ideas. Years of experience and a true love for their craft will ensure a great product that will leave the customer more than satisfied.
