Hello Dave,
There are many different types of carbides manufactured from the various metals that will produce carbides. If you are referring to tungsten carbide (WC), there are some rules of thumb for it's application.WC content is something to be aware of. Some manufacturers cheapen their product by reducing the percentage of WC in the electrode, much the same as some of them reduce the percentage of silver in solders and brazing alloys. This is the case with WC powders as well. The mesh size of the WC particles can be important when applications involve a slurry rather than sliding abrasion. WC should not be deposited in more than one pass as the WC particles will sink in the matrix. They should not be overheated either as this will re-alloy them into a softer material. As with any hardfacing job, dilution of the deposited material with the base metal should be kept to a minimum. There should be no need for a shielding gas as most modern hardface wires are of the open-arc variety. I always recommend that the manufacturers parameters be used for voltage, amperage, wire speed, stick-out, etc.
Steve
| 
