Period 6 element 1783. Its important ores include wolframite and scheelite. The free element is remarkable for its robustness, especially the fact that it has the highest melting point of all the non-alloyed metals and the second highest of all the elements after carbon. Also remarkable is its high density of 19.3 times that of water, comparable to that of uranium and gold, and much higher (about 1.7 times) than that of lead. Tungsten with minor amounts of impurities is often brittle and hard, making it difficult to work. However, very pure tungsten, though still hard, is more ductile, and can be cut
Filler metal point than the base metal, so that the joint may be made by bringing the whole assembly up to temperature without everything melting as one. Complex joints, typically for jewellery or live steam boilermaking may be made in stages, with filler metals of progressively lower melting points used in turn. Early joints are thus not destroyed by heating to the later temperatures. Welding processes work around the melting point of the base metal and require the base metal itself to begin melting. They usually require more precise distribution of heat from a small torch, as melting the entire workpiece is