Method for producing metal carbide grade powders

A method for producing metal carbide grade powders, said method comprising:

• (a) forming a wax mixture consisting essentially of in percent by weight about 10 to about 60 of an organic compound which is a solid at room temperature and said organic compound containing a C.dbd.O group, about 5 to about 50 oils, and the balance paraffin;
• (b) heating said wax mixture to a temperature above the melting point of said mixture and maintaining said temperature;
• (c) forming a powder-mixture consisting essentially of metal carbide powder, a binder metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, and combinations thereof, and said wax mixture while heating said carbide powder, said binder metal and said wax mixture to a temperature above the melting point of said wax mixture and maintaining said temperature to result in a uniform distribution of said wax mixture on said carbide and binder metal particles;
• (d) forming a slurry of the powder-wax mixture and water;
• (e) attritor milling said slurry at a temperature below the melting point of said wax;
• and
• (f) removing the water from the resulting attritor milled powder-wax mixture and agglomerating said attritor milled powder-wax mixture to produce said metal carbide grade powder wherein a densified article made therefrom exhibits essentially no pores that are greater than about 10 micrometers in diameter after sintering at about 1350.degree. C. to about 1540.degree. C.