The points are universally referred to as tungsten, including by the manufacturers.
In comparison photos, tungsten X10 points are pretty close to half the total length of stainless steel ones and have a pretty similar profile. This gives a density close to 16 g/cm^2, noticeably longer than would be expected for tungsten metal.
Tungsten has a density of about 19 g/cm^2, while pure tungsten carbide is at 15.6 g/cm^3 and "cemented carbide", which is tungsten carbide powder sintered with a cobalt or sometimes nickel binder phase (commonly also called "carbide" or "tungsten") has a density between 13 and 15 g/cm^3. All three are shiny, gray, brittle, and dense. Most tungsten jewelry and tools are made from cemented carbide, which is much easier to process and has better properties for those tasks.
There are a few ways to determine which of the three materials it is, but as I have neither X10s nor any "tungsten" points, I can't carry them out directly. I have no direct stake in knowing the answer either; I'm just curious. If anyone has some tungsten points and spare time, these are some different ways:
1 - easiest: cemented carbide is strongly magnetic due to the cobalt (or nickel) in binder phase, while W and WC do not have any noticeable magnetic properties.
2 - photographically - if someone can take a picture of one next to a ruler, from a long enough distance that there's no obvious distortion, then I can use imageJ to calculate the volume.
3 - if you have a scale accurate to a gram or less, and some string or thin wire (and maybe a bored but inquisitive child), the Archimedes method involves suspending one or several points in a glass of water by a small string so the mass of water displaced is indicated on the scale. One point should displace somewhere between 0.4 and 0.6 grams of water.
4 - if you have a broken point, I'll cover UK postage for you to send it over and I can do 1-3 myself, and send it back if needed.
In comparison photos, tungsten X10 points are pretty close to half the total length of stainless steel ones and have a pretty similar profile. This gives a density close to 16 g/cm^2, noticeably longer than would be expected for tungsten metal.
Tungsten has a density of about 19 g/cm^2, while pure tungsten carbide is at 15.6 g/cm^3 and "cemented carbide", which is tungsten carbide powder sintered with a cobalt or sometimes nickel binder phase (commonly also called "carbide" or "tungsten") has a density between 13 and 15 g/cm^3. All three are shiny, gray, brittle, and dense. Most tungsten jewelry and tools are made from cemented carbide, which is much easier to process and has better properties for those tasks.
There are a few ways to determine which of the three materials it is, but as I have neither X10s nor any "tungsten" points, I can't carry them out directly. I have no direct stake in knowing the answer either; I'm just curious. If anyone has some tungsten points and spare time, these are some different ways:
1 - easiest: cemented carbide is strongly magnetic due to the cobalt (or nickel) in binder phase, while W and WC do not have any noticeable magnetic properties.
2 - photographically - if someone can take a picture of one next to a ruler, from a long enough distance that there's no obvious distortion, then I can use imageJ to calculate the volume.
3 - if you have a scale accurate to a gram or less, and some string or thin wire (and maybe a bored but inquisitive child), the Archimedes method involves suspending one or several points in a glass of water by a small string so the mass of water displaced is indicated on the scale. One point should displace somewhere between 0.4 and 0.6 grams of water.
4 - if you have a broken point, I'll cover UK postage for you to send it over and I can do 1-3 myself, and send it back if needed.