A welding filler metal is manufactured by casting a nickel-base alloy as an extrusion
rod having a diameter of from about 0.2 inch to about 0.5 inch. The extrusion rod
has at least about 12 grains in the cross section of the extrusion rod. The extrusion
rod is extruded in a single extrusion operation to a filler-metal diameter of less
than about 0.1 inch and using an areal extrusion ratio of at least about 9:1 to
form the welding filler metal. Preferably, the process is used to make a nickel-base
superalloy welding filler metal of a diameter of about 0.05-0.06 inch from an extrusion-rod
casting of about inch diameter and having at least about 12 grains in the
cross section.
