Can you cut a tungsten carbide ring?

Well, the answer of course would be "Yes", despite that marketers advertise them to be "indestructible". Obviously, they were crafted and shaped before they went into the jewelry store showcases, therefore they could be cut, although not very easily. A regular wire cutter or hacksaw will not even be able to put a dent on the ring. However, a rotary saw with a diamond coated blade can cut through a tungsten carbide ring in seconds. rotary saw w/ diamond blade

Here is the cut on a tungsten carbide in less than one second cut tungsten carbide ring

However, if you are considering tungsten carbide to be the material of your wedding band, this way of cutting it is not very reassuring. For emergency removal of a ring that is on a wearer's finger, instead of cutting through the ring, we will have to fracture it.

1. The tool

To remove a tungsten carbide ring in case of emergency, all you need is a pair of vice grip pliers, most paramedic or emergency response should be equipped with one of these.

2. Adjust the mouth to fit the ring

Lock the vice grip by squeezing the handles together. While it is in this locked state, turn the knob on the handle anti-clockwise to open the mouth until it is larger than the outer diameter of the ring. Then place the mouth of the vice grip around the ring. Tighten the grip by turning the knob in clockwise direction until the teeth touch the ring and grasp it securely. Make sure the knob is now hand tight. vice grip pliers

3. Close the mouth further

Unlock the vice grip by pressing the tab on the inside of the handle and release the ring. Turn the knob 180 degrees clockwise. This sets up the mouth of the vice grip so that when it is locked again, the distances in between will be just smaller than outer diameter of the ring by about 1-2 millimeters. vice grip pliers

4. Fracture the ring by locking the vice grip

Now place the vice grip around the ring and squeeze the handles until it locks. Since tungsten carbide is a completely non-malleable metal, which means that it will not bend, the vice grip will crack it by applying forces from opposite sides of the ring. Once the ring is fractured, it will fall off the wearer's finger safely. vice grip pliers