The story about strong caustic comes from a corruption of our US patent
5,624,626

In this process you use a strong, hot caustic soda solution and
eclectic current to clean and roughen tungsten carbide so it brazes
well. You have to use electric current to separate the tungsten
carbide from the cobalt binder. The caustic soda cleans off all oils,
creases etc. It also serves as the medium to transfer the electric
current from the electrodes to the carbide.

Caustic dip tanks are very common in good saw shops as a means to clean
saw blades as the original poster is doing.

The CRC Handbook of Physics and Chemistry lists Tungten carbide and
cobalt as only being soluble in acids.

If Freud is using anywhere near the standard braze alloys and the
standard carbide then a caustic solution will not attack them.

The strong caustic will remove paint and ink for directions and warning
labels.

tom