Abstract: A process for forming a shaped metallic article, including the steps of combining the starting materials, forming the starting materials into a shape to produce a nonmetallic metal precuror article of a certain geometry, and converting the nonmetallic article to a metallic article by reduction or decomposition, while substantially retaining the geometry of the nonmetallic article. The forming step in which the starting materials are fabricated into a shape can include extrusion, dry pressing, or slurry casting. Further, another embodiment is a metallic article produced by converting a nonmetallic article with a certain geometry, including a plurality of open-ended channels, substantially to the same geometry as the nonmetallic article from which it was converted.