From: Ernie Leimkuhler Newsgroups: sci.engr.joining.welding Subject: Dual Shield / Fluxcore clarification Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2001 02:55:20 -0800 In the last week Dual shield wire choice came up in a few threads. I think there was some confusion about the wire designations. Example = E71T-1 E = Electrode 7 = 70,000 psi nominal tensile strength 1 = All position as in vertical up, horizontal, overhead and flat 0 = High deposition flat position, similar to 7024 stick electrode. T = Tubular, meaning both flux core (inner-shield) or dual shield (outer-shield). S = Solid wire as in standard MIG wire - 1, 2, 5, 9, 12 Can all designate Flux cored wires that can be used with shielding gas Lincoln uses "Outershield", ESAB uses "Dual-shield" - 3,4,7,10,11,14 Can all desginate Flux cored wires that are self shielding and require no shielding gas Lincoln uses "Innershield", ESAB uses "Coreshield" As to whether a Dual shield wire is to be used with CO2 or Argon/CO2, that is up to the specific chemistry of the flux in the wire. It is not designated by the AWS number. CO2 and MIX gas wires can have the same AWS specification number. Most filler metal companies have their own name/number systems that will specify which shielding gas is used. Lincoln and ESAB have about a dozen alloys in each category. The most common Dual Shield wire is E71T-1, Lincoln calls this Outershield 71, ESAB calls it Dual-Shield 7000. The most common Flux core self shielding wire is E71T-11, Lincoln calls this Innershield NR-211, ESAB calls it Coreshield 11. I do hope this helps. BTW Solid wires used for MIG or TIG of steel welding will also have suffixes like -2, -3 or -6, as in ER 70S-6 (the most common MIG wire). 2, refers to a very clean wire with very few additives for extremely clean steel. 3 is for slightly more additives for cleaning the steel as the weld process occurs. 6 has the most additives and is good for general use where some light rust or other contaminants might occur. Any more questions? -- Stagesmith Productions - Architectural Metal Fab - Renton, WA, USA "Apparently if you play the Windows NT CD backwards you hear satanic messages" "You think that's bad, if you play it forwards it installs Windows NT!"