Welding Tips and Tricks

What is a good consistent innersheild fabwire for all position outdoor structural welding?

Feeder- LN-25
Power- V-350 pro

usage- structural A-36

problem;
Supplier changed ownership, and brands. Troubles tip freezing and burn back. Too many starts and stops. feeding issues.

Experience; used lots of cases of readi reels but that was before fab wire.

Used a very good fab wire, ran flat, uphill, overhead like using 1/8" 7018. Don't remember what it was.

Sal,

I would make a phone call to Lincoln or Hobart technical on this. Those guys are very helpful in choosing a filler metal. My first thought is they will recommend NR-211or NR-212 but I would call and find out.

Let us know how it turns out

So no one on this forum uses fabwire and can make a recommendation?

Of course not, they are all armchair welders.

Two wires come too mind. Lincolns NR212, and Hobarts Fabshield 21b

They are both quite similar.
Buy a roll of each, and start burning.

Are you working to any seismic codes that will require a T-8 wire? If so Lincolns NR-233, or ESAB’s Coreshield 8 are good wires. I’d say the Coreshield 8 is just a touch user friendlier than NR-233.

If you can get by with a T-11 wire, Hobart’s 21-B is a great wire. Before the Northridge earthquake in California, the manufactures did not put limit restrictions on their wire. I passed numerous 1“ V-butt side bend tests with 21-B.

Some good suggestions here, couldn't add much. Personally, I haven't had to do inner shield in over ten years, if not longer. I would imagine that many of the guys out here have moved from outdoor structural welds to soft, cushy, indoor jobs where they are using shielding gasses (I know I have)!! Inner shield is more difficult to do properly than folks think it might be. I have run into many cats who think that because they weld MIG they can do flux inner shield.

Thanks folks.

I use Hobart XLR-8 in 1/16" diameter.

After re-reading your original post, I would suggest making sure the electrical stick out is at least 3/4", preferrably 1". Also, I have less trouble with tip seizures if I hold the wire against the work when I pull the trigger on the gun. I use this XLR-8 wire on every kind of fabrication and repair welding on all types of earthmoving equipment such as side boards on dump trucks, repair of cracks in truck frames and dozer roller frames, welding in new belly plates on D-11 roller frames, to wear plates on dozer blades, including attachment of AR400 plates to excavator buckets. Everything is outside in the wind and dirt. No problems of any kind with this wire. Also this welding involves all positions.

Sal Monella wrote:So no one on this forum uses fabwire and can make a recommendation?

I have one of those cushy indoor daytime structural welding jobs for my day gig. However, in my side work most of my onsite work is done with T-11 as almost all of it seems to be outside. You do have to make "friends" with flux core but like anything else a little practice will get you moving right along. I don't get into anything that I would have use the specialty wires for. I leave that for the bigger operators. When I get a job that requires 2 guys, I use a guy from work and he does not like flux core wire (innershield). We use dual shield at work for our 3g stuff and he's fine with that, but innershield just requires a little acclimation.
My 2 cents worth.


Jim