dual shielded FC, why?

[HayFarmer]

What are the advantages of dual shielded FC? I did a bit of reading on the net and it appears to provide better (than self shield) penetration and higher deposition rate. Other than that are there any other advantages? Does it generate as much smoke & spatter as self shield? Can the base metal be a bit dirty and still give a good weld? Is the flux of a different type or the same as self shield?

[aametalmaster]

Dual shield is great. Used by lots of mfgs for tanks and pressure vessels where good welds are needed by a mig. Its great on thicker steel as i have used it on some 3 1/2" thick parts even with a smaller mig it works super. I found some .035 to try and love it. Some is pricey like 7-8 bucks a lb but i found some that is cheaper to play with on my MM185...Bob

[Old Skool]

You answered your own question, better penetration, high deposistion rate. Some brands straight co2, some c25, some either or. Some brands weld good through mill scale / primer, others require the base metal to be clean. Less smoke than self-shield flux core and a lot better bead appearance. Forget to turn on your gas & squeeze the trigger & you'll realize the flux is different. Hobart excel-arc 71 and formula xl-8ni1 are my go to wires.

[HayFarmer]

'Dual shield is great. Used by lots of mfgs for tanks and pressure vessels where good welds are needed by a mig.'

Thats interesting! I have some familiarity w/ tank construction and Ive never seen any other process exc SAW used. I didn't realize anyone used MIG/FC for this application.

[jelias]

You can make some beatiful welds with it. We used it alot. I worked in a ASME coded shop building tanks and pipe. SAW was used on tanks thicker than a half inch. But all the nozzles and lifting lugs, or mounting bracket were all welded with dual shield. If you set it up right you should be able to eliminate spatter completly. I have never welded inner shield wire so i cant compare it to that. But i know i have welded alot of xrayed joints with dual shield and never had a drop with it. definetly my wire of choice.

[bayweld]

Dual shield is great for buildup on buckets and blades, welding grousers on metal tracks etc.......

[bretsk2500]

'Dual shield is great. Used by lots of mfgs for tanks and pressure vessels where good welds are needed by a mig.'

Thats interesting! I have some familiarity w/ tank construction and Ive never seen any other process exc SAW used. I didn't realize anyone used MIG/FC for this application.

We do a lot of fueling stations with above ground tanks... the tanks are usually between 3,000 and 8,000 gallons. it might just be the manufacturer we use, but they're definitely not SAW, but a very, very sloppy looking manual wire weld...

[Blondie_486]

I like the Lincoln Ultracore 71-C. Uses straight CO2 and produces some nice welds. Great for filling gaps and multi pass joints.

[acwd1950]

I use ESAB dual shield wire. Used it to build a loader frame for a skidsteer last summer. Nice pretty welds no spatter. Flux almost falls off. Awesome stuff! Should have got .035 instead of .045. Then I could run it in the 211. A 33 lb spool cost me 80 bucks and that was with tax!

Steve

[HayFarmer]

Really interesting replies, thx for taking the time to answer my questions. Might have to give dual shield a try sometime.

[JTMcC]

User friendlyness.
Dual shield wires are very easy to run out of position. That's why people like them.
In the wind you're stuck with self shieling wires and they are a lot more difficult to run (once you set out of 211 land) and require higher quality (read expensive) welders.
You can usually equal or excede the deposition rates and penetration qualities of dual shield wire with self shielding wire but the self shielding wires have a lot more narrow window of happiness and are quite a bit harder to stay on top of in code work.
Anybody that can run LoHi decent can do better with the dual shield wires.
Lot's of guys who can run LoHi decent can't make a test with the good flux core wires.

JT

[babillis alex]

x2

i second the opinion on the lincoln ultra core 71c. .045 and 1/16 with straight co2.

with the .045 i set it on 29.0 and 410-475 ipm and it runs like a swiss watch!

[HayFarmer]

One more quick question, how much slag is there and if welding to the right parameters is it easy to remove? When I say easy I mean is there grinding involved or is it as simple as brushing?

[jelias]

If you are running it right you should be able to brush it off, and normally it falls off.

[tommy2069]

I use ESAB dual shield wire. Used it to build a loader frame for a skidsteer last summer. Nice pretty welds no spatter. Flux almost falls off. Awesome stuff! Should have got .035 instead of .045. Then I could run it in the 211. A 33 lb spool cost me 80 bucks and that was with tax!

Steve

thats one way to know if your burning at the right temp is when a few seconds after you make your pass the flux will start to lift off the weld and fall off.no crack snapple and pop it sounds just like air is flowing .