Hobart Brothers announced the availability of two new self-shielded flux-cored wires designed specifically to improve welding performance on high-strength pipe welding applications. The Hobart® Fabshield® 79T8™ and Fabshield 79T8 Ni2™ wires both provide excellent out-of-position welding capabilities and generate a fast-freezing, self-peeling slag to minimize instances of slag inclusions and reduce cleanup time. Their smooth arc characteristics and excellent weldability help increase operator appeal and reduce fatigue. The Fabshield 79T8 and Fabshield 79T8 Ni2 wires also require no shielding gas, making them ideal for outdoor pipeline welding.

Hobart Brothers designed the Fabshield 79T8 wire specifically for welding Grade X70 and below steel, as well as API 5L oil and gas transmission pipelines, and city-city distribution pipelines. The Fabshield 79T8 Ni2 wire meets the mechanical and chemical requirements for welding API 5L Grade X80 pipe and can also be used for non-pipeline applications, including storage tanks and structural applications.

Both wires are available in 1/16- and 5/64-inch diameters, and provide excellent low temperature impact values to keep welds ductile and prevent cracking. The Fabshield 79T8 wire provides a Charpy V-Notch (CVN) property of 135 ft.-lb. (183 joules) at -40 degrees Fahrenheit/Celsius for the 5/64-inch diameter wire, while the Fabshield 79T8 Ni2 wire offers 96 ft.-lb. (138 Joules) for the same diameter and at the same temperatures. Tensile strengths for the Fabshield 79T8 wire are 80,400 and 81,700 for the 1/16- and 5/64-inch diameters, respectively. For the same diameters, the Fabshield 79T8 Ni2 wires provide 91,400 and 94,000 psi of tensile strength.
Both wires are available individually or as part of the new Big Blue® 350 PipePro® System, which features the Big Blue 350 PipePro welder/AC generator, wireless remote hand control and SuitCase® X-TREME™ 8 HD wire feeder from Miller Electric Mfg. Co. and the PipePro Dura-Flux™ gun from Bernard.