I've been pursuing just what steel underlies the nickel plating of the outer cover wrap of most 'NPS' roundwound strings. Is it stainless steel? (I think that it is) Is it high carbon (tool) steel? Is it low carbon (your normal everyday auto body steel)? Do you know? Do you know? Do you know?
Yeah, I've been asking. Getting the run around on facebook from D'Addario. They obviously know, but don't actually want to tell. Amusing, but uninformative.
They might. It could be a simple fact of inside knowledge that is not to be talked about publically. Not necessarily a trade secret but not something to be openly blabbed about.
It's not stainless, because stainless contains more chromium & thus costs more than carbon steel. It's probably low carbon steel, since you can nickel plate almost anything, even aluminum.
OK! Direct from D'Addario: "Our Nickel Plated Bass strings have two wraps for any gauge string starting at .065 - three wraps for any gauge over .095. The overlay (outer wrap) and the underlay are made of Nickel Plated Steel as well. The construction of the wrap wire, which is the same for the outer wrap and the underlay, is a Nickel Plating of approximately 0.90% thickness, while the remaining portion of the string is made of 99.5% iron along with other materials that make up Low Carbon Steel".
Some of them sound very different from each other. Aside from general string construction differences, I imagine that some brands have very different choices for alloys and plating processes.
I don't think so. Wire suppliers are few. Available wire is available to all. This is the kind of information I desired to know. It is good to receive and believe the truth. No need to make up lies.
I wonder if their stainless strings have a low carbon steel primary winding, but thinking about it, that would probably rust fast with a little sweat galvanic corrosion
Mapes is one wire supplier. There's another company called American Wire. AW... A&W? I'm hungry! AW I seem to recall is owned by D'Addario but don't quote me on that one. I recall watching a D'Addario video and seeing American Wire boxes. I think Rotosound use them, too. I don't know of any other wire suppliers.
That doesn't mean the variety is few. It seems pretty clear to me that some brands are specifying fairly unique materials/material combos. As an example, I would be absolutely shocked to hear that Fodera and Rotosound use the same Steel for their Stainless outerwrap. I mean, you can see visually, that they are different metals.
And it seems like DR and others are coming up with new alloys and processes every so often - pretty sure their Pure Blues alloy is proprietary to them - they don't even look like other strings I've seen.
Not all stainless steels are magnetic so that somewhat limits choices. There are 3 types: Ferritic, austenitic, martensitic.
I've always wondered why Chromes aren't considered Stainless Steel, since steel with a lot of Chrome is indeed Stainless...
Does D'Addario deny they're stainless steel? Chromium is what makes SS corrosion proof ( 12%+ chromium content; often 18% ). It also adds toughness, wear resistance and hardness. ( I just looked at D'Addario: they describe them as flattened ribbons of stainless steel )
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