Strand cladding of calcium wire

A cored wire for introducing a reactive metal into a bath of molten metal, the cored wire produced by:

• gathering at least three strands of continuously fed elongated reactive metal wires into a bundle wherein at least one of the at least three strands of continuous fed elongated reactive metal wires is calcium metal wire;
• aligning the bundle of reactive metal wires with a continuously fed sheet of metal sheath material;
• compacting the bundle of reactive metal wires into a generally cylindrical shape;
• and
• cladding the compacted bundle of reactive metal wires with the sheet of metal sheath material whereby the compacted bundle of reactive metal wires form a core of the cored wire and wherein the core having a substantially larger diameter than each of the strands of continuously fed elongated reactive metal wire.

A cored wire comprising:

• a bundle of at least three compacted reactive metal wire strands forming a core,
• wherein at least one of said at least three compacted reactive metal wire strands is a calcium wire;
• a metal cladding sheath enclosing said core, whereby interstitial spaces are formed between said metal cladding sheath and said core;
• and
• one or more reactive metals in granular form filling said interstitial spaces between the reactive metal wire strands and said metal cladding sheath.