welding stainless steel

[sailormanbigd]

ok, i know this is dumb. Can you weld ss with a stick (arc) welder? I have an old Lincoln 220V arc welder. I have heard-somewhere- that you can get special welding rod for aluminium, but what about for ss. I just need to run about a 1 inch bead on 1/8" bracket )its the base of my Schaefer roller furler on the Oday25. Now that the dinghy is done i need to finish up the Oday, then the "free boat". I just got the Coast guard paperwork yesterday, woohoo. Patrick

 

[howard]

yes you can. local welding shop and ask for them. practice on something else, it is a little different. turn the amperage down some.

 

[tommays]

NO NO NO

Stick on SS just makes a BIG UGLY MESS

You want it done with TIG and you want the filler wire stamped with 316 on the ends

 

[sailingdog]

If you don't use the right welding wire... you're going to cause a serious corrosion problem. You're generally much better off welding stainless with a TIG or MIG welding setup...not just a plain arc welding setup.

 

[Ross]

NO NO NO

Stick on SS just makes a BIG UGLY MESS

You want it done with TIG and you want the filler wire stamped with 316 on the ends

Then you simply don't know how to weld with stick. TIG is wonderful but stick will do the job if you use the correct size rod and the correct amperage. I have used several pounds of ss coated rods.

 

[48dodge]

I would think at the least would be to use a MIG welder. 308 and 316 spools are available. Stick welds typically end up looking like birdpoop.

 

[Ross]

If your welds are not pretty then you have one or more problems. Your amperage is too high or too low, you may be using an AC welder when you need DC, your polarity may be wrong with your particular rods, your rods may be too large for your work, you may lack experience or skill to do a neat job, your welding shield may be too dark or too light for good visibility, you may have failed to clean the weld area properly. You can do just as good a job of screwing up a welding job with oxy-acetylene, MIG, TIG, or coated electrode or you can do a decent job on most projects with any of the methods. TIG comes into its own on thin sections because you can control the weld puddle more precisely. MIG lays the metal down as soon as you strike the arc and you have to keep moving. Stick does the same thing as MIG but interrupts you when you run out of stick.

 

[RichBone]

SS stick welding works better for larger weld fillets. A GOOD welder can do a nice bead on smaller stuff, but a TIG or a MIG is better suited for what you want.

 

[48dodge]

How do you keep slag from forming with your stick welder? How about contamination in the weld from happening? Without the inert gas, there will be both, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[Ross]

The coating on the stick burns to form a gas that shiels the arc and also melts to cover the weld pool or puddle. If you can see well the molten metal has a different color than the molten slag. If you have a good arc the puddle will be well formed and shiney. If you arc isn't burning in contact with both pieces the melt puddle will be unstable and will swirl a lot. That means that the angle of the stick is not equal for both sides of the weld. The smallest ss electrodes I have used were either 1/16 or 3/64 and only about eight inches long. The other thing that can interferr with a good weld is wet electrodes.

 

[caguy]

Ross have you seen or used the welding hoods that have a light sensitive glass. Its clear until you stike an arc. I saw one at Harbor Freight seemed to good to be true.

 

[48dodge]

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200320563_200320563
Yeah, these are cool. Definitely much easier than trying to line something up with a standard hood. Has anyone bought one from HF? I would worry a bit about the speed, but a lot of times, this is the same stuff you can get from some of the big box stores...

 

[caguy]

The reaction time is what I was worried about. Do you see the flash? My eyes are one of the few parts that still work on this old bod, and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[tommays]

I have a auto hood that is adjustable from shade 10 to 13+ as i TIG a lot of thin SS as well as heavy bars up to 400 AMPS and its INSTANT and there are far less eye problems that the old style hoods

Apparently nobody in the marine industry knows how to stick weld because i don't see any stick welding on sailboats fittings

Even MIG is going to leave a lot of unnecessary splatter to clean up no matter how much spatter guard you goober all over it

And yes i run a fab/repair shop with stick/mig and tig and if if you even use a polishing tool on steel and then SS it will be rusting until you do it OVER

 

[Ross]

The auto hood is the same technology as is used for military pilots for protection from nuclear weapons flash. It is micro seconds.

 

[Bob Poff]

I have one of the Harbor Freight hoods. Yes it's fast enough.
For me and my little MIG (also from HF) though it's too dark, even on the light setting.
I can't see what I'm doing.

Of all things, the cheap hand held shield that came with the welder works best for me.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Patrick, see what you started? So what's it going to be, stick or TIG? And are you going to get a new Harbor Freight hood? Since it is an O'Day I would go with the stick.

Don't flame me guys, just kidding. Seriously, if it is under the furler drum who is going to see it? I guess you do have to consider the rust thing though.

 

[Napa Ed]

NO NO NO

Stick on SS just makes a BIG UGLY MESS

You want it done with TIG and you want the filler wire stamped with 316 on the ends

ditto this message.

 

[Napa Ed]

If your welds are not pretty then you have one or more problems. Your amperage is too high or too low, you may be using an AC welder when you need DC, your polarity may be wrong with your particular rods, your rods may be too large for your work, you may lack experience or skill to do a neat job, your welding shield may be too dark or too light for good visibility, you may have failed to clean the weld area properly. You can do just as good a job of screwing up a welding job with oxy-acetylene, MIG, TIG, or coated electrode or you can do a decent job on most projects with any of the methods. TIG comes into its own on thin sections because you can control the weld puddle more precisely. MIG lays the metal down as soon as you strike the arc and you have to keep moving. Stick does the same thing as MIG but interrupts you when you run out of stick.

the guy wants a one inch bead on 1/8 inch material. fat chance of that happening with a newbie + stick.

the posters here are offering good advice that will save some grief for the OP. smart money for one little weld is take the parts to a local welder and have it done as a bench job. pay the money and move on.

this is not the job for a DIY learning experience.

 

[Ross]

1/8 inch ss is thick stock for welding purposes. As I said if you know what you are doing you can make good welds with stick but if you don't know what you are doing hire someone that does.