[TheForge] Stainless steel Welding

[Woolley]

Hi,

Use 309 for carbon to stainless steel.  I don't use 307 so can't say if 
it is acceptable or not, it might be.  As far as using any wire to weld 
any steel etc. sure, if it works and that's all you have on hand, go to 
it.  But if you are
just getting started welding,  do the research and get the right stuff, 
 it's worth it.  At least then you will know when you are using the 
right/wrong material.

Regards,
Bill Woolley


Jerry Smith wrote:

>         I use I think 307 wire, with argon on my mig to weld carbon to 
> stainless. Check with your local distributor for exactly what you need 
> in the way of wire.
>
> Jerry
>
>
>
> At 11:59 AM 9/3/2004, you wrote:
>
>> I have a quick question on this stainless steel topic.  Recently at 
>> work I
>> had the engineering department basically call me stupid when I asked 
>> them to
>> weld something that was stainless steel.  I took a year of welding in 
>> High
>> School and if I remember correctly it can be done.  You mentioned 
>> that you
>> TIG weld parts together...  I never got to work with TIG, only 
>> MIG...  How
>> does a person weld stainless steel?  Does it require a special welder or
>> just a special filler rod?
>>
>> Blake
>>
>>
>>
>> Message: 5
>> Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 09:31:09 -0700
>> From: Ries Niemi <rniemi at fidalgo.net>
>> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Stainless steel Forging?
>> To: Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>> Message-ID: <7F317D3C-FCFD-11D8-B5D8-000A958AF89A at fidalgo.net>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>>
>>
>> Steve- I have forged about 5 tons of stainless in the last few years.
>> And no, I am not exagerating about the amount- I had to pay for every
>> pound of it, and lift it 3 or 4 times too.
>> We use 304- its available in all kinds of profiles, its the cheapest,
>> and easiest to get.
>> It forges just fine- you have to hit it harder than mild, and so we try
>> to do as much as possible with the power hammer.
>> It also anneals when you water quench it, which can be handy when you
>> need to cold bend parts after forging.
>> As far as passivation goes, you can try to set up and do it yourself- a
>> lot of guys have put stuff together with battery chargers. But
>> personally, I dont like to mess with the chemicals, so I send it out. I
>> have found that many large commercial platers do passivation and
>> electroplating- these are two related processes. Both involve using a
>> dc power supply to kind of "reverse plate"- that is, instead of coating
>> the stainless, like you would when plating, you are actually stripping
>> off the outer layer. This cleans off the black oxides formed when
>> forging, and cleans off the steel pollution you get on the stainless
>> when working it with mild steel tools. It still helps to avoid using
>> sanding or grinding discs that have also been used on mild, though.
>> Passivation leaves a matte dull gray finish, kind of like sandblasting.
>> Not real attractive, in my book, but it may be the look you want.
>> Electropolishing can take the material to a bright, shiny finish, even
>> areas that have been extensively forged. Electropolishing uses stronger
>> acids in the bath, as well as the electricity.
>> You should be able to find some local places to do the work- if not, I
>> have a good place on the west coast you could ups small parts to- I
>> think their minimum is 75 bucks, and they have lots of experience doing
>> heavily forged stuff for me.
>>
>> Usually, the electropolishing will result in a great finish.
>> Occasionally, with very heavy forging, there may be some tiny particles
>> of steel still in the piece- these will rust in a month or so, and then
>> you can go back and mechanically finish just that spot, with a wire
>> brush or fine sander. Also, sometimes on large pieces, the magnetic
>> fields of the electrical process make it so that some areas get shinier
>> than others- then you may have to blend it by buffing. I have only had
>> this happen on pieces over about 4 feet by 8 feet. Small stuff usually
>> works great.
>> You can also buy or build small portable electropolishers to touch up
>> site welds- we often will make up subassemblies, have them polished,
>> and then tig weld them together on site- and just polish up the welds
>> themselves. I use a unit from a company in LA called screenpro for
>> this- screenpro.net.
>>
>> hope this helps- I will be happy to answer more questions if you have
>> them.
>>
>> ries
>> _______________________________________________
>> Manage membership or unsubscribe at:
>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
>> theforge mail list group photo site is
>> http://www.photoaccess.com
>> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
>> password:  anvil
>> ___________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Manage membership or unsubscribe at:
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> theforge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoaccess.com
> Login:  blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> password:  anvil
> ___________
>
>
>