[TheForge] tig welding, 18 gauge 316 stainless steel, chemical fume hood

[Dave Mudge]

Terry, just as the others have said, stainless is tough but not
necessarily hard. And I do mean tough. My advice would be for you (or
a colleague) to design your hood and stack or find a design already
done. Then hire a "professional" sheet metal shop to build it for you.
You will save a bundle in the long run. I happen to be the shop
foreman in such a shop. I mig weld 18 ga stainless all the time and it
turns out pretty well. We don't have a tig welder although I did that
in the shipyard some 40 years ago. Our equipment is easily capable of
handling 18 ga. ss sheet. A 4' x 8' x 18 ga sheet will cost between
$300 and $400 and our shop labor rate is $50/ man hour. You will also
have to consider shipping. You would probably do better to find a
local sheet metal shop to do the job for you. But if you are
interested, send me the plan and I will price it for you.
dave mudge

On Fri, Jun 29, 2012 at 4:57 PM, Bruce . <freemab222 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Terry,
>
> A friend of mine has a heavy slip-roll that could probably handle 18
> ga SS.  You'd have to ask him to be sure, and I can give you his email
> or phone off-line, if you like.
>
> Now, why do you need to TIG weld?  For flue seams?  For hood seams?
> Why wouldn't riveting do?
>
> You might want to look into simply purchasing commercial fume hoods.
> There are a lot of things out there.
>
> Also remember that in some cases people assume that you need SS or
> other expensive materials of construction, when really you don't.  For
> example, the "standard" laboratory flammable storage cabinet is
> painted steel, and most people assume that a metal cabinet is
> required.  In fact, wooden cabinets can work just fine, for the same
> reason that wood beams can sometimes be better in a fire than steel
> girders.
>
> On Fri, Jun 29, 2012 at 2:44 PM, terry l. ridder <terrylr at blauedonau.com>
> wrote:
> > hello;
> >
> > while attempting to come up with a reasonable budget for the
> > construction of a metallurgical laboratory, to be used for the detailed
> > analysis of metal, one of the requirements per numerous environmental
> > health and safety rules and regulations is the chemcial fume hood
> > design,
> > construction and operation.
> >
> > design is better standard.
> > construction is also better standard, 18 gauge 316 stainless steel, tig
> > welded. must be able to withstand a negative operating pressure.
> >
> > the exhaust fan must be corrosion resistant and explosion resistant.
> > the stack for the hood must be a straight shot with the exhaust fan
> > mounted as close to the top of the stack as possible.
> >
> > given the amount of tig welding required i am weighing the cost and
> > option of sending someone to training for tig welding and perhaps attend
> > myself. in my case it is not so much to be able to weld but to be able
> > to have the required knowledge to discuss the construction of the lab
> > with the authorities and the various enviromental health and safety
> > organizations. i am not particularly thrilled at the idea of outsourcing
> > the design and construction of the metalurgical lab chemical fume hood.
> > when it comes down to safety, particularly mine, and environmental
> > safety, doing it in house at least i have the perception that i know
> > what i have got. outsourcing, i am relying on someone i hardily even
> > know, to design and construction of an safety item. when they are done
> > and gone i do not even have the perception that i know what i have got.
> >
> > that is the background for my quesions.
> >
> > 0. just how difficult is it to work with 18 gauge 316 stainless steel?
> > need to be able to make bends, roll it, etc.
> > 1. knowing that it depends on the individual who would be learning to
> >  tig weld, what is a good average length of time for the training?
> > 2. would taking a community college course work in tig welding be
> > sufficient for what needs to be done?
> > 3. what training would members of theforge recommend?
> >
> > please feel free to provide insights that you may have.
> >
> > --
> > terry l. ridder ><>
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > TheForge mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
> >
> > TheForge mail list group photo site is
> > http://www.photoworks.com
> > Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> > Password: anvil
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
>
> --
> Bruce
> NJ
> ______________________________________________________________
> TheForge mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/theforge
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:TheForge at mailman.qth.net
>
> TheForge mail list group photo site is
> http://www.photoworks.com
> Login: blacksmithblacksmith at hotmail.com
> Password: anvil
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html