As with all weldable metals, stainless steel comes with its own peculiarities and behaviours under the arc. Getting the best from this alloy (also called inox steel or inox), with its minimum 10.5% Chromium content, can take a lifetime. Along with aluminium, it’s undoubtedly one of the more challenging materials to weld. Again, yes you can. Firstly, as with any welding process, make sure your MIG welding machineis set up correctly for welding stainless steel. However, whether you’re just starting out or work regularly with this material, a few tips will serve as a valuable learning aid – or a helpful reminder… Which welding is best for stainless steel? We recommend that you always fit a Teflon wire liner; this will ensure good wire feed as well as preventing wire contamination. Stainless steel may be highly corrosion resistant, but it’s also susceptible to contamination. When welding stainless steel with MIG, any ferrous material (including contamination by a steel liner) in the weld pool can easily cause rust spots on finished work. Just as for TIG welding aluminium, control is everything. For optimum control and precision, use a TIG foot pedalor a TIG torchwith variable amperage control.

In this article, we draw on the expertise of the R-Tech team to assemble a selection of tips and advice relating to three common methods for welding stainless steel: MIG welding; TIG welding; and manual metal arc welding (MMA). Which is best for welding stainless steel? Choosing the best process really does come down to the specifics of the task – and the qualities required from the finished weld. If cost is the key factor it could be MMA; but for precision with thin materials, it’s probably going to be TIG. Let’s explore the three processes. But first, here’s an important reminder about safety when welding stainless steel. Is welding stainless steel harmful to your health? For TIG welding stainless steel, you can use a DC-only machine or AC/DC TIG welding machinesin DC-mode. Importantly, make sure your machine has sufficient power to weld stainless steel. Whether you’re unsure about your existing machine’s capability, or buying a machine for stainless steel welding, ask the machine’s supplier for help – including advice on TIG welding stainless steel settings. Think about staggering your stainless steel welds to mitigate the risk of heat distortion caused by the material’s thermal properties.’ What gas do you use for MIG welding stainless steel? There’s knowing how to weld steel and there’s knowing how to weld stainless steel. The latter, renowned for its corrosion resistance and use where hygiene is essential, distorts easily when heated. However, its lower thermal conductivity means heat energy isn’t dispersed from the welding zone so fast, which helps during welding. Overall, it’s easy to work with, but with the help of the following tips and advice, you should soon be on the way to stainless mastery… Can you weld stainless steel?

Supporting You Welding

Whether it’s MIG, TIG or MMA welding of stainless steel, your work will benefit from consistent application of helpful tips such as the ones above. Add quality consumables and (as appropriate) some well-chosen accessories, then practise, practise, practise. You’ll soon be on your way to mastering stainless steel welding. If you’re a professional who’s already there, you know what we mean. Let’s talk stainless steel welding Next comes that old favourite: correct wire type and diameter. As ever this is project specific, so seek advice.

Yet again, cleanliness is everything when you TIG weld stainless steel. Clean the workspace and material thoroughly. As with MIG, if it’s dirty, use a stainless-steel wire brush that’s only used for stainless steel. And if it’s oily, always degrease it thoroughly. Because of the risk of ferrous contamination, you can’t be too clean or too careful. The short answer is that stainless steel welding comes with potentially severe health risks – not least from Cadmium and Chromium (Vi) fume. Suitable safety measures, including local exhaust ventilation (LEV) and welders’ personal protective equipment (PPE) such as air-fed welding masksare therefore essential. MIG welding stainless steel Can you MIG weld stainless steel?Reverting to contamination, it’s vital to use only stainless steel wire brushes and grinding/cutting discs whenever working with stainless steel. As well as the vulnerability of stainless steel to ferrous contamination, you need to ensure that your working area is free from iron or steel dust, or any ferrous oxides. This may sound trivial, but it’s vital. Cleanliness of materials and workspaces is always important for good welding. With stainless steel, avoiding even the tiniest particulate contamination is critical. Having mastered the basics of welding stainless steel, perhaps you’ll extend your skills to the special challenges of welding stainless to mild steel (carbon steel) – or even more specialised applications. Thin sheet may be a struggle. But in comparison, welding mild steel to stainless steels or high-carbon tool steels really plays to MMA’s strengths.

Consider pulse welding thinner stainless steel. Welding the face of a plate can be very different to welding, say, the edge of the same piece. When TIG welding stainless steel, pulse welding helps reduce distortion by minimising the heat going into the weld – while simultaneously optimising penetration. If this is a consideration, make sure your TIG welding machine has pulse welding capability. All R-Tech TIG machines do – covering the range 0.5–50 Hz. Don’t overlook all-important torch consumables either. Paying attention to having the appropriate gas cup, selecting your tungsten type correctly, and getting the electrode diameter just right are vital. Because stainless steel benefits from generous gas coverage, use a slightly larger diameter gas cup than usual. Better still, fit a gas lens (such as the TIG Zone eVo-FLO cover kit) to boost gas flow over the weld, keep it cool and provide extra shielding for the weld pool. Naturally, you’ll also make sure your MIG torch is in good condition before starting to weld. As with welding aluminium, it may also make sense to buy a torch sized larger than you’d use for normal steel. Because, welding stainless steel produces more heat, the larger torch will carry higher amperages better. Get your TIG torch set-up for stainless. In particular, make sure the torch has the appropriate duty cycle for the amperage being run. Never cut corners; if the torch isn’t up to the task, invest in one that is.