A friend asked me if mild steel could be welded to stainless in production. That's all I know thus far: I don't know anything yet about thicknesses, joint design, or expected volume.
I know enough about TIG and brazing to evaluate how they might fit as I learn more about the application.
My generic questions are:
Can stainless be welded to mild steel with MIG using stainless wire and argon -- or whatever?
Can stainless be spotwelded to mild steel if the thicknessses are appropriate?
While you're waiting for the answer from the expert , I'll mention that I've done this exact thing many times. Only because I bought litterally a truck load of stainless for a song and its cheaper to use than buying new mild sheet steel. Of course, you lose the stainless properties, other than that, I've used both mig and tig for welding. Haven't had the ocassion but I bet stick would work also. For welding, it acts just like a similar thickness of mild steel. Torch won't work on stainless though.
Karl
With MIG, do you use stainless wire or just mild steel?
I'll jump in, too. I use mild steel wire with CO2, and it welds all the 300 and 400 series stainless I can lay my hands on. You do (as said before here) lose the stainless quality not only at the weld, but in a region around it. But that's not so tough, if you've got a piece of merchant stock welded to it. (that's usually what the "MS" after an alloy means, not "mild steel")
LLoyd
LLoyd
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Wow!! 400 series, too? Any problems with cracking? The 400 series is heat treatable. Can't help but wonder what's happening when you weld on it.
Harold
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No point in wasting valuable wire here. Just use the plain jane mild steel.
Karl
On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 13:42:40 GMT, "Karl Townsend" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:
remove ns from my header address to reply via email
Interesting, Karl. Do you pre-heat or anything? I see you use normal steel wire. Interesting.
My only comment is watch out for fumes. Chromium in there. I welded some Q&T alloy, and think I had a bit of fume throat from that.
Hi Don Yes you can weld Steel to SS in Production. The filler rod has to be made for joining dissimilar metals. You have choices from the simple 309L, and 312 up to the aerospace alloys Hastelloy W, and Inconel 82.
309L is commonly used for this and is available in TIG rod, stick electrode, dual shield wire and MIG wire.For MIG you would want to use at least a C25 shielding gas (75% Argon,
25% CO2).Ernie Leimkuhler A helium or oxygen tri-mix is better, but the C25 will work.
309L works fine.On the spotwelding thing, it can work, but be careful. The SS melts at a lower temp than the steel.
As long as the exposed parts aren't dipped in a salt bath they should hold fine.
Ernie Leimkuhler
Thanks, Ernie! Much appreciated.
You can torch weld SS - it welds nicely, although TIG gives a better finish Geoff
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