Stainless Mig Wire

I get mine from BOC -- here in NZ they usually only stock 316 but that's fine, it does the job on mild steel and most of the austinetic alloys (except 303 -- nothing works very well on that).

316 is probably as generic as you'll find although when TIGing there are a good range of other alloys available with slightly different characteristics. Since you don't know the type of alloys you're welding to I'd say that 316 will probably be most cost-effective.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that a stainless weld won't rust -- you need to do some research on pickling and passivating.

Can be -- but the quality of the weld is more important than the filler used. A crappy SS weld will be nowhere near as strong as a good full-penetration weld made with mild steel wire.

-- you can contact me via

In message , mark writes

Hi Mark We stock 5Kg Reels of stainless wire-0.8 & 1.0mm.The most common grades of S/S wires are 308 for welding 304 ie common 18/8 stainless steel and 316 for welding 316 stainless steel which is resistant to pitting corrosion in acid environment;used in the food,brewing,milk, etc industries.308 is the cheaper and would probably suffice for your unknown products though some manufacturers would use 316.

At work we use these people

Personally I have never used stainless mig wire from these, or any other supplier for that matter, so I don't know how their price compares, I have only ever used stainless electrodes from them.

All the best

Ian

Thanks guys for your replys... it seems that the 5kg size welding wire isnt commom and demands a premium price..£over £50....... the o.7 kg is £13 and the big 15 kg was £89. so i opted for the 15kg it was also 316.

Bruce as a matter of interest....you say that you get your stuff from BOC in New Zealand.. just to compare how much do you pay for your gas there. the boc gasses here are horendously priced. . example... Argoshield light size Y £27.85 plus £8.95 fixed charge plus £4.87 vat MAKING A TOTAL OF £41.67 and you have to pays a whopping price for rental of the cylinders also. WHICH IS £39.19 PER CYLINDER PER YEAR. We are being exploited something rotten......they have probably got a

1000 % mark up. BOC =££££ = :-( all the best....mark

GWYN WROTE Hi Mark We stock 5Kg Reels of stainless wire-0.8 & 1.0mm.The most common grades of S/S wires are 308 for welding 304 ie common 18/8 stainless steel and 316 for welding 316 stainless steel which is resistant to pitting corrosion in acid environment;used in the food,brewing,milk, etc industries.308 is the cheaper and would probably suffice for your unknown products though some manufacturers would use 316.

In message , mark writes

Hi Mark,If you are removing all signs of oxide as you suggest I can see no benefit in using pickling paste.You might achieve some benefit by passivating the surface but I doubt your product is that critical.