Best Way To Weld Stainless Steel Sheet Metal

This is especially useful for carbon steel.

Best way to weld stainless steel sheet metal.

Stainless steel welding requires a bit more finesse than welding mild steel or aluminum because heat is an enemy in this process there are three methods of stainless steel welding which are preferred over the rest by many welders. Also known as gas metal arc welding gmaw. The process uses an inert shielding gas and a semi automatic wire feed which acts as the filling material. Say if you are welding an 18 gauge stainless steel sheet that is 2 2 feet in size to repair the side of your tank start by creating a weld that is 1inch long then skip 6 inches and then create a 1 inch long weld.

Welding stainless steel is not much different from that required in welding standard carbon steel with a few exceptions. To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity. First you must exercise more care and control with regard to heating and cooling stainless steel. 1 for 1 rule.

Below are some of the best metals for welding. When welding 304 stainless steel er308 er308l and er308lsi wires are compatible but for welding 316l stainless you need a 316l wire. One way to reduce the risk is by selecting a metal that is easily weldable and does not require many extra pre weld and post weld operatins to prevent weld failure. I was hoping to manage a butt weld too but the metal was far too thin for mig and i just blew holes.

For mig welding stainless steel a shielding gas mixture that s 90 percent helium 7 5 percent argon and 2 5 percent carbon dioxide is generally ideal. Welding is a complicated process which means there are many complications that can arise. With these materials use a tri mix gas 90 helium 8 argon and 2 co 2. Mig metal inert gas welding.

Metal inert gas mig welding tungsten inert gas tig welding and shielded metal arc welding smaw or. Second it s important to properly match filler metals with the material being welded. The best way to estimate the heat input needed for welding is by applying the 1 for 1 rule this means that 1 amp should be used per 1 thousandth 0 001 inch of thickness. Lori kilchermann last modified date.

The best way i have found to tack weld stainless steel sheet metal is. But when it comes to stainless steel or other nickel based metals less heat is needed. The stitch welding technique can be very powerful. For most jobs welding stainless steel you ll want to use 030 inch diameter stainless steel welding wire.

Make sure the fitup is tight with absolutely no gap prop your tig cup right on the joint with the sharp tungsten electrode tip less than 1 16 from the joint. For thicker base pieces step up to 035 inch to 045 inch welding wire. Here s a shot of 0 3 mm stainless cut from a 5l thinners can that was welded in this way.