What Gas Is Used to Mig Weld Stainless Steel

You tin utilize a number of different techniques to join stainless steel. MIG welding is one of the most versatile welding techniques. But can you lot use MIG to weld stainless steel?

This article volition cover the basics of MIG welding stainless steel, the best shielding gas, welding wire, and how the procedure differs from other types of welding.

Page Contents

Can You MIG Weld Stainless Steel?
Shielding Gas for Welding Stainless Steel
- Can I MIG Weld Stainless Steel with 100% Argon Gas?
- Can I Weld with 75/25 of Argon/CO2?
- Best Gases for MIG Welding Stainless
Welding Wire
- Best Wire for MIG Welding Stainless Steel
- MIG Welding Stainless Steel with Flux Core Wire
How to MIG Weld Stainless Steel?
- i. Assemble the equipment required
- 2. Select your consumables
- 3. Set your weld articulation
- 4. Gear up your welder and gas flow to your required settings
- 5. Start Welding
- Tips for MIG Welding Stainless

Tin can You MIG Weld Stainless Steel?

Y'all certainly can weld Stainless Steel with a MIG welder and to nifty effect. MIG welding stainless steel when performed correctly produces extremely strong welds with high productivity rates. It is important to note that the process for welding stainless steel with a MIG machine is different than as you would weld on balmy steel, delight read on to learn more nearly how to MIG weld stainless steel and the processes that are involved.

Shielding Gas for Welding Stainless Steel

As with most MIG welding processes, a shielding gas is required to protect the weld from outside atmospheric contaminants which would otherwise impact the weld's integrity. Most effective and frequently utilized is a combination of carbon dioxide and argon, notwithstanding, it is possible to weld with other gases. Two of the most common questions we hear from our readers are the following.

Can I MIG Weld Stainless Steel with 100% Argon Gas?

A question valid and put simply yes, you tin MIG weld stainless steel with pure argon gas but it's complicated. 100% argon volition certainly protect a weld from atmospheric contaminants (which would negatively affect your weld), therefore it is functional every bit a shielding gas. Even so, this is where functionality stops.

MIG welding with pure argon becomes a problem for stainless steel equally it has an event on the last weld quality and overall welding functioning.

The electrical connection between the steel and welding machine (likewise known as the arc) is interrupted when using a 100 per centum argon gas mix. In other words, the arc stability is overall very low. When welding with arc instability the produced weld will appear inconsistent with defects such every bit undercut and weld penetration that is at one-half of what it should be. The weld volition also sit down on the surface of the articulation and although the articulation will indeed fuse together, it will non be a passable weld by manufacture standard.

To add, the thermal electrical conductivity of the weld is impacted by using pure argon making for a less fluid weld pool.

This is less than optimal for welding because generally, the purpose of welding is to create a strong and permanent bond betwixt steel parts. That ways by using 100 per centum argon gas the purpose of welding is defeated.

Using MIG with 100 per centum argon gas on stainless is not something I recommend unless y'all have absolutely no other choice. This is especially so when yous are welding together a construction or product which requires longevity and strength and/or could injure a person or impairment property if the weld is broken.

Can I Weld with 75/25 of Argon/CO2?

A common occurrence for many welders based at home is that they will predominantly weld mild steel on a day-to-24-hour interval basis, and then ane day they come across a piece of stainless-steel piece of work with only 75/25 gas to work with. The question is, in the situation described (or in any given moment) can nosotros utilise 75/25 successfully when welding stainless steel?

The answer is yes and to quite a good effect. When MIG welding stainless with 75/25 Argon/CO₂, all the key aspects of a good weld remain unaffected; the penetration is normal, undercut does not prove to exist a large trouble and arc stability is stable. We recommend using 75/25 gas on stainless over using 100% argon.

Yet, 75/25 shielding gas does not come without its kinks. Whenever welding with a MIG, weld splatter is produced, and this is specially so with 75/25 gas. The problem with splatter and stainless steel is that it tin can affect aesthetically important projects and information technology is sometimes hard to remove. Splatter sticks to metal and where the weld aesthetics is truly crucial, it is best to avert splatter and the marks information technology makes. A uncomplicated solution is to utilize anti-splatter spray prior to welding or even better, invest in an advanced MIG machine that has an anti-splatter setting.

With 75/25 the final weld as well appears a little boring and colorless. While it does not impact any structural aspects of the weld, it can be important again where aesthetics are deemed crucial. Aside from this, 75/25 is perfectly fine to weld stainless steel with and is one of our most recommendable options.

Best Gases for MIG Welding Stainless

Following are the most constructive shielding gases for stainless steel MIG welding.

Argon and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) combinations such as 75/25, 90/x, 95/5, or 98/two.
Tri-Mix Gas: This contains xc% Helium, vii.five% Argon, and two% CO2 and works peachy for increasing thermal conductivity functioning.

Welding Wire

Best Wire for MIG Welding Stainless Steel

Ever select a specially designed Stainless Steel MIG wire. Wire labeled as "ER308L" is a prophylactic option and is most commonly used. Practise not use Mild Steel MIG wire as it will immediately contaminate your weld and produce rust in the future.

When selecting wire thickness, this volition completely depend on the projection at manus, for larger projects with thicker material become for wire with a greater thickness (up to 0.35 – 0.45 inch). With nigh other projects of smaller to medium sizes, a wire with a thickness of 0.30 inches volition work perfectly.

MIG Welding Stainless Steel with Flux Core Wire

MIG welding with flux core wire (otherwise known every bit Gasless MIG), is to exist considered an entirely carve up process to MIG welding with dissimilar wires. The use of flux core wire removes ane's necessity for external shielding gas; this is because when the wire's flux blanket is subjected to heat, it releases its own gas and therefore the weld pool is safely protected from external atmospheric contaminants.

Flux core wires in general accept become increasingly popular over the past few years. This is considering many people working on metal projects at home do not want to exist purchase or hire welding gas bottles.

And so, what is the result when using flux-cored wire on stainless steel?

Firstly, information technology is important to note that stainless steel is a difficult material to piece of work with and weld. This is considering it absorbs heat very chop-chop and is temperamental to change. When we lucifer this together with flux cadre wire, the concluding result is not all that great. Welding with flux core wire is generally reserved for MIG welding jobs that are deemed as unimportant, are located outdoors, or when there is no other selection available.

The operator of a flux core MIG must utilize a drag (pull) technique, much similar stick welding. You will notice that the weld will be accompanied past slag, which needs to be chipped abroad after welding. The final weld result will appear banal and weak-looking weld which, again, is not what a finished stainless-steel weld joint should really look similar.

With so many obstacles at hand, it is very like shooting fish in a barrel to produce defective welds when using MIG flux core on stainless steel. Avert these problems past familiarizing your motorcar well and practicing on stainless steel to empathise the travel/wire speeds and estrus settings required.

How to MIG Weld Stainless Steel?

Follow our like shooting fish in a barrel step-by-footstep guide on how to successfully weld stainless steel with a MIG welding auto.

1. Gather the equipment required

This includes your MIG welder (complete with your welding gun, world clamp, and spare parts such equally nozzle tips) welding helmet, leather gloves, and fireproof covered clothing.

ii. Select your consumables

A spool of stainless-steel welding wire, Argon/CO2 mix, or Trimix shielding gas. We have discussed how to select which wire will improve adapt your chore but if you lot are still unsure 0.30-inch stainless steel wire is a prophylactic bet.

3. Prepare your weld joint

This is a crucial step. If yous try to weld over the elevation of grease, oil, rust, or paint then your welding will be difficult, and the weld is going to end up depression quality. Use an bending grinder with a flap disc to remove rust, paint, and stubborn dirt. Clean your weld surface with a cleaning product such as weld thinner. Spray your articulation with an anti-splatter solution to forbid a large mail service-weld cleanup process.

iv. Set your welder and gas flow to your required settings

Check everything is in guild and operational. To set your welder settings correctly, this volition again depend on the size of the material you are about to weld. I recommend performing some exam runs on some scrap stainless of the same thickness and adjusting your settings appropriately.

v. Start Welding

As with all welding processes, stainless MIG welding requires focus and expert technique.

When starting to weld, endeavor not to rush into the weld. Past allowing a second for the weld pool to build upward at the starting time and maintaining this size, you lot volition produce a more fifty-fifty weld.

Welding Angle

The platonic angle at which y'all are to hold your weld gun should exist around 5 – xv degrees. A more horizontal bending will lack in penetration and produce more than splatter while a more vertical angle will create a weld that looks like a blob.

Welding Speed

Take your fourth dimension to be mindful of your weld pool when moving so as to not move likewise slowly or quickly; a irksome weld will over-penetrate the stainless and look big while a fast weld will appear narrow and stringy.

When terminal the weld, do not terminate immediately or pull your nozzle away from the workpiece. The best mode to end a MIG weld on stainless steel is to employ a "downslope" setting which most welding machines will have; this is where the arc slowly decreases in temperature allowing the weld puddle to cool gradually.

Equally I said earlier, stainless is particularly subjective to heat and a downslope setting will aid a lot with the sensitive characteristics of the stainless. Also, by leaving your MIG nozzle near the stainless for an extra 1 – 2 seconds you lot will allow the shielding gas to continue to protect the pool until it has completely cooled down. Removing your MIG nozzle too quickly will increase the chances of contamination from lack of shielding gas.

Tips for MIG Welding Stainless

Do not forget how sensitive stainless steel is to high temperatures. MIG welding is hot, so if welding for a long fourth dimension on stainless steel and yous are concerned about the stainless warping before you begin welding, tack the stainless to a workbench or caryatid. When finished welding, permit your workpiece to cool downwardly completely and then remove the tacks or brace. Your stainless projection will retain its original dimensions much better than if welding without the supports.
Use anti-splatter spray! Splatter is peculiarly noticeable on stainless steel. Past applying the anti-splatter spray, you volition salve a lot of time cleaning up the mess after welding.
Recall well-nigh using pulse settings if you have them. Pulse setting changes the weld pool temperature rapidly between a higher temperature and cooler temperature when welding. This is extremely useful when MIG welding stainless steel as it allows for better oestrus direction and often results in a prettier-looking weld.
Practise earlier committing. Welding stainless with any type of welding procedure is non easy. Take time to main your skills on scrap metal of dissimilar thicknesses and in dissimilar positions and then every bit to know the stainless steel and its characteristics meliorate and the personality of your ain individual welder.

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Source: https://finemetalworking.com/mig-welding-stainless-steel