PBO welding-a can of worms to be opened?

[Graham_Wright]

I bought the latest issue of PBO purely for the article on SS welding. I post this in fear of a torrent of abusive response BUT I have obviously been fooling myself over the past few years.

I quote " ……SS can only be welded using Argon………" and elsewhere
"……can only be welded using inert gas and DC power……".

So what have I been doing wrong welding with 316L rods and a bog standard boot sale AC welder?

Bearing in mind the recent tirade following my innocent request about crevice corrosion, I took some of my welds and battered them to death with a large hammer. I couldn't break them.
Maybe terrible things will happen when they meet sea water and instantly disintegrate but I have a sneaking suspicion I needn't worry. I found no reference to removal of ferrous contamination (hacksaw blades, angle grinders and mixed use polishers, HS drills instead of dedicated solid carbide) which according to some is a recipe for disaster

I do accept that welding thin wall tube with rods is pushing it but even I have welded 2mm thick tube.

As for cost, 100 316L rods (not from the boot sale but a reputable specialist) Ø3.2 X 320 cost about £60.

Sufficient to beqeath in my will!

 

[supermalc]

My father was a blacksmith, and in the early 70s, before general availability of mig/tig welders, he had the job of welding the SS liner of a new well at a local water pumping station. He only used a single phase oil cooled 110A welder. All welds passed, having to be exrayed before the liner was sunk into the bore.

A friend has just bought 100s of stick welding rods, many stainless for a few pounds on ebay.

I was trained and worked as an agricultural engineer, which included welding. As long as you are a competent welder, and the flux on the rods is in good condition, I can see no reason why any welding should be inferior.

 

[markcozzy]

try mma (stick welding) the better way i think get some practise in with scrap first tho you will see the diff

 

[fishermantwo]

[ QUOTE ]
I do accept that welding thin wall tube with rods is pushing it but even I have welded 2mm thick tube.

As for cost, 100 316L rods (not from the boot sale but a reputable specialist) Ø3.2 X 320 cost about £60.
!

[/ QUOTE ]

I have been welding SS for years with an arc welder. I use Japanese 316 rods, $27 for 1.5 kilos. Its actually easier to weld than mild steel.

 

[Graham_Wright]

[ QUOTE ]
I have been welding SS for years with an arc welder. I use Japanese 316 rods, $27 for 1.5 kilos. Its actually easier to weld than mild steel.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agree about the comparative ease. (My previous purchase of rods was a pack of twenty for £18).

So why the cautions about TIG and gas in PBO?
Is it simply to preserve the professionals businesses?

 

[1107]

Mmm according to pbo then, 316 rods must be used for welding cheese ?

Between stick & tig, I know who would end up with a better result, outside on a windy day.

 

[Birdseye]

In one job I used to sell stainless wire in both cut lengths and in coil to manufacturers of welding rods. Sold 10 times more in stick form for arc welding than I did in MIG spools, and way less than that in TIG lengths.

The normal reason for using MIG in preference to stick is to minimise distortion on thin metals, and most stailess work on boats is thin metal.

You can however play around with the weld deposit composition with stick electrodes ie you can produce end results which you cant copy in MIG/TIG because you cant work metal with that composition.

 

[T_S]

Your best off using a Mig Graham.....I have in the past welded SS using CO2, Argo Shield and Argon....Mig is lot easier to use than an arc.

Dave