stainless welding

[lincoln]

Hello this is my first post so please be gentle

i have found some stainless steel welding rods in the bilge of my boat i bought 18 months ago, and i thought i would give them a go on the old spark machine but i remember an article in PBO about a year ago on stainless steel fabrication which stated that you can not arc weld stainless.

have PBO got it wrong?

are these magic mild steel corrosion free rods?

any thoughts?

cheers, Lincoln

 

[Superflid]

If you can't weld stainless I'm taking the stainless rods I've got back to the retailer!

 

[roger]

I had some welding done on stainless handrails in my garden recently. The professional used a TIG (Tungsten Inert gas) welder and the results were excellent. He also used Hydrofluoric acid to remove the discolouration on the welds.
He reckoned that TIG welding was the best way to do the job. I cant argue with that.

 

[pampas]

Yes, to your question, bake the rods in an oven for short period to dry, weld away remove slag, use a brass not brassed wire brush to polish, finishing with a rag mop and the correct polish. if you use a steel wire brush it will rust very quickly but mig or tig welds give better results but cost more.

 

[shantymanuk]

idealy T.I.G. is the best way to weld stainless steel , but anyway welding rods that have been kicking about in the btm of a boat for 18 months need chucking ,quite honestly they will only cause you problems belive me (ex coded welder)

 

[30boat]

You can stick weld stainless and get very good results but not with those rods wich are only good for the bin.The coating gets contaminated with moisture so just imagine what a salty moist environment will do to them.
The problem with stick welding is that it is very difficult to do ,specially if you're using a cheap AC arc welder.You would be much better off with a Tig welder(also takes a lot of practice) or a MIG machine wich is dead easy.

 

[William_H]

I have used sticks of SS for little jobs. However I wouldn't use the rods and my welding on anything critical. On really heavy metal it seems ok although not good for light metal as in light gauge tubes. certainly TIG is great especially if you can an expert to use it for you.
As for the old rods... give em a go on scrap metal (iron is OK). It seems to me that old damp rods are harder to start an arc but once they are hot on scrap not so much of a problem. or bake em in the oven.
From your friend with short arms and deep pockets. olewilll

 

[Graham_Wright]

How do you know they are stainless?
If you can still read it, there should be a grade written on the rod near the plain end. If your test is by magnetism, you will not know the grade. 316 is really the only one to go for. As far as stick welding;- try it, then try to beak it. No greater confidence builder/breaker!

 

[lincoln]

i think i will bin the damp rods and get some new ones when i have a job for them, thanks for your thoughts

 

[ongolo]

No need to ditch the rods unless they are full of tar or something nasty that causes poor weld. Take the rods, put one in the holder, short circuit it, let it heat up until it slightly changes colour of the flux, break contakt, and weld, ss stick rods have a special flux that jumps off when getting cold, so watch your eyes.

SS weld with lower current rather than upper limit, the wire does not burn so far into the jacket and they start easier.

If they weld ok, they are good for any job. TIG and MIG is great, but have you tried a repair job with them when the wnd is blowing? Sick is univiersal, works always except on less than 1.2mm if you are a star and less then 1.6mm if you are an average welder.

Most 316 rods I have seen have a green marker

regards ongolo