I currently have switched over to a gas. 100% argon. I have a Lincoln
Pro-Core 100 Mig that I just switched over to the gas. I'm using a
..023" SS 308L wire and trying to learn to weld SS. The settings on this
machine are A-B-C-D for voltage and 1-10 for wire speed.

Last night I tried many many settings in push and drag styles. Most of
the time the bead layed on top or was too hot. I finally found settings
between B-2 and B-3 that make a decent looking bead. The push style
seemed better. I was depositing the bead on a .043" SS beer keg top I
had cut out.

Anyway there was much popping and hissing during the trials and it was
frustrating. Then when i tried to fillet-weld two pieces (thicker
stock) it didnt work..

Pretty agravating I must say..

Blueraven..

"Blueraven" wrote in message
oups.com...
I currently have switched over to a gas. 100% argon. I have a Lincoln
Pro-Core 100 Mig that I just switched over to the gas. I'm using a
.023" SS 308L wire and trying to learn to weld SS. The settings on this
machine are A-B-C-D for voltage and 1-10 for wire speed.

Last night I tried many many settings in push and drag styles. Most of
the time the bead layed on top or was too hot. I finally found settings
between B-2 and B-3 that make a decent looking bead. The push style
seemed better. I was depositing the bead on a .043" SS beer keg top I
had cut out.

Anyway there was much popping and hissing during the trials and it was
frustrating. Then when i tried to fillet-weld two pieces (thicker
stock) it didnt work..

Pretty agravating I must say..

Blueraven..


Stainless steel is a bear to weld with the process you are supposed to use -
TIG. Just like aluminum. You CAN do it with MIG wire, but it just doesn't
do as good a job as you can do with TIG. Some people become proficient with
a MIG on stainless and aluminum, but reach a point where that's as good as
it gets.

If it is important for you to weld SS, get the right gear, take lessons, and
do it right. If not, you are playing with some highly pricey consumables
with dubious results.

Just my two cents, and I've been welding for 31 years now. Others will tell
you it can be done. Yes, it can. But, it looks like "gorilla welds", the
stuff you are looking at. It might even hold.

But, you have seen real purty welds, and you know what TIG can do. When it
comes to SS and Al, MIG doesn't even come within a block.

Steve

On 4 Dec 2005 15:04:43 -0800, "Blueraven" wrote:

I currently have switched over to a gas. 100% argon. I have a Lincoln
Pro-Core 100 Mig that I just switched over to the gas. I'm using a
.023" SS 308L wire and trying to learn to weld SS. The settings on this
machine are A-B-C-D for voltage and 1-10 for wire speed.

Last night I tried many many settings in push and drag styles. Most of
the time the bead layed on top or was too hot. I finally found settings
between B-2 and B-3 that make a decent looking bead. The push style
seemed better. I was depositing the bead on a .043" SS beer keg top I
had cut out.

Anyway there was much popping and hissing during the trials and it was
frustrating. Then when i tried to fillet-weld two pieces (thicker
stock) it didnt work..

Pretty agravating I must say..

Welcome to the world of SS. Pure argon can be used but as you've
learned it's pretty tough to make it work right. Adding a little O2 or
C02 helps but still won't work well for short arc (which you will have
use on that small a machine). Tri mix might be better but 75% argon ad
25% co2 can be used though it will not produce a nice looking bead and
will need work to make it fully corrosion resistant.

Short stickout of the wire is needed for short arc welding with SS.
However with pure argon the arc likes to jump back to the tip making
short stickout difficult. Ideally you use spray arc for this situation
but that takes more voltage than your machine will put out.


Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm

Thanks for the help Wayne and Steve.

I just got thru with another practice session. I fnd out that at b-4 or
c-4 settings I can make a good bead.

I have to be closer in on the B setting than the C setting. C is higher
volts than B.

Also, I've fnd out that if i run it with very fast popping sound with
abt 1/4"+ stickout i can get a decent looking bead. If i hold very
close to the metal and get the fast popping I have to go much faster.

However, when i tried to weld up a plate perp to another plate, it
didnt seemt to work . Lots of splatter and more globs. I think i may be
trying to do it like i do with the arc welder. Yoo know, weaving with
the stick..

Shl i be able to do a smooth fillet weld wo weaving with the mig? I
think the ss on the plates may be better than that on the kegs. Its
scrap from Dowling-Bach and they make some real sturdy and professional
gear for the oil industry..

Anyway, if i pay close attention i seem to at least be able to make a
decent bead in the popping mode(Globular mode.)

Wayne Cook wrote:

Tri mix might be better but 75% argon ad 25% co2 can be used though it
will not produce a nice looking bead and will need work to make it fully
corrosion resistant.

Adding CO2 to the gas will add carbon to the weld. That means that the
SS will lose it's corrosion resistance.

Nick
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

On Mon, 5 Dec 2005 11:21:07 +0100, (Nick Müller)
wrote:

Wayne Cook wrote:

Tri mix might be better but 75% argon ad 25% co2 can be used though it
will not produce a nice looking bead and will need work to make it fully
corrosion resistant.

Adding CO2 to the gas will add carbon to the weld. That means that the
SS will lose it's corrosion resistance.

Correct. I believe that passivating the weld will help that though
I'm far from a expert in that area.

Wayne Cook
Shamrock, TX
http://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm

All,

The steel is 304 ss. It is a beer keg ss.

I talked to a welding engineer, as the people at Air Liquide called the
guy. Anyway, he said there wasn't much he cld help me with. He said I
may get the weld to hold but they would probably leak. Right now i just
want to weld close nipples and couplings to the side of beer kegs.

He said my best bet was to

1. either get a good tig welder and spend abt 20 hrs practiceing and
then do abt 4 projects to get it right. OR

2. I cld fit the stuff up like i want it and take it to ss welder to do
the work.

After that conversation, Im abt ready to convert the small Linclon mig
I have back to mild steel mode and do one of those options.

What do ya think?

Number 1 if you have the time and the money - you have the person. (the big three requirements)
Number 2 if you need it now - likely - and you can learn later as wanted.
On with the real job.

Martin
Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



Blueraven wrote:
All,

The steel is 304 ss. It is a beer keg ss.

I talked to a welding engineer, as the people at Air Liquide called the
guy. Anyway, he said there wasn't much he cld help me with. He said I
may get the weld to hold but they would probably leak. Right now i just
want to weld close nipples and couplings to the side of beer kegs.

He said my best bet was to

1. either get a good tig welder and spend abt 20 hrs practiceing and
then do abt 4 projects to get it right. OR

2. I cld fit the stuff up like i want it and take it to ss welder to do
the work.

After that conversation, Im abt ready to convert the small Linclon mig
I have back to mild steel mode and do one of those options.

What do ya think?


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I decided to forego my welding ss with the little 88amp Lincoln
Pro-Core 100 i have.

I converted it back to flux core mode.

does anyone know where there are instructions for that type of welding.
Is it basically like mig hardwire welding with gas except w/o the gas.

I'm pretty fair with my Lincoln Buzz box and the 7018 electrode. Guess
ill just practice with the flux core and kinda compare it to my stick
expercience.

I also just finished reading he mIller mig book. Really liked that
book.

Blueraven

Will the flux-core mode of deposition be the same as a regular mig.
There are bacially 4 types;

1. Short Circuit

2. Globular

3. Spray Arc

4. Pulsed-Spray.

I know my small Pro-Core 100(88amp max) doesnt handle pulsed and the
spray arc is high voltage and amps and uses rich argon gas.

What mode would I get with it using flux wire. . I fig I must be
getting the short circuit mode but am not sure.

I did notice that when I did the ss, there were definite globs of wire
being injected into the weld puddle. Since I've switched back to
Flux-core, it seems more like a sizzle and more like the arc welding
sound. Frying bacon type sound.

Anyone knowledgable about flux-core welding?

Blueraven wrote:

I was depositing the bead on a .043" SS beer keg top I
had cut out.

This is quite thin (I realized it only now). Some MIG/MAGs have trouble
with that.
What I would try (sorry, I read that you installed your flux core) to
do: Go up with your voltage. It is OK if you are burning holes after
some (2 to 3 seconds). As your MIG/MAG doesn't make interval welding,
you have to do it manualy. 1 Second on, 1 second of, 1 on, 1 off....
Work your way around it.
This is boring, I admit. But I think your weld is not too long.

Also, if you go up with voltage (and risk of burning a hole) you can do
the following: If you are near YAH (yet another hole) increase the
distance between nozzle and part. This will make a cooler arc. Takes
some practice. :-)


Nick
--
Motor Modelle // Engine Models
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de
DIY-DRO - YADRO - Eigenbau-Digitalanzeige

I've pretty much gave up on the ss with this machine. Its now a
shielded wire machine.

I guess i cld try brazing or do what i said in the earlier post.

thanks