Welding Steel Angle with Stainless MIG wire

admin

I need to build a large shipping crate.  Just strong enough for a week long journey.  Is it okay to weld say 3" ASTM A-36, Hot rolled steel angle with Stainless steel MIG wire with my Millermatic 135 and 98/2 Gas?I plan on making a steel structure then putting plywood panels on the exterior using self-tapping screws.  Anyone ever done this?   Thanks-Eddie
Reply:Why use the expensive stainless steel wire with plain hot rolled A36 steel?  Just use plain steel wire, no sense using the stainless wire to weld plain steel.And your MM135's (or pretty much any machine's) capabilities depend mostly on the -thickness- of the workpieces.  Not the length or width, the thickness.Most name-brand 120V 135-140A class MIG machines can do 1/8 inch thick work OK, and maybe you can stretch that to 1/4 inch thick or so with some prep work, preheat, and using fluxcore wire instead of MIG.  And a short duty-cycle."Just strong enough for a week long journey."  ???  A week of being tumbled in a rock crusher, a week of bouncing down Mt McKinley, a week of sitting on a feather bed, a week of supporting a truck lane on an interstate highway, what?
Reply:Why would fluxcore wire be a better chioce?  I'm asking about the stainless wire because that is all I have at the moment in my shop.And the journey is typical of any shipping crate.  Interstate highway on a flatbed truck, forklift in a warehouse, etc.
Reply:HokieEd,I agree with the previous poster.  Stainless would work but with limitations (due mainly to machine), but the question comes back to "why".  Why use expensive filler and expensive gas when a couple of rolls of fluxcore (no gas) would do the job better.The welds will not be as "pretty" but they will be "stronger".  The MM135 needs all the help it can get.  With 3" angel (which I suspect is 1/4" on the flats) you're really pushing the machine's capability.Just pick up a couple of rolls of fluxcore, change the polarity, bevel the edges to be welded, and start melting metal.Guess that's about the best insight I can provide based on the limited info available.Hope it helps.PS  don't know where you are in VA but if you're close to Deltaville you're welcome to come down and use my HH187 or MM251 to get the job done.  I'll even provide the filler and gas.  Heck, that sounds like an easy job for the Dialarc (stick).Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Flux core wire creates some of its own heat, so it runs a little hotter than bare wire.How thick is the angle?DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:2 lb roll of stainless wire = ~$50 + gas  Plus not quite the correct metal formulation for welding on plain steel.10-12 lb roll of 0.035 fluxcore wire = ~$40  No gas needed, and better thickness capabilities than GMAW/MIG (remember to change the polarity when switching from GMAW to FCAW and back).  Have flux residue to deal with and usually a little more spatter than MIG.example MM135 is rated to weld 3/16 thick steel with 0.035 fluxcore wire (settings 10/45 voltage/speed) but only 1/8 thick steel with solid wire (0.023/0.024 or 0.030 wire, C25 or 100% CO2, set voltage to 10/max and wire speed to 40-75 depending on wire dia and gas used).
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRise10-12 lb roll of 0.035 fluxcore wire = ~$40
Reply:Lincoln NR-211-MP 0.035 FCAW wire 10 lbs - Lowes ~$40Not the absolute greatest price on wire, but better than the LWS!  Or IOC, for that matter now that I just looked.
Reply:Even IOC's $55 is still better than my LWS $65 for Hobart. I'll just have to make a point to get my wire at Lowe's or the like whenever I'm near one.ThanksAnything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT
Reply:Granted, its not the right way to do it but for a shipping crate I cant imagine it wouldnt hold.  If your happy with the little extra cost of stainless, go for it.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Thanks for the info.  I'll be using 2" angle, with a 0.125" thickness.  Much better suited for the machine.  Thanks for the polarity tip on the flux core.  I'll be sure to change it if I use the flux core wire.  Have a good day all!
Reply:The problem with using stainless wire on carbon steel is that the weld chemstry can become hardenable and highly crack prone depending on the mix of SS and CS.  309 SS has a high enough alloy content to be used on CS, but the 308 which you probably have does not and is not a good choice.