Wire type for 301 stainless

admin

What type of wire would be best to mig weld 301 stainless steel. I don't want  to get a different gas so what would work ok with argon/co2 mix. I am going to be grinding the welds down to get a perfect smooth corner so I don't expect a perfect weld without the proper gas. All I am doing to making a 3" cube that I want to polish to a mirror finish.I was thinking of 308L but wasn't sure if that is the best way to go or not.BTW Does anyone have a chart that shows all the different types of metal and what wire is best suited for them.
Reply:301 stainless is an austenitic 18-8 stainless steel. It is readily welded with either a 308 or 308L electrode. Typically when short arcing stainless you will find that trimix helium based gases are recommended especially for items such as process pipe or food equipment. This is due to possible corrosion issues caused by the disassociation of carbon in CO2 shielding gases. This free carbon can then be absorbed into the weld puddle leaving it more susceptable to corrosion. If corrosion is less of a concern then a 75% argon/25% CO2 mix will work.Last edited by reddoggoose; 08-09-2007 at 11:06 PM.Arguing with a Welding Engineer is like wrestling with a pig... after a while you realize the pig likes it
Reply:Wow thats some good information, I am welding this just as a little project to see how stainless welds, I get lots of free scrap stainless and was going to just play around with some.So what is the difference in the 308 and 308L wire.
Reply:Carbon content is the only difference. An ER308 is allowed .08% carbon maximum. An ER 308L is .03% carbon maximum. The difference in carbon is too help offset any corrosion issues in order to limit the amount of carbon tying up the chromium in the weld metal and heat affected zone. For what you are doing it won't make any difference.Arguing with a Welding Engineer is like wrestling with a pig... after a while you realize the pig likes it
Reply:Another good description, reddoggoose.To add to what you said, here is a past post discussing carbide precipitation (sensitization) of austenitic, 300 series stainless steels.  http://www.weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread...+precipitationMaybe you can correct any incorrect statements I've made, or give additional information.