Stainless welding rods

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Did a little trading this week, and ended up with some assorted sealed tubes of TIG & stick stainless welding rods.  What little stainless welding I have done has been non structural, primarily using random stainless pieces to complete projects with mild steel (MIG).  I do have a little bit of stainless material in the shop, but the majority of it is unknown as to which type of SS.Here's what I ended up with:2x 10lb ESAB Arcaloy 309L-16 1/8"1x 10lb ESAB Arcaloy 308L-161x Lincoln Red Baron 316/316L MR10lb Techweld E308L-16 1/8" TIG rod (14")10lb Oxford ER310 3/32 TIG rod (36")Any suggestions on the best uses of the above rods, as far as which stainless materials they are designed for?I've never tried SMAW with stainless, is it fairly comparable with mild steel (as for as process, heat settings, etc)?I also picked up an 8lb tube of Alloy 182 3/32 stick rod and 1lb 60ni stick rod in the deal...although I will probably find a use for the 60ni before I ever mess with Inconel.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Jason280

Did a little trading this week, and ended up with some assorted sealed tubes of TIG & stick stainless welding rods.  What little stainless welding I have done has been non structural, primarily using random stainless pieces to complete projects with mild steel (MIG).  I do have a little bit of stainless material in the shop, but the majority of it is unknown as to which type of SS.Here's what I ended up with:2x 10lb ESAB Arcaloy 309L-16 1/8"1x 10lb ESAB Arcaloy 308L-161x Lincoln Red Baron 316/316L MR10lb Techweld E308L-16 1/8" TIG rod (14")10lb Oxford ER310 3/32 TIG rod (36")Any suggestions on the best uses of the above rods, as far as which stainless materials they are designed for?I've never tried SMAW with stainless, is it fairly comparable with mild steel (as for as process, heat settings, etc)?I also picked up an 8lb tube of Alloy 182 3/32 stick rod and 1lb 60ni stick rod in the deal...although I will probably find a use for the 60ni before I ever mess with Inconel.
Reply:The  -16  in the designation means they are AC/DC , all position welding rods. the 316 can be used on 316 stainless steel(the MR is for Moisture Resistant). Is the tech weld 14" really tig rod ? Settings for welding vary from different manufacturers so you should either read the container, or if not readable, go online and find the recommended settings. Stainless rods have a heavy slag that you have to pay attention to, like a 7018 lime type slag. Need to keep them dry too, if not, they get crumbly, fingernail a lot, and make porosity in the weld. I have never  used 310 before, need to look that one up. I have used 312 lots of times in tig. Nice find, stainless stuff is not cheap. Most of the stainless rods will work on different stainless grades without too much problem, the only difference is how corrosion resistance the material will be after welding. If your doing something food/pharma/medical you need to get it right, using the correct rod with the right material. Hope you get some use out of themAirco 250 ac/dc Heliwelder Square waveMiller Synchrowave 180 sdMiller Econo Twin HFLincoln 210 MPDayton 225 ac/dcVictor torchesSnap-On YA-212Lotos Cut60D
Reply:Is the tech weld 14" really tig rod ?