316 root practice

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Ok so to start I have my Duplex ticket.  Im told regular stainless is easier to root.  I don't know never had to root the stuff....I have some 1/8 316 L tig rod but I do not have any stainless pipe.   I do how ever have some 6 inch carbon pipe.   Would it be beneficial to practice rooting the carbon pipe with the 316 wire ?   I hear some qualification tests are done on all carbon using stainless wires like 316.And yes for the experts on here who are going to exclaim im using the wrong stainless wire on carbon, I know 309 is supposed to be used this is just for practice....Oh and im running a miller cst280 with foot pedalJourneyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:Yes, its good practice. If you have the filler and the pipe/tube, give it a try. You will need to purge to keep the stainless filler from sugaring. As you know, 309 is usually used for practice/test on carbon steel pipe. I'm not sure if you could bend the 316 joint like you can with 309, but you could try.Airco Ac/Dc 300 HeliwelderMillerMatic 200 (stolen)Miller Maxstar 150STLMiller AEAD200LE (welding and generating power) Hobart MIG
Reply:Thanks,  I have no plans for bend tests just a visual look and see.  just looking to get my root down.  will probably dip like I did on the duplexJourneyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:The last time I did any 316 stainless Tig welding was in the 1970s. If I remember correctly the 316 puddle is a lot more watery / flowing than mild steel.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPThe last time I did any 316 stainless Tig welding was in the 1970s. If I remember correctly the 316 puddle is a lot more watery / flowing than mild steel.
Reply:Nothing wrong with practicing on carbon but stainless will weld different. Lots of places test stainless on carbon simply from a economic standpoint. I've done my share of each but I personally don't think stainless testing on carbon is a accurate test of someone's true stainless ability. Jmo
Reply:Hmm if stainless is more runny than mild steel id imagine rooting stainless is harder than duplex.  With duplex the puddle isn't runny at all,  it doesn't want to flow you kind of have to work the metal with the tig torch to get it to flow..Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:Stainless isn't so much runny as it is more flowing than duplex. You have to work duplex and read a dirty puddle. Stainless wil flow better with the point of the tungsten.  Now stainless on carbon is a PITA because it wants to liquefy before the edge of the carbon.  I float ss tig wire when doing a dissimilar weld so I know I broke down the edges. Sent from my SGH-M919 using TapatalkLong after the price is forgotten, the quality will remain.Both of my Poppy's 1954 Short Hoods -Third generation to weld with it and teaching a fourthSA 2## - Bought and sold more than I can remember or care to list, 8 in the shop right now
Reply:It was suggested to me by the guys at work to run stainless just as I have the duplex.  The guy who runs most of the roots says he doesn't see much of a difference between the duplex and regular stainless other than the duplex being a dirtier weld..   I dip my roots on duplex just like the rest of the guys at work.   I don't know if youd get away with continuous feed on the root,  id fear lack of fusion.Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw
Reply:I've always keyholed and dipped stainless.  Possibly I never ventured into high enough amperages for the lay wire technique.
Reply:308, 309 and 316 feel less runny than mild steel to me.If I had to grade them from the one which flows more to the one that flows less it would be:308316309Bear in mind though that this can vary slightly from one manufacturer to another.
Reply:I'm a retired Weld Engineer, any practice will help but by not using SS pipe or plate you will not see how the coupons shrink, or draw together and that's what you need to over come
Reply:Shrinkage isn't that much of an issue with the welding side of things  if my joint in the real world on stainless shrinks too much I will just cut back through so I can run my root.   I have had that happen plenty on 7018 roots.  Stick a 7018 root in carbon pipe and it just wants to shrink right up on you.   drop the grinder through clean up the burrs and go on..Journeyman / Red Seal Welder (What a useless test)Miller CST 280Miller XMT 350Miller 12vs XtremeEvolution Evo 28 mag drillEvolution 380 Dry Cut saw