Cleaning SS for tig welding

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I've got some SS 304 practice crops of 1" sq tubing, .065 wall. I've been cleaning them with laquer thinner and a cloth. A young friend who is apprenticing at welding tells me that I should spend a lot of time and use an abrasive (such as new 120 grit emery cloth)on all surfaces of this tubing before welding.I've welded on some of the crops without doing the abrasive routine and on others that have had the full abrasive treatment. I'm in the early stages of learning to tig weld, but can't see any difference between the welds on the abraded tube and on those just cleaned with laquer thinner and a cloth. The stuff already looks as clean as could be without the emery treatment.Is this extra work necessary?I would prefer to spend my hours practicing weld technique rather than grinding away with emery cloth, if possible. Attached Images
Reply:Cleaning with emery paper it totally unnecessary, bordering on one of the more ridiculous pre-weld cleaning methods ive ever heard., I wouldn't even touch it with a solvent unless there is visible oil on the surface.On stainless all I have ever done is wipe it with a rag or cloth if I can see dirt on the surface.  If its heavy dirt or grease you might have to go more but not often.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:I use a Cotton Rag and Acetone for Basically EVERYTHING that I weld.  It Cleans super well and Evaporates VERY quickly and DOES NOT leave any RESIDUE behnid like ALL solvents do..../J...Miller Diversion 165120 amp Buzz BoxVictor Oxy/Ace Oxy/LPGSmith "Little" Oxy/LPGHypertherm Powermax 30Lot's of Misc. tools n' crap....
Reply:Yeah I wouldnt bother cleaning it that much. For general work just clean it if it looks dirty. If it doesnt look dirty you can probably weld through it(for general work). If you do have to clean it try acetone instead.
Reply:be careful of burs when wiping with a rag.  They can cut right through the rag and get your fingers.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Thanks for the replies, this will save a lot of time.I could understand the need to remove mill scale from hot rolled steel or aluminium oxide from aluminium before tig welding, but the SS thing had me scratching my head.The crops seem to have a bit of cutting fluid residue on them so I'll just do the wipe down with laquer thinner or acetone if I have some.
Reply:Originally Posted by jmanI use a Cotton Rag and Acetone for Basically EVERYTHING that I weld.  It Cleans super well and Evaporates VERY quickly and DOES NOT leave any RESIDUE behnid like ALL solvents do..../J...
Reply:rags tend to leave some of themselves behind when you wipe them over a ragged edge on top of cutting yourself lol. Its ok though... real men weld through there own blood.
Reply:Wear gloves when working with Acetone. Drinking it isn't the only hazard. It absorbs through the skin quite quickly and is really not good for you. This advise came from a chemist I had a class with who studied it's affects on the nervous system.200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by RhynoGreat advice, that is exactly what I do.  Plus, you will not get poisoned, unless you drink it.-Rhyno
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloYou can become poisoned by acetone. Plain and simple; just because it has evaporated, does not mean it's not there, still kissing you.......................................................  ....I am telling you because I have been there, and done that.
Reply:Since we're talking about it.  Here is how I use Acetone to clean my parts.I only use it with a TIG process.  On Aluminum or Stainless.  But the Stainless has to be heavily visible.  Very rarely, do I use it on Steel, but will use it on Chromoly.  I only clean my filler material with the crotch of my opposite elbow, just before I use it.  The rest of the time the filler materials stay sealed.I will apply Acetone through an old "Simple Green" or "Windex" bottle.  I will spray it only near the weld joint.  I will wipe it, with a rag, check the cleanliness of the rag and go from there.  Most of the time, I spray once, wipe once, spray again, let it dry/evaporate, and get to welding.Most of the time, my fingers never get wet with the Acetone.  When I am filling the spray bottle, I will get some on my fingers, but immediately wash them.-Rhyno07 Fowler 200D65 RedFace04 Miller TB 302, 22hpMiller 12RCMiller HF 251-1Lincoln SP135HyperTherm PM 380and a few others... Originally Posted by RhynoBut, if I "all of a sudden disappear....  ...." hopefully I didn't suffer too much....
Reply:It's always the stuff that's bad for us that works the best!The best brake shoes I have ever had on my Vincent are the ones that are on there right now. They are some carcinogenic  N.O.S green Ferodo brand which are made with asbestos. With these shoes I can easily lock the front wheel at 50mph.Same thing with acetone and Laquer thinner, both great for cleaning but not so good for us.Glen
Reply:polish the ends to be welded with a flapper wheel or tigerpaw then clean it with alcohol this will dry w/o leaving a residuemember of plumbers and pipefitters local 630 lincoln 130 inverter1965 red face sa 200