Welding Stainless

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We have been building a car for some time now and it's almost done main part holding us back now is headers.  Headers are going to be done in stainless however I don't have shielding gas to do them with. Can I use a roll of stainless wire with out shielding gas just to make a few tacs so I can get it to hold together so I can take it to a friend of mine at a machine shop to weld up the rest of the way?  Also I have heard that when welding stainless your but joints need to match up perfect no gaps is this true that it is alot more picky?
Reply:Mayday...Mayday!The plane is going down!Based on your question, I'm picturing some very ugly header welds.I am guessing that it takes some real great welding skills to make good quality, good looking header welds.Dude, you're headed for a real mess if you don't slow down and learn how to properly weld SS, before just blasting away on your headers.No, you cannot MIG weld, even a small tack, without shielding gas.Yes, precise joint fittup is very important to making a high quality weld with good appearance.Have you thought to have an experienced welder TIG weld your headers for you?  This would almost certainly save you in the long run.
Reply:I couldn't agree with pulser more.The fit up of the tubes has to be in the thousandths. NO GAPS.This takes a lot of time but is worth it in the end.Here is a pic of a SS mid-pipe that I built to show you that it's worth it and you don't want to go boogering up the welds. Especially with the price of SS nowadays!!- Paulhttp://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:ZT,Thanks for the awesome weld pics, that is an excellent example of precision, high quality tubing welds.  Looks like it should be easy.
Reply:If you are going to go through all the trouble of making your own pipes, and want to do it yourself, go get a tank of gas... Then learn how to do it.  I would not start on SS unless you have a lot of $$ since it has gone way up in the last few mounts (again!) but start with mild steel and weld away!  TIG will be a lot better for this application, but you *can* do it with a MIG  , but I would take it to your friend and have them TIG it.   Why do you have a welder you cant weld with?If it's a MIG and you don't want gas use fluxcore wire, but I would recommend gas.
Reply:You could use masking tape, at least an 1/2", away from both of the edges and mark the pipes as they would fit both pieces like 1,2... as well as the rotation marks like point A on pipe 1 to point A on pipe 2 to bring to your friend.  That's of course if he has the time to piece them together and this isn't something you need him to do quickly.
Reply:As ZTFab pointed out..No filler needed when working with perfectly fitting parts..So much easier.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Even a tack without gas will look kinda like lava rock. It don't work trying to weld over it to fix it.
Reply:You could put 3 small tacks.  Have the welder put 3 other tacks to hold it together, grind your tacks and reweld.  It CAN be done looking nice, but I really don't know if it's worth it.  They will be very porous and will burn the metal and can lead to cracking or leaks later.  Not good.  I'd take everybody's advice and let someone else do it or get a bottle if you feel you are a good enough fitter.
Reply:Ive been doing alot of .065 stainless tube recently and welding stainless tube is definatly tricky, but once you get the hang of it the finished product looks really nice.As far as gaps go, Ill repeat what the rest have said the better the fit the better off you are.  If they fit perfect I almost always fuse them.  However, If its a really small gap 1/16 -1/8 I dont seem to have any problem welding it and leaving a good bead.  I frequently get bigger gaps and they can be done with patience and very low heat.
Reply:I kinda of think my qustion got mixed up to most people I see one guy that gave me the answer I was really looking for as I knew most of the other stuff.  I am not wanting to attempt to weld stainless as I am not experienced enough.  All I am wanting to do is make 3 or so tacs a pipe so I can take it to someone to weld up and do a nice job.  I'm just wanting to know if doing 3 tacs then leting the welder remove my tacs as he welds using a grinder if the end apearance and such will be fine...  I just can't find anyone around here that is experienced enough or anywhere close to resonably priced for me to justify  having them get with me and build the headers....  So I figure if I can just take time cutting and grinding and getting perfect fitment and just lightly tacing together and take it to some one else to weld cost shold not be to high at all as it should be fairly easy to do with the right equipment might even be able to find someone to Tig it for me.
Reply:oh yeah and one more thing I forgot.  I love this forum...  this is one of the best forums I have ever been a member of, knowledgeable people that respond quickly and nicely no matter how simple the question or how new the person is.... Great place to be a part of.
Reply:Originally Posted by mayday0017oh yeah and one more thing I forgot.  I love this forum...  this is one of the best forums I have ever been a member of, knowledgeable people that respond quickly and nicely no matter how simple the question or how new the person is.... Great place to be a part of.