Stainless Steel

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I'm new to welding and have gotten real good at grinding. I would like to find out the capabilities of my Lincoln 175. Will it do stainless? Does anyone have pictures of some of there welds with this machine?(Stainless or Steel).HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Reply:Happy New Year to you too!You didn't say what kind of Lincoln 175 machine you have.  If it's a MIG or DC TIG it will weld stainless.   You will need stainless filler wire, most likely 309, or 316 for anything for kitchen or food service.   On the gas, the simplest answer is- use argon.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:I am assuming you are talking about a 175 mig welder.... It does a great job. To start with SS, get a small spool of 308 filler. Just use the regular c25 gas, don't bother to go out and get a special bottle of tri-mix. Pure argon with mig tends to leave the welds humped up, and gives less penetration. With the c25 gas, you will get a little carbon on top, not a big deal. SS welds easily, like regular steel. The one thing is, SS will react to the welding more, you may see a bit more warping, especially in thin sheet.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:Yes, I do have the Lincoln 175 mig. Thanks for the responses. I wll pickup a spool of stainless and give it a go.
Reply:Do not use 309 filler wire. That is for joining steel to stainless steel.You want 308 filler wire. Sold in .023 and .030 308L. "L" just means low carbon. That will be correct for 304 or 316 base metal.304  sheet metal is much more common at the scrap yards.To do GMAW on stainless you would want tri mix gas (helium,argon ,co2) for GMAW. Use a pushing motion.IT will work - BUT IT IS VERY TRICKY. And like the other member said thin metal will warp a lot because wire feed has a very high heat input, as opposed to say TIG which has a low heat input and couple that to the fact that stainless is predisposed to warping.I did try this with a SP125 Lincoln but I had to turn the wire speed up ALL the way up, and the finished weld looked like tooth paste. If I remember right i think i was experimenting with 16 or 18 guage stainless. I considered the experiment a failure. Only to used in some extreme emergency of which i could not envision. The SP175 should have better results maybe even acceptable. I have a feeling 1/4 inch plate properly prepared(groove joint) would be max thickness.Just a guess.Let us know ,but weld a joint  a groove, NOT just a bead on a plate. Thanks.Last edited by Donald Branscom; 01-01-2008 at 08:58 PM.
Reply:I like the 3/32 316&309ss stick rods.
Reply:Originally Posted by Mark...I like the 3/32 316&309ss stick rods.
Reply:you are right. i will shut up now after saying:     do not try to use pure argon for mig on ss
Reply:Originally Posted by RojodiabloI am assuming you are talking about a 175 mig welder.... It does a great job. To start with SS, get a small spool of 308 filler. Just use the regular c25 gas, don't bother to go out and get a special bottle of tri-mix. Pure argon with mig tends to leave the welds humped up, and gives less penetration. With the c25 gas, you will get a little carbon on top, not a big deal. SS welds easily, like regular steel. The one thing is, SS will react to the welding more, you may see a bit more warping, especially in thin sheet.
Reply:duplicate postLast edited by William McCormick Jr; 01-01-2008 at 10:35 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by William McCormick JrYou can weld up to 16 gauge with Argon stright up. With a Miller 185. Don't weave. 0.030" wire. I did a couple hundred feet of this type of welding a couple months ago. Stay till you are hot enough and then go quickly. You have to stay right on the seam though. Not forgiving at all. Does it look a little cold? Not if you see the inside. Does it look real pretty heck no. But yet it is strong and penetrates. I could have TIG welded it. But at the speed they wanted it done. TIG would have looked worse. And I was not going to TIG weld with high frequency, standing in muddy puddles on a job site. I don't like the surface temperature CO2 and or helium apply to stainless Steel. Years ago we had three phase machines that let you adjust the voltage and amperage, and wire feed. So without trying your machine I cannot say for sure that it will work.         Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:Rojo,The 'ideal' gas for MIG on stainless is usually tri-mix, or 98-2 Ar-O2, or a low CO2-argon blend like C5 or C2.  Running a gas mix with more than about 5% CO2  when welding stainless steel can lead to excess carbon pick-up, especially in multi-pass welds.Sometimes, C25 can be used to weld stainless steel, at the loss of some of the 'stainless' properties.  But it is -not- the ideal gas for MIG on stainless steel.The 175 MIG should do OK on stainless.  308/308L wire and a cylinder of tri-mix is generally the stuff to use there, unless you have a specific and 'higher' alloy stainless you will be welding (or trying to weld).  The Lincoln SP-175Plus manual recommends 0.030 308L wire and 98-2 Ar-O2 for use on stainless from 16 gauge to 10 gauge (page B-6, Table B.1)I thought the puddle acted a little sluggish and stiff when I did some stainless with tri-mix and a Lincoln 3200HD MIG (120V MIG unit).  I think I almost welded the parts to the welding table though!  (went past the edge just a -little- bit, ooops)
Reply:Originally Posted by William McCormick JrYou can weld up to 16 gauge with Argon stright up. With a Miller 185. Don't weave. 0.030" wire. I did a couple hundred feet of this type of welding a couple months ago. Stay till you are hot enough and then go quickly. You have to stay right on the seam though. Not forgiving at all. Does it look a little cold? Not if you see the inside. Does it look real pretty heck no. But yet it is strong and penetrates. I could have TIG welded it. But at the speed they wanted it done. TIG would have looked worse. And I was not going to TIG weld with high frequency, standing in muddy puddles on a job site. I don't like the surface temperature CO2 and or helium apply to stainless Steel. Years ago we had three phase machines that let you adjust the voltage and amperage, and wire feed. So without trying your machine I cannot say for sure that it will work.         Sincerely,             William McCormick
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseRojo,The 'ideal' gas for MIG on stainless is usually tri-mix, or 98-2 Ar-O2, or a low CO2-argon blend like C5 or C2.  Running a gas mix with more than about 5% CO2  when welding stainless steel can lead to excess carbon pick-up, especially in multi-pass welds.Sometimes, C25 can be used to weld stainless steel, at the loss of some of the 'stainless' properties.  But it is -not- the ideal gas for MIG on stainless steel.The 175 MIG should do OK on stainless.  308/308L wire and a cylinder of tri-mix is generally the stuff to use there, unless you have a specific and 'higher' alloy stainless you will be welding (or trying to weld).  The Lincoln SP-175Plus manual recommends 0.030 308L wire and 98-2 Ar-O2 for use on stainless from 16 gauge to 10 gauge (page B-6, Table B.1)I thought the puddle acted a little sluggish and stiff when I did some stainless with tri-mix and a Lincoln 3200HD MIG (120V MIG unit).  I think I almost welded the parts to the welding table though!  (went past the edge just a -little- bit, ooops)
Reply:Here's a stupid question. Why should you switch your wire when welding stainless? On a whim I butt welded some stainless sheet together using a Miller 140 w/ AS and .24. It worked. I bashed it with a hammer a bunch of times too.
Reply:Originally Posted by tst1050Here's a stupid question. Why should you switch your wire when welding stainless? On a whim I butt welded some stainless sheet together using a Miller 140 w/ AS and .24. It worked. I bashed it with a hammer a bunch of times too.