Hello....and a question

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Hi Guys,There's a lot of talented folks here!I have been reading through a lot of the older posts and am inspired by all the stuff you guys have made.I wanted to ask a question earlier but didn't know if you folks would help, but it seems like you guys have a good sense of camaraderie and are willing to help newbies.So here goes....Iv'e recently purchased a welder from my dad who had it for repair jobs around the house, he doesn't do any welding anymore.It's a 110 volt MIG (I know, I know, I can hear the laughs now) Clarke.The welder does not have any gas tanks with it and from my research it seems the tanks are kind of exspensive...I will buy one if I have to.I didn't have a lot of discretionary income to buy a welder, but this one is like brand new and I currently do have a job that I could use it on. So I thought I would keep it in the family.My question is can I use this welder to weld some 304L stainless steel with?I have a couple of 3 1/2 inch tubes that are 0.065 inches thick and want to weld a bottom on them to make some canisters(hobby project).Is there a "Flux core" wire for stainless steel I could use to do this job? ...and would it work considering the stainless isn't very thick?It's O.K. if I have to do clean up from spatter and stuff afterwords.If not and I have to buy a tank, could I use just 100% Argon or do I have to use a Trimix.I would like to use the gas on mild steel as well so I won't have to buy two different tanks because I would only rarly be welding stainless canisters.Thanks in advanceazsteveLast edited by azsteve; 07-30-2008 at 06:40 PM.Reason: Additional info
Reply:Hello and welcome to the forum.It's posible to do this. It may not be 100% correct but should work for what it sounds like you want.You can weld SS with mild steel wire or FC, only the weld material will not be stainless. It will hold the bottom on however. .065 is do able with that machine with gas, FC will be a bit more of a challange but posible. You can mig with SS wire and standard C25 gas ( 25% Co2/75% argon), its not perfect but should work for what little you need to do. Usually a trimix is used for SS, but its probably not worth getting a bottle for just a couple of things.Prices on tanks vary. You should be able to get a small 40 cf bottle of C25 at a reasonable price. I can't find my latest add from my LWS but I want to say they ran less than $100 filled. As far as different gasses goes you can usully swap for the gas you want at a later date. If for example later you get a machin that can weld alum and want 100% argon, you can exchange the C25 bottle for 100% argon no problem. Then when you are done swap it back for C25. usually you just pay for the gas you want. You can usually also upgrade and get a bigger bottle by just paying the difference in the sizes when you exchange.Where are you located at? Add the info to your user CP then we will all know. Good luck.