Best Way To Weld Stainless Steel Sheet Metal

Stainless steel welding requires a bit more finesse than welding mild steel or aluminum because heat is an enemy in this process there are three methods of stainless steel welding which are preferred over the rest by many welders.

Best way to weld stainless steel sheet metal.

One way to reduce the risk is by selecting a metal that is easily weldable and does not require many extra pre weld and post weld operatins to prevent weld failure. Welding is a complicated process which means there are many complications that can arise. Below are some of the best metals for welding. The best way i have found to tack weld stainless steel sheet metal is.

Make sure the fitup is tight with absolutely no gap prop your tig cup right on the joint with the sharp tungsten electrode tip less than 1 16 from the joint. Say if you are welding an 18 gauge stainless steel sheet that is 2 2 feet in size to repair the side of your tank start by creating a weld that is 1inch long then skip 6 inches and then create a 1 inch long weld. Here s a shot of 0 3 mm stainless cut from a 5l thinners can that was welded in this way. Mig metal inert gas welding.

1 for 1 rule. This is especially useful for carbon steel. The best way to estimate the heat input needed for welding is by applying the 1 for 1 rule this means that 1 amp should be used per 1 thousandth 0 001 inch of thickness. I was hoping to manage a butt weld too but the metal was far too thin for mig and i just blew holes.

The process uses an inert shielding gas and a semi automatic wire feed which acts as the filling material. The stitch welding technique can be very powerful. For mig welding stainless steel a shielding gas mixture that s 90 percent helium 7 5 percent argon and 2 5 percent carbon dioxide is generally ideal. For most jobs welding stainless steel you ll want to use 030 inch diameter stainless steel welding wire.

Continue the same way along the sides of the piece of sheet metal. Also known as gas metal arc welding gmaw. With these materials use a tri mix gas 90 helium 8 argon and 2 co 2. Welding stainless steel is not much different from that required in welding standard carbon steel with a few exceptions.

Metal inert gas mig welding tungsten inert gas tig welding and shielded metal arc welding smaw or. A low cost yet highly productive method of welding which can be used on all common metals and alloys. For thicker base pieces step up to 035 inch to 045 inch welding wire. First you must exercise more care and control with regard to heating and cooling stainless steel.

To weld sheet metal with solid wires use electrode positive ep or reverse polarity. August 27 2020. Lori kilchermann last modified date.