Hey guys,
I have access to a millermatic 251. Right now I only have one size 300 bottle of C-25 and I don't think I will be able to get tri-mix for a while. What do you think my results will be like if I weld 18 Gauge stainless using the C-25 mix? Does any 300 series wire weld with most 300 stainless steels (like 308L wire and 304 stock?)
Thanks,
S
MIG gas and SS wire advice sought
Mig gas and ss wire
I have been using that combo for about a year now with good results. In a perfect world I would use tri-mix but then I would need to swap out tanks in addition to wire every time I wanted to weld SS. I am led to understand that using C-25 may "leach" out some of the elements that make the stainless "stainless". This can be minimized by completing the weld in one pass(limiting the heat).
The 300 series should weld the various 300 sheets fine.
My first post by the way!
The 300 series should weld the various 300 sheets fine.
My first post by the way!
Welcome to Des Moines....This is what death is like.
Snapped from Haynes Welding Manual.
Gas selection:
If you were interested in welding stainless-steel, you can actually use the C-25 gas we recommended above for mild steel, but a mixture of 90% helium, 7.5% argon and 2.5% CO2 is widely used in stainless-steel MIG welding because it offers a higher heat for the normally sluggish weld puddle on stainless, as well as offering good stability, penetration and resistance to corrosion.
If you have to pick just one type of gas, the C-25 works great on steel, can be used on stainless-steel and is also useable on cast iron.
Wire Selection:
The basic rule of welding electrode selection is to choose a wire or electrode whose content is much the same as the parent metal you are welding. In the case of stainless-steel, it can be welded with the steel wire we have recommended above [ER70S], but for better corrosion resistance (the main reason for making something from stainless steel in the first place) stainless-steel wire should be used. There are various alloys of stainless-steel, but one of the more common varieties is type 304, and the best wire for MIG welding type 304 is called ER308, with variations of increasing silicone content in ER308L and ER308LS.
Gas selection:
If you were interested in welding stainless-steel, you can actually use the C-25 gas we recommended above for mild steel, but a mixture of 90% helium, 7.5% argon and 2.5% CO2 is widely used in stainless-steel MIG welding because it offers a higher heat for the normally sluggish weld puddle on stainless, as well as offering good stability, penetration and resistance to corrosion.
If you have to pick just one type of gas, the C-25 works great on steel, can be used on stainless-steel and is also useable on cast iron.
Wire Selection:
The basic rule of welding electrode selection is to choose a wire or electrode whose content is much the same as the parent metal you are welding. In the case of stainless-steel, it can be welded with the steel wire we have recommended above [ER70S], but for better corrosion resistance (the main reason for making something from stainless steel in the first place) stainless-steel wire should be used. There are various alloys of stainless-steel, but one of the more common varieties is type 304, and the best wire for MIG welding type 304 is called ER308, with variations of increasing silicone content in ER308L and ER308LS.
Cet wrote:I've tried it in a pinch and it seemed to work fine. IIRC Adam from Whit reMountain said that he prefers it as it gives him a hotter and flatter bead.
They've got to come up with some alternativeds given the current shortage of helium.
Two thumbs up
Sean F. Ryan
Writer's Tears is comparable to an angel standing on the edge of a cloud peeing on the back of your tongue!
Writer's Tears is comparable to an angel standing on the edge of a cloud peeing on the back of your tongue!
thanks
Thanks guys, hi Dave!
I suspected that people were cheating, cause I saw only one bottle in their shop and I knew they were welding stainless.
Honestly helium has gone up some but not much. It's not like Krypton ($6K per 300) but I hear yah.
Did you notice the typo in the Haynes manual?
"There are various alloys of stainless-steel, but one of the more common varieties is type 304, and the best wire for MIG welding type 304 is called ER308, with variations of increasing silicone content in ER308L and ER308LS."
I think they mean the metaloid silicon not the rubber silicone
W
I suspected that people were cheating, cause I saw only one bottle in their shop and I knew they were welding stainless.
Honestly helium has gone up some but not much. It's not like Krypton ($6K per 300) but I hear yah.
Did you notice the typo in the Haynes manual?
"There are various alloys of stainless-steel, but one of the more common varieties is type 304, and the best wire for MIG welding type 304 is called ER308, with variations of increasing silicone content in ER308L and ER308LS."
I think they mean the metaloid silicon not the rubber silicone
W
Re: thanks
waveicle wrote:I think they mean the metaloid silicon not the rubber silicone
Maybe their minds were on other things.