Practically Classics Forum

OK, I am 25 minutes late.
This is what the outside looks like after yesterdays filing down of previous attempts. Plug welds after 2 minutes with a file This is what the inside looks like. It needs some serious cleaning up which i will do with a grinder at the weekend then i can prep the wing for paint. Blob tastic but damn solid!

Yep, that works for me! Just be careful when you use a grinder with ally - wear that mask!

Yes, that'll do to be going on with.

Sorry for the thread-jack but it is related - kind of!

Does anybody know if stainless steel can be welded with a gas-less MIG? I was told the other day by someone who welds trucks for a living that i don't even need to change the wire, just set my welds up and away i go with the MIG torch. Me being me though i like to get second and third (or more) opinions when it's something i know little or nothing about!

Any input gratefully received and once again, apologies for the hijack!

As for aluminium welding, i've only ever done it with oxy-acetylene - same as welding steel except you need a more "delicate" touch.

In a word, Yesn. You can weld it with normal wire but you shouldn't.
Stainless comes in various grades, I'm sure someone who knows more than me will explain them but you should use proper stainless wire.
Something like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/035-308L-FCO- ... 0665438108

IIRC, if you use normal wire, the immediate area is no longer stainless and at risk of rusting (though that applies to normal MIG welding too).

The bloke across the road from us does sheet-metal work and can weld stainless to such a standard that you can't see the join when it's ground back! It has to be good as he works with food production stuff and high pressure pipes etc. It depresses me when I see him working - he makes it look so easy!!

As above, I've welded stainless loads of times but only with normal steel wire, so the weld itself is not longer stainless - for that, buy a reel of stainless wire.

I've done it mainly on exhausts etc. so it hasn't really mattered!

Cheers

Thanks for that the 3 of you. As it goes i'm planning on using stainless to repair an exhaust section (well, build a replacement section really) and need to weld it together. Made the last (original) section using thin-wall mild steel tube and predictably it's corroded on the welds but the rest of it isn't great now either so thought i'd save some future grief and make it's replacement in stainless.

tractorman wrote:...

The bloke across the road from us does sheet-metal work and can weld stainless to such a standard that you can't see the join when it's ground back! It has to be good as he works with food production stuff and high pressure pipes etc. It depresses me when I see him working - he makes it look so easy!!

I've seen pro's with tig welding up 316 stainless pipe in chemical works. A joy to behold watching the skill , but bloody depressing when I compare it to my pigeon turd welding when I haven't had the mig out for months.

Practice makes perfect

There's a certain basic honesty about having a little piece of Trafalgar Square adorning your metalwork IMHO!