Welding thin stainless

waywardtravel · Newbie Joined: 07 Jul 2016 Posts: 50

All I have right now is a miller thunderbolt AC/DC buzz box. I see stainless sticks for welding everywhere for sale.

Has anyone successfully and cleanly stick welded stainless sheet metal 14 or 16ga without too much cleanup. Hard to find on you tube. lol

I plan to buy some to test with. Then maybe build a scratch start tig next then pony up if that doesn't work.

I would only be building some prep tables with 16 or 14 ga and square tubing I believe. Maybe an extractor hood.

I have no problem welding 16ga raw steel.

gandrfab · Posted: Tue Jul 12 16 1:04 am Post subject:

Sometimes you have to work with what you have.
I would tig it.
Scratch starts are not that hard to work with.
Not having a pedal to control the temp can be a pain.

SoCalSmoker · Joined: 09 May 2014 Posts: 24

If you can stick 16 gauge mild steel you shouldn't have a problem with stainless. The cleanup is a lot more than tig.

k.a.m. · Posted: Fri Jul 15 16 6:55 pm Post subject:

If you can manage welding the 14/16 gauge with a 3/32" rod without blowing out you will be fine. I am not sure you can get a smaller SS rod than 3/32" but it has been a while since I have purchased them.
_________________
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gandrfab · Posted: Fri Jul 15 16 10:59 pm Post subject:

I got stuck doing auto body work with a stick in a back yard with rods that weren't kept in a drier.

Tack, tack, tack......... it worked but it was not pretty.

waywardtravel · Newbie Joined: 07 Jul 2016 Posts: 50

Thanks. It sounds like worth a try anyways. I've been too busy at work to touch my project for a couple weeks. I'll give it a try for sure.