Mig welding stainless tips needed

Discussion in 'Materials' started by crzhors, May 24, 2008.

  1. crzhors
    Joined: Aug 2006
    Posts: 21
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: panama

    crzhors Junior Member

    Greetings, I'd like to start doing my own Stainless welding repairs, railings,exhausts,mounts etc, anyone have suggestions on a Affordable wire feed setup to use? thanks!
     
  2. alan white
    Joined: Mar 2007
    Posts: 3,730
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    Location: maine

    alan white Senior Member

    A good start is the Lincoln SP 135T. About $450.00, and a tank would be about $130.00 or you can rent (bad idea if you are an occasional welder).
    Stainless requires a different gas from carbon steel, so if you want to do both, you're into twice the tank budget.
    Stainless welds just like carbon steel with a MIG. The weld is as strong as the base metal.
    Other brands are Hobart, Miller, and a few others. Stay away from cheaper rigs like Century and beware the Home Depot or Lowes Lincoln models--- they are not the same machine as is sold at welding supplies. Your best deal is actually the welding supply houses.
    You can weld up to 1/4" in a single pass with the smaller welders mentioned, and multiple passes do thicker material. Most jobs are in that range.
    I've made a lot of sailboat parts from stainless. Once ground and polished, they look like expensive manufactured parts.

    Alan
     
  3. crzhors
    Joined: Aug 2006
    Posts: 21
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: panama

    crzhors Junior Member

    Stainless Welding

    Thanks Alan, I'm currently in a very backward area of Panama,and trying to get the machine and gas lined up. I've got lots of projects just waiting to be started. :cool:
     

  4. northerncat
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 170
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 9
    Location: australia

    northerncat Senior Member

    buy a 300$ inverter tig stick welder, do your structural stuff with the stick and your pretty stuff/repairs with the tig, low cost outlay for high return all my stainles is done this way if you have more money by all means go mig
    sean
     
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