Welding 440c and ats

[insanity]

I am wondering if tig welding 440C and/or ATS 34 is significantly harder or different from welding any of the 300 series stainless?

Thanks,
INS

 

[Mike Hull]

I don't know if it would be remarkably different,but it couldn't be any harder than with the 300 series.

 

[Darrel Ralph]

A "missle weld" welding rod will do either series.

 

[ejt]

One caution

When you weld 440 or ATS or any of the heat treatable stainless, the heat from the weld process will harden the steel in the area immediately next to the weld. The local temperature will be raised high enough to do what a heat treat furnace does, and the rest of the blade being a heat sink, will quench that area. Then you will have a quenched and untempered area around the weld, which will be very brittle and prone to cracking. You will need to temper the blade as soon as it cools down. A couple hours at about 400/500 F will be OK.

Is the blade already heat treated? If so, the temper after welding should be at the same temperature as the original temperiong in heat treat, to keep from softening the blade. (You will still unavoidably have a thin "ring" of softness around the weld from the heat.) If the blade is not yet heat treated, the tempering temperature does not matter - the steel will all go to its regular hardness when you heat treat it (except the weld deposit, if it is not a similar heat treatable material.)

Good luck!

 

[insanity]

Thank you for all the info. All the welding will be done before final forming and heat treating. I will post as to how it goes when my steel arives and I get to play with it.