WELDING STAINLESS STEEL

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
Hey people, I went to Walmart and bought one of those hobby sized wire feed welders. It said on the box you could weld stainless with it. I didn't really believe it, but I tried it and it worked fantastic. I thought you had to use a tig welder for stainless, but now you don't. The weld even looks like the stainless after its sanded down.Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
Were you using flux core wire? Or was it a Mig machine?

I'd expect even with the flux that without the helium/argon shielding gas that it'd just carburize the stainless into junk, or just "burn it away".

I used to use a E-6010 rod on an old Lincoln to cut thin 316. Tried to weld some mail with it once, but it pretty much just evaporated the links.
 
L6, what kind of stainless were you welding? Was it sheet, plate, a knife, etc.?
Snick, have you tried hammer welding rings since then?

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
I used 9mm flux core wire, and it was 440c stainless bar stock just like I make blades out of. I was shocked it worked so well. I'm gonn try welding a stainless guard onto a fighter blade. I'll let everyone know how it comes out.
 
Impressive. I'd be tempted to check that weld with a heavy hammer, though. Maybe stress test it through the temperature range... Be fun, if nothing else.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
I'm going to weld up a test piece and send it off to the heat treater with some blades. That way I'll know if the weld treats like the stainless or if it will discolor. I'll report the outcome.
 
Great, I look forward to hearing about the results. Can you email me with the brand name of the welder? I might get one, with the rave review you've given it here.

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Oz

"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."
- Henry J. Kaiser
 
HEY NOW, I'M NOT FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE THINGS!!! LOL! THE ONE I BOUGHT IS A CAMPBELL HAUSFELD MOD. WF2000.

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
I found that a good aproach to doing the links, if tedious, is a tig machine. More control plus it doesn't ruin your steel. I used two thin slats of wood, one on either side of the links, held together with a clothespin, as a jig. You'd use it to get a whole row of links sticking up with the join showing, that way you could do it production-style and use both hands.

Early experiments with a pair or pliars and my teeth failed miserably.

One of those squeeze jobs can work too, depending.
 
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