Welding question: Rolled steel to stainless?

[radio]

One thing to concider. You can't drill without stainless bits. Also Need a plasma cutter or will have to saw cut it and will go through a lot of blades.

I'd still use it.

Happy smoken.

David

Hmmm.  Hadn't realized that.  Thanks for pointing that out

 

[boykjo]

yes you can GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding AKA tig)  stainless to carbon steel. carbon steel has a higher melting point so you will need to heat the carbon side and move over to the stainless. It is not recommended to GMAW (gas metal arc welding  AKA, mig)  stainless and carbon because carbon steel and stainless steel require different inert gas mixes when mig welding but with your application working on a smoker, welding with a mig unit will be adaquate to do the job using 75/25 argon/CO2. Stainless requires tri-mix helium/argon/CO2 using mig.

Joe
 

 

[ribwizzard]

My stainless wire's all use either 75/25 or 100% C02.   I prefer just using the 75/25                    

 

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[shoneyboy]

I've drilled a lot of  stainless without stainless bits, I used standard HighSpeed (HSS) drill bits ...... when drilling stainless with HSS drill bits the trick is Pilot hole, really sharp bits, drilling slowly, push really hard, and alot of lubrication .
For lubrication you can use H2O it limits the heat build up in the tip with heat build up the stainless will harden and the HSS drill bit will lose it's temper (soften).

2X's

 

[themule69]

I've drilled a lot of  stainless without stainless bits, I used standard HighSpeed (HSS) drill bits ...... when drilling stainless with HSS drill bits the trick is Pilot hole, really sharp bits, drilling slowly, push really hard, and alot of lubrication .
For lubrication you can use H2O it limits the heat build up in the tip with heat build up the stainless will harden and the HSS drill bit will lose it's temper (soften).

I've never had any luck. I can't even get it to make a mark.

David

 

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[themule69]

What was your stainless you're  drilling ? 304?, 316?, 316L?, harder?

unknown car parts

 

[ribwizzard]

I have to start with a very small bit for a pilot hole. I bought a bag full of high speed steel bits at Fastenal a while ago, I dont know the brand but they last about three times as long as say the Milwakee's you get at home depot, and they are cheaper. If you ask me, the titanium and cobalt bits are not worth the money in the smaller sizes becouse they are so stiff when you but pressure on them they snap, so anything under 1/8" I always use high speed steel.

 

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[radio]

What was your stainless you're  drilling ? 304?, 316?, 316L?, harder?

unknown car parts

Delorean?

  I knew a Doctor who bought one of those and always quipped "I'm the only guy in town who washes his car with a Brillo pad"

 

[themule69]

Delorean?

  I knew a Doctor who bought one of those and always quipped "I'm the only guy in town who washes his car with a Brillo pad"

nope!        I went with plan B and bought a set of stainless bits. Don't forget the Drill DR to keep them sharp.

David

 

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[ribwizzard]

I just bought a 2lb spool of stainless from Praxair .30 and it was $17.00 ,  it was their Prostar house brand wire because they did not have Lincoln Ultracore like I prefer.

 

[JckDanls 07]

myself.. I think it's being over thunk... :biggrin: just weld it up and if it cracks.. don't worry about it... by the time it does crack you will have found something you didn't like with the smoker anyways and want'n to change it... so you just weld the crack up when you make the changes... LOL

 

[dragons breath]

Well I'm just adding to what's already been said.

LanceR is right about 309 stainless rod. It's made specifically for stainless to mild steel welding. I welded my hitch - stainless tubing to mild steel flat bar and towed my smoker over a thousand miles one trip no problem. There is a lot of stainless on my smoker.

If you're welding stainless to stainless use 308 rod, but the 309 will work here also. After all it's not certified welding, it's just a smoker.

As far as drilling, any bit will do. Just drill slow, keep the drill bit sharp and used lots of cutting fluid. Believe it or not I have drill lots of stainless with Harbour Freight's cheapest Chinese drill bits.

It sounds like the price is right. I would go ahead and use what you got.

Oh yeah post some pictures of you're progress.

Dave

 

[radio]

Well I'm just adding to what's already been said.

LanceR is right about 309 stainless rod. It's made specifically for stainless to mild steel welding. I welded my hitch - stainless tubing to mild steel flat bar and towed my smoker over a thousand miles one trip no problem. There is a lot of stainless on my smoker.

If you're welding stainless to stainless use 308 rod, but the 309 will work here also. After all it's not certified welding, it's just a smoker.

As far as drilling, any bit will do. Just drill slow, keep the drill bit sharp and used lots of cutting fluid. Believe it or not I have drill lots of stainless with Harbour Freight's cheapest Chinese drill bits.

It sounds like the price is right. I would go ahead and use what you got.

Oh yeah post some pictures of you're progress.

Dave

Hi DB.

Noticed you are from beautiful, crime free, temperate clime and graffiti free Stockton

  The wife and i spent 20 years in Modesto and our Son graduated from UOP in mechanical engineering.  He is still out there working for APCCO industrial refrigeration based in Modesto.  He has recently been transferred to San Fran to work in a company that APCCO recently bought out.

I do miss Striper fishing in the Delta, but it sure is nice seeing fields here green in the summer time with no irrigation!  Bought a house on 10 acres here that is way beyond reach out there

 

[ribwizzard]

myself.. I think it's being over thunk

2nd to that!

I'd say the best way to simply sum it all up is that stainless is a little harder to work with, use can not use a Oxy/acy, torch and cutting with cut off wheels and / or drilling with be more laborious, but as far as welding to mild steel you will not have a problem.

If you are not using 100% stainless steel for the entire construction, the advantages of using this piece are depreciated, and the disadvantage's of the extra labor required are less justified.

But its free..and that is a big advantage, so snag it up and if you can not find anything else that fits what it is your trying to build, don't let the fact that its stainless intimidate you into not using it,  but at the same time, don't let the fact that it is stainless allow you to glorify the part and to work around something that may alter what you intended to build in the first place.

Regardless, building something like this is labor intensive, its better to take your time and get the right parts for what you want to build instead of working around something that's free. There is nothing more expensive than wasted time!

 

[themule69]

2nd to that!

I'd say the best way to simply sum it all up is that stainless is a little harder to work with, use can not use a Oxy/acy, torch and cutting with cut off wheels and / or drilling with be more laborious, but as far as welding to mild steel you will not have a problem.

If you are not using 100% stainless steel for the entire construction, the advantages of using this piece are depreciated, and the disadvantage's of the extra labor required are less justified.

But its free..and that is a big advantage, so snag it up and if you can not find anything else that fits what it is your trying to build, don't let the fact that its stainless intimidate you into not using it,  but at the same time, don't let the fact that it is stainless allow you to glorify the part and to work around something that may alter what you intended to build in the first place.

Regardless, building something like this is labor intensive, its better to take your time and get the right parts for what you want to build instead of working around something that's free. There is nothing more expensive than wasted time!

That pretty much sums it up. So lets see a build.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[dummy que]

you can weld stainless to mild steel using 7018 it is a low hydrogen series rod you will lose the stainless properties and it will rust in weld zone as for cracking there shod be no problem since you would be using a wood or charcoal fire the temp will come up slow enough that expansion should not be a problem