From only doing exhaust type stuff with 16ga, definitely SS. Heat control/argon coverage/heat sinking is an order of magnitude more critical to avoid excessive discoloration and distortion due to the lower thermal conductivity of SS. That's just my take of course.

 

They don't weld much different. Same principles and techniques apply with each.

 

I see that now it's more difficult, especially on thinner material.

 

IMO stainless is a lazy metal, plus is needs purged or some type of backing material to prevent sugaring. It's not harder to weld then carbon just more prep etc

 

Mmmmmm.... stainless

For pipe, it's all basically the same as carbon. Get some really good tacks at 3,6,9, and 12. Purge for full pen welds, and just enjoy the oh so creamy puddle.

No seriously, I friggin' love stainless. All of the above statements are true, it doesn't conduct heat very well (use really short arc length) it moves around like an epileptic at a strobe light convention (lots of good tacks and clamps) and it will "sugar" if welded at 100% without an argon purge. Hot stainless hates oxygen, and will lead to some nasty looking welds if not careful. It also takes a little less amperage than carbon steel.
Best bet is to get some scraps and light up on it. You will truly enjoy it once you figure out its little issues. Good luck

 

i test guys like you all the time,,6g great position i love it,to easy,.first ,dont look at stainless like its harder ,cause far from it ,its beautifull stuff to weld ,and lot more fun!the key is stainless ,is all about contamination ,how to avoid it,6g stainless we have 4 or 5 6g stainless,but all 6g prcedures we we have are 100 percent back puge,simple rule with stainless is wat ever your weldind has to be very kleen,always! make sure when you test with stainless,before you do anything make sure that you have NO tools that are not made of stainless, i.e wedges ,wire brush, ect make sure they are all stainless,nothing around you that may intrduce carbon,it's a great material to weld you just have to take your time ,keep kleen,and most ,don't over heat,shorter passes ,stainless if it overheats ,its contaminated,first thing to go is your chrome,if that happends its over ,tip,set your machine so the torch has,,asecond roughly of prepurge gas,so your well sheilded wen you start welding,then set the machine so you have around 8 seconds of post purge,,wen you stop welding,,DONT take the torch away from the weld area till the gas stops,this is a very good habit to start ,treat stainless just like titanium,,contrary to watever you heard about having a nice weld wen you seethe nice rainbow colour,this is the stupidest advise ive heard ,,read up on your metalurgy,you'll understand,,colour is bad ,colour means contamination,,it means the heat is effecting the chromium,but unlike titanium,you can generally remove it with a wire brush,never weld over top of any ranbow colour,,so the main thing you need to do most of all,,slow down,take your time keep kleen,,let it cool down after every weld ,d you'll enjoy welding ,,,speed kills,,,best of luck,,,,mojo

 

,contrary to watever you heard about having a nice weld wen you seethe nice rainbow colour,this is the stupidest advise ive heard ,,read up on your metalurgy,you'll understand,,colour is bad ,colour means contamination,,it means the heat is effecting the chromium,but unlike titanium,you can generally remove it with a wire brush,never weld over top of any ranbow colour,,so the main thing you need to do most of all,,slow down,take your time keep kleen,,let it cool down after every weld ,d you'll enjoy welding ,,,speed kills,,,best of luck,,,,mojo

OH BOY!
Here we go!

Better tighten that 5 PT. harness up REAL good..It's gonna be a wild ride!


...zap!

 

imo, stainless is easier to tig weld. it likes puddling with itself and can be manipulated by the heat from your arc. you can push it around it seems to freeze faster than m.s. too which is cool.

but, stainless is much harder to work with. the contamination is one thing, and happens much easier than you think.

it will tear up all your tools. cutting and forming is harder.

but number one thing to me is how bad it warps. try and build a cube out of stainless square tube. if you don't have a tacking and welding procedure figured out, you end up with a pretty goofy twisty mess