stainless tig

[mikesparks]

im trying to make a nice shiney bead but it turnes out black im using 309L filler 1/16 on 16ga stainless. if i dont use any filler it looks ok but still not good enough and im using 3/32 red band tung with a really sharp point

[ridesideways]

what SS alloy base metal?

[mikesparks]

what SS alloy base metal?

im not sure .i welded it in another shop and the welds were red and blueish and mostly real shiney

[c neck]

ss tig

309 is for welding mild steel to stainless steel try 308

[mikesparks]

309 is for welding mild steel to stainless steel try 308

thats gotta be it . i used 308 at the old shop

[mikesparks]

309 is for welding mild steel to stainless steel try 308

i tried welding a piece stainless to a piece of mild steel and it looks the same i lowered the heat and its still the same . its flat and black and there is no patern to it

[Blackbird455]

Have you tried Orange stripe tungs? How about cleaning the base and rod? Does the black wipe off, or not?

[Stillwelding]

Too slow

im trying to make a nice shiney bead but it turnes out black im using 309L filler 1/16 on 16ga stainless. if i dont use any filler it looks ok but still not good enough and im using 3/32 red band tung with a really sharp point

Do you have good torch control? If you do, try moving faster and using a little higher (10%) amperage. For better gas coverage, try a large gas lens or one of those jumbo cup and gas lenses from a machine torch that they have for manual torches (you will have to increase the gas flow with on of those to about 40 CFH). 309 should be ok. It might even require a little less amperage as 308. 309 runs a little wetter and seems to take less amperage, in my experience. You say you have no bead shape and the finish is black, a classic case of too high an amperage and too slow travel speed. Most welders weld SS too hot. By moving too slowly you increase the localized heat and usually get the result you've described. Come back on here and tell us what worked for you.
Thanks, BH

[Samurai Dave]

Get in, hit it hard, get out

I agree with Stillwelding. Stainless doesn't like heat. It especially doesn't like to be slowly heated, since by the time you get the area around the seam hot enough, half the sheet is now super hot too. Get in, hit it hard, get out. That way you are heating the smallest area for as short a while as you can to get the puddle.

When I was starting out with stainless I wanted to go slowly. Lots of black beads. When I cranked-up the amps and moved more quickly, things improved greatly.

For keeping the back-side of the weld from looking too scary, try Solarflux.
http://www.solarflux.com/Pages/Whyuse.html
Unless you can back-purge, it sure beats the black cauliflower farm that will result on the back of the bead.

[240sx2jz]

do you have a gas lense setup on your torch?? if not i would highly recommend it, i won't ever go back to a standard cup setup. i had foggy welds on normal steel and sooted up welds on stainless then switched to a gas lense and ohhh baabbyy what a difference.

[71TigWilly]

Stainless steal welding

First are you just welding stainless 304or 316? Second that wire your using is for welding stainless to carbon steal only . You want to use either 304 or316l wire. You'll get alittle discolor thats normal. But make sure your sheilding gas is comming out I prefer 30psi. The tungsten your using is okay for that operation. Hope this is helpful . I been welding stainless tig for the last 13 years. This should help you.