MIG Welding Stainless Steel and Nickel Based Alloys is pretty straight forward. The weld has many of the same characteristics as a carbon steel weld. In reality you should not be welding stainless steel or nickel based alloys until you master carbon steel. Besides a easy learning curve the MIG Welding Process works on stainless steel just fine with the exception of two issues:
MIG Gun Cord and Liners Issues for Stainless Steel Welding
Stainless steel MIG welding does not require any special equipment! In the case of welding stainless steel, the biggest problem comes from the cord or liner of the welder. The trick when welding stainless steel is to keep the cord as straight as possible. Otherwise, the wire feed that feeds the weld joint will have too much friction due to stainless steel electrode being stiffer then carbon steel. Think of trying to shove a wire hanger through a bent garden hose. Chances are if the hose is straight you can easily put it through. If the hose is bent, you will have difficulty. That is how stainless steel wire is in the liner of the welding cable. What happens is the wire is so stiff in the liner that it causes so much friction that the wire stops the feeding wheel from feeding the joint (literally spinning its wheels). The result is a fused MIG tip. That is when the wire stops or slows down to the point that the arc melts the wire up to the MIG tip and it welds itself to it. The other major problem is again the liner. If you bend the cord to much the friction stops the wire and the wheels that are feeding the MIG gun push the wire so hard that the wire having no place to go spooling up like a birds nest before it gets pushed into the liner.
The process, equipment, and techniques for MIG welding stainless steel are almost the same as for carbon steel. The main difference is weld distortion control and the cost of the materials. This Alloy requires a lots of bracing and it cost it many times that of carbon steel. If you are just learning don’t waste your money on these alloys until you master carbon steel welding. It’s a little easier, a lot cheaper, and way safer for you!
