working with stainless steel

[Black Bear]

I scored a sheet of 1/8 stainless, and i plan on using it for my trans tunnel, and fabbing some storage for the yota. Having never worked with this material, what am i getting into. I know i'll need SS only grinding wheels, but is the weld process the same as regular steel minus the filler material? Any thing different if i use a plasma cutter?

 

[rockcity]

you can't cut it with a torch.

you can use normal grinding wheels so long as they wern't used on carbon steel first. Otherwise you will have carbon contamination and it will rust.

If you don't want "sugar" on the back side of the weld, use purge paste or purge it somehow with pure argon.

If you mig or TIG it, use pure argon

It will warp quick. Be sure to take your time. Weld process is generally the same but is a little different in how the puddle flows.

 

[catfishblues]

Plasma will work. Bending can be a bitch, it's springy stuff and doesn't anneal with heat like steel will. Heat it cherry red and it's still hard as F to bend. Use a good disk, buy several. I like these: http://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Abrasi...619709&sr=8-2&keywords=mercer+black+lightning

Like rockcity said, don't use ANYTHING that has been used on carbon, including scratch brushes and flap disks. If you want to MIG it, you actually need a tri-mix gas. The welding shop can set you up with a rental tank or swap your unimix tank out temporarily. Honestly, though, you can get by with unimix, but you'll have more spatter and a less attractive profile. As badly as stainless warps, though, I doubt you'll be using long beads. It will warp if you look at it angry, even in .125 thickness. Follow the set up chart on the inside of your welder to get you in the ballpark, and keep your travel speed fairly quick. Lingering too long can burn the nickel out of it and lessen it's corrosion resistance.