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Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by ebfabman, Jul 17, 2014.

  1. ebfabman
    Joined: Mar 10, 2009
    Posts: 499

    ebfabman

    ...
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2022
    M224SPEED likes this.
  2. You will burn through it most likely not to mention I have never seen stainless mig wire small enough to even attempt it gotta use a tig.
     
  3. It would be a lot like doing brain surgery with a jack hammer and a back-hoe. A rule of thumb, never weld anything thinner than your wire thickness. I think .023 is the smallest mig wire and I doubt stainless trim is that thick. Stainless is very runny when being welded, so trhat adds to the problem. Definitely a tig job!
     
  4. Inland empire hot rods
    Joined: Aug 5, 2010
    Posts: 995

    Inland empire hot rods
    Member
    from so cal

    why would you ask if you can, when you already did......
     

  5. Inland empire hot rods
    Joined: Aug 5, 2010
    Posts: 995

    Inland empire hot rods
    Member
    from so cal

    free?? it used to be.....all kidding aside, good job, how did you do it?
     
  6. mashed
    Joined: Oct 15, 2011
    Posts: 1,473

    mashed
    Member
    from 4077th

    Think it'll rust at the joint?
     
  7. i keep a 2 lb roll of 023 stainless wire for my mig to do stainless trim repairs, i have used it to fix trim for 20 years....
     
  8. What's the preferred thickness for stainless exhaust tubes? Would the difference between that and trim be enough to matter? My skill level definitely isn't up for either, but I gotta practice sometime.
     
  9. flthd31
    Joined: Aug 5, 2007
    Posts: 584

    flthd31
    Member

    Home made headers. Tubing is .062 Stainless which is pretty normal thickness. Bends were all pieces tig welded together but the small tube assemblies were welded to the cone with MIG. Much less distortion on the cones with this method. Wire size was .030 stainless.

    headers.JPG
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2014
  10. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,390

    Squablow
    Member

    Nads did some MIG stainless work for his chopped El Camino, I think his thread is called Severe Bondo Abuse if you want to look for it. Looked pretty good to me. You have to be doubly careful about heat to prevent warping due to the thickness, and I've heard a brass backer to weld against helps a lot. But it can be done.
     
  11. oldsman41
    Joined: Jun 25, 2010
    Posts: 1,556

    oldsman41
    Member

  12. fortynut
    Joined: Jul 16, 2008
    Posts: 1,038

    fortynut
    Member

    I'll play. What kind of shielding gas did you use? Pure argon? Helium?
     
  13. As metallurgist, the question of if the weld will rust is due to a characteristic called sensitization. It happens on stainless steels where the heat from welding actually affects the heat affected zone. Not the weld or weld filler material, but next to the weld in the HAZ.

    Technically what happens is the chromium (Cr) in the stainless steel combines with carbon (C) in the stainless steel to form chromium carbides, instead of the Cr being in solution of the metal. This causes a locally depleted zone with insufficient Cr to make it resist corrosion. So you get a band on either side of the weld that can rust.

    If your trim is low enough carbon this sensitization can be avoided. Or if the stainless is a stabilized grade it can also be avoided. In addition, since the car may not be exposed to a lot of water to enable the corrosion, it may not ever show up - due to it being no electrolyte (water) and not because it is not sensitized.
     
    57JoeFoMoPar likes this.
  14. Mudslinger
    Joined: Aug 3, 2005
    Posts: 1,964

    Mudslinger
    Member

    Old guy I knew use to mig the trim work on his cars. My 41 was his car and it has had the windshield trim migged and its been done a long time ago. You can see lines where the metal is rusting. It was regular old wire he used.
     
  15. I stand by what I said!
     
  16. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    Very interesting discussion. Obviously, ebfabman has done some real nice work in showing us how to MIG weld some trim. My impression, as someone who has welded stainless trim with a TIG before, isn't that the trim couldn't be properly fused by the weld, but that the MIG process doesn't afford the user the minute control necessary to weld the thin stainless without blowing a hole through it or, conversely, erring to the cold side and having a weld that lacks penetration. I welded some stainless with an old scratch-start Miller TIG with no pedal or variable power adjustment. What I did to prevent the blow-through was to lay the filler rod across the weld seam and start the arc on the filler and not the stainless trim itself.

    I'll bite as well. What machine did you use to weld this? What type of amperage setting?

    Nice work man. Whenever people chop or modify cars and forget or omit the stainless trim it pisses me off. Taking the easy way out
     
  17. oldsman41
    Joined: Jun 25, 2010
    Posts: 1,556

    oldsman41
    Member

    no i seen what the finished product looked like. i just think the tig would have been better thats all. you proved you could do the job with the mig.
     
  18. You quite probably did the welding with a mig, I don't question that. There is a difference between getting a piece done so it photographs and doing it efficiently so all the pieces look good in the sunlight and the job didn't take a lifetime to accomplish. This ain't my first rodeo and when doing stainless trim I would choose a different bull to ride!
    Posting a video will shut up all of us nay-sayers!!!!!!
     
  19. 50dodge4x4
    Joined: Aug 7, 2004
    Posts: 3,534

    50dodge4x4
    Member

    Being the owner of a mig welder, I would like to know what machine was used, what 304 wire gauge was used, and what process you used to perform this process. Its something I would like to learn to do, but a head start from someone that has successfully accomplished the process would improve my chances of success a lot.
    I'm thinking maybe this might be some sort of plug to get me to buy some DVD, which, if it is the case, the whole thread sucks. Gene
     
    shivasdad likes this.
  20. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,628

    The37Kid
    Member

    Nobody asked how long to took to grind away the unwanted MIG blob. Bob
     
  21. ebfabman
    Joined: Mar 10, 2009
    Posts: 499

    ebfabman

    I'm thinking it took about the same amount of time to grind away this unwanted TIG blob.

    51gringo.jpg
     
  22. prpmmp
    Joined: Dec 12, 2011
    Posts: 1,129

    prpmmp
    Member

    You are highly skilled to say the least!! Welding is just the first step you conquered!! Did you use the hotter setting with faster wire speed to get the dot penetrated? Grinding skills really come into play plus sanding and polishing skills!! Great job!! Pete
     
  23. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    I have done it, it's tricky, you just have to take your time, practice first, I use the edge of a thin cutting wheel to remove the bead, go slowly.
     
  24. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

  25. Nads
    Joined: Mar 5, 2001
    Posts: 11,862

    Nads
    Member
    from Hypocrisy

    Take a look at the thread above, hope it helps.
     
  26. 1934coupe
    Joined: Feb 22, 2007
    Posts: 5,051

    1934coupe
    Member

    You guys are good! This should be a piece of cake then:rolleyes:. Seriously where there is a will there is a way. That's "hot rodding"

    Pat
     

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  27. M224SPEED
    Joined: May 12, 2010
    Posts: 170

    M224SPEED
    Member
    from Missouri

    Nice job, too bad that when someone posts good Tech Info. on here there ALWAYS has to be a few clowns to start a small riot...... Now I will get a ton of flack for speaking my say in this !
     
    48stude likes this.
  28. ebfabman
    Joined: Mar 10, 2009
    Posts: 499

    ebfabman

    I don't worry about what people say. Just believe in what you think is possible and keep trying.


    I have three mig welders. The one I used on the stainless trim is a Lincoln that was given to the teams when I was hanging bodies for a few cup teams. Its a 230 volt unit with a four position setting on the power. I used the lowest setting on the power and about 60% on the speed.
    I used a .020 302/304 stainless filler so it won't take much heat but you won't need a lot on thin trim. If you are getting a bump on the under side then you are getting good penetration.
    Grinding and polishing is no big deal, just be careful and go easy.
    There is no doubt tig welding for most people would be easier to control especially on thin stuff, but its by no means the only way. I'm sure a good mig job would be virtually impossible to distinguish from an equally good tig job when both are finished.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2014
  29. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,628

    The37Kid
    Member

    I've read all the posts and replies, a good welder can MIG stainless if they are happy with the finished look.. But for a perfect stainless weld TIG is the way to go, I can't understand why you would go 80% on a job if you had the time, skill, and TIG welder, but that is me. Bob
     
  30. ebfabman
    Joined: Mar 10, 2009
    Posts: 499

    ebfabman



    A perfect stainless weld is a perfect stainless weld. Mig or tig. No way to tell the difference by looking at the finished product.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2016

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