Stainless welding mild steel? ID this!

[madosta]

So this was welding about 10 years ago and I've always wondered what it was done with. Obviously it looks like stick, but what is the rod? And how is it done?

It hasn't rusted in this time and I didn't think you could weld mild steel with stainless rod?

Any ideas? I'll take some better pics when I fire the beast up and curl the bucked back.

 

[Bobhdus]

Sure, you can weld the two together. Of course you probably will lose any beneficial properties of the two where they bond. The properties are different enough that you will feel it when welding yet the melting point is close enough that they will bond. It's kinda like mig'ing mild steel wire into cast iron, its not the ideal way of welding cast iron but it doesn't stop people from doing it and it doesn't always fail...

 

[A_Pmech]

309 is often used for welding Hardox cutting edges when preheat isn't possible.

 

[Guster]

This...

309 is often used for welding Hardox cutting edges when preheat isn't possible.

 

[Rookie2]

also, Nickel rods melt like butter and i dare you to grind it off.

 

[shawnspeed]

Could also be a high nickel hardfacing rod used to attach the cutting edge...just my 2c...

 

[madosta]

Ahh high nickel would make sense more than stainless.

 

[MoonRise]

Right out of the Hardox pamphlet "Welding of Hardox":

SSAB recommend giving first preference to consumables in accordance with AWS 307 and second preference to those in accordance with AWS 309.

And 'hardfacing' rods are typically not used for joining pieces. Generally hardfacing filler does not have the right metallurgy to 'join' pieces together.

A hardfacing top-cap, sure. Hardfacing to join pieces together, nope.

Then you can get into situations where you would have a stainless 'butter' layer underneath a hardfacing top-cap in order to get a bit more chromium (typically) into the first 'under' pass of hardfacing and reduce the hardfacing filler alloy dilution into the substrate (often a mild steel or similar).

Probably just 309 joining the AR/Hardox wear-edge to the rest of the steel though.

 

[Bobhdus]

Along with what everyone else said, you can weld any standard SS rods to steel. I have done this in some of my welding sculptures. I have even used it with Cast Iron. I wouldn't use this method for anything that would put someone in harms way though. There are lots of specialty rods that resemble stainless that are used for dissimilar metals or unknowns... We used to use a brand called certanium 707.

 

[kkroger]

Nickel Welds showing on a Sherman Hulk sitting on the Reef at Saipan... Today

 

[Ozwelder]

Keep in mind that the fumes from nickel and stainless consumables should not enter your breathing zone.

Chromium ( as well as nickel) is a component of stainless steel and as such in a welding consumable can give off inhale able fumes capable of causing a carcinogenic reaction.
Respirators are highly recommended .Please read your OHSA docs on this before any welding with these electrodes or materials is attempted.

Oz

 

[welder4956]

Nickel Welds showing on a Sherman Hulk sitting on the Reef at Saipan... Today

Been there, awesome place!

 

[welder4956]

So this was welding about 10 years ago and I've always wondered what it was done with. Obviously it looks like stick, but what is the rod? And how is it done?

It hasn't rusted in this time and I didn't think you could weld mild steel with stainless rod?

Any ideas? I'll take some better pics when I fire the beast up and curl the bucked back.

As others have mentioned, the rod may have been 309 stainless which can be used on carbon steels. 312 stainless is another possibility and is frequently marketed by the "magic rod" vendors.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Is 308-16 still available? When we used to get called out to packing plants for plumbing/wiring stuff back in the 90s that was the rod of choice for welding stuff that we couldn't tig weld,I welded a lot of stainless to steel with it.