I saw this video of stainless pipe welds and knew you would like to see it too.
Making stainless pipe welds like this requires heat control and heat control requires a feel for welding and also patience.
Patience? thats right. I know because I fight it all the time. I am known as a quiet and patient man. But when it comes to welding, I want to get it done. It is always tempting for me to keep on welding when I know I should slow down and wait for something to cool off.
As I get older, its getting better. Finally.
I know in my head that stainless steel does not dissipate heat very well. But I am still tempted to rush things.
The best thing you can do to make good looking stainless pipe welds is to take your time and let things cool off between weld passes.
Another important tip is to clean the metal prior to welding. Any tape residue, grit, grime, oil, sticky stuff, ink, etc. needs to come off. Acetone works best but be careful. Rubber gloves are recommended. I remember practically bathing in acetone only to learn that it is absorbed into your skin.
Great! One more thing to add to the list of things that might kill me one day.
But sometimes acetone is the only thing that works to remove gunk.
Another tip is to make sure to keep the hot tip of your filler rod in the argon all the time and when you slip and let the tip outside of the argon, (not if , but when) snip the end with some wire cutters. Its not the end of the world if your hot end of the rod gets contaminated but it makes the puddle sluggish.
And one more thing...Use only stainless steel brushes or your pretty welds will be rusty soon.
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