Welding of stainless steel - quality

[korobi]

Hi,

I am to follow up on fabrication of machinery and equipment to be made of AISI 304 stainless steel.
I have heard that quite a number of precautions should be undertaken by a manufacturer to secure a good quality of welding (I mean to avoid that in couple of months after delivery the weldings start corroding, etc.).
I know that a workshop should assign a separate room for stainless steel fabrication, they should not mix tools with normal carbon steel fabrication, etc.
Any other good, practical tips you could share with me that could help me to secure good quality of the final product?

Thaks in advance,
Korobi

 

[mantis]

Korobi;
Use extra low carbon filler wire (308ec), control your heats and passivate the weld.

 

[welding1]

Try

http://www.gowelding.com,

there?s an article on welding austenitic stainless steel in the welding metallurgy section.

 

[propdoc]

I agree with mantis, try the extra low carbon filler, also in addition to maintaining seperation of your materials we also keep all SS rods in a seperate electrode oven, and clean them with Stainless steel wool and acetone prior to use and have not had any corrosion problems even in harsh saltwater environments

 

[Seldom]

Hi Korobi,
I would second Welding1’s suggestion that you visit the particular web site he mentioned. In addition, I’d suggest paying close attention to what is stated concerning carbide precipitation and interpass temperature. It’s been my experience that even using low carbon filler & base materials but with no regard to heat input (especially on base material less then ¼”), your beautiful SS welds will show surface rust in the morning dew!

I’ve seen it happen many times with inexperienced SS piping and equipment fabricators, a fabricator ships out what looked like a great job and it lies outside the customers receiving dock for a couple of days. The customer sees the product with rusted welds and calls the fabricator to have a not so pleasant conversation about his poor workmanship.

Along the same lines, don’t allow your welders to “pretty-pass” the finished welds without adding filler. If you do, you’ll stand a great chance of seeing the same “morning dew blush” as well!
Seldom
"There's no such thing as a welding problem, there are only welding puzzles of assorted sizes!"

 

[mcguire]

Additional information is available at the FAQ section of stainlesscenter.com