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adding shielding gas to my wire welder. What about Stainless?

76zimmer

76zimmer

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I only have Flux core right now, and want to add a shielding gas set up.
I have a Lincoln WeldPak 175...I figure I got to add a cylinder of gas, and change the spool of wire, but what about the tip? I think the gun is already set up for the shielding gas. What all do I need?
 
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do you know if that one kit works on all of their Weldpak models?
I see it says 115v gas solenoid, does that need to be plugged in, in addition to the power for the Weldpak?

thanks, dave
 
don't know for sure I had to call lincoln because my model is discontinued, they said that is the conversion kit for flux cord to gas on all makes. not sure if you need the same kit with the Lincoln WeldPak 175 because you have the regulator already. I had to change tips, cord, feed, fuse, etc.
yeah the instructions have you rewire and install three parts inside the machine. But the instructions are real easy to follow and took less than an hour to convert my machine.
 
76zimmer said:
I only have Flux core right now, and want to add a shielding gas set up.
I have a Lincoln WeldPak 175...I figure I got to add a cylinder of gas, and change the spool of wire, but what about the tip? I think the gun is already set up for the shielding gas. What all do I need?
Click to expand...

Seems like the same link for the conversion to gas as the above post but about $35 cheaper than the other place. The new tips for the smaller wire size probably have to be bought for like $5 / bag of 6 or so but if you look at the pic of the conversion the gas tip is the tall little copper nozzle looking thing next to the spool of wire. it just screws on to the tip of the gun after you unscrew the flux wire cover tip

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


Edit: The other post includes the liner for the thinner wire but not sure if it is necessary as I have used the same welding hose and liner for my .030 wire and my .35 flux wire. Don't know why but mine seems to feed well without changing anything other than the wire tips and gas tip.

Also, you may need to change the polarity, it think it's called, of the wires in the machine itself. I know my instructions say to do this. They are the wires inside the cover right next to the wire feed mechanism with little wingnuts on them. Also, be sure to change the roller on the wire feeder for the thinner wire too.
 
cool, thanks for the tips. Should be able to get this done in the next week.
 
stainless wire....

What wire should I get to weld stainless sheet 14-18 ga.?
(Making a breather baffle)

Can the stainless be welded to carbon steel sheet?
(welding the baffle to an existing block breather)
 
It depends on what type of stainless you're using...there are a lot of varieties. SS can be welded to carbon steel, most common wire for that is a 309 variant in either MIG or dual shield flux cored wires.

So, I guess we'd need some more specifics, including machine size.

Rene
 
I'll try to get that info Rene.

Thanks
 
I have Lincolns product catalog right here in front of me...so if you get as much info as possible I can do a bit of reading and give you the best possible wire/gas for the job.

Rene
 
Hey
Rene, I checked my Stainless, and don't see an identifying number on it. it is .060.
I also checked my owners manual, and it said I need a stainless shielding kit for my Pro Mig 175 to work with Stainless, so I decided to make the baffle out of some 14ga. steel I have already. I got my gas tank hooked up today, and converted the polarity to a gas setup, and changed my tip to .025 solid wire. So I think I'm good to burn now. Amazing what you can find out by reading the owners manual. My old Lincoln 225 stick welder I never had that luxury.
I'll still take some tips on the stainless though if you have any to offer.

thanks for the help.
 
I have welded stainless with a miller 135 mig. I used tri mix gas and don't recall the wire that I used. You may have to change the polarity for stainless. I think that with stainless and mig you have to push the torch rather than pull, so that the gas covers the area that you are about to weld. I only did this once or twice when my tig torch sprung a leak on me. Stainless also melts through easier than plain steel. I was not real happy with the look of the migged stainless, but I don't have much practice at it and I was welding a waste oil tank for a restraunt deep fryer. Those tanks are nearly impossible to clean well, even with our truck mounted steam cleaning units.
 
I push the gun no matter what I'm welding...the only time I drag is for stick welding, and occassionally with dual shield flux core if there is no alternative.

Rene
 
^^^^ what Rene said.... I never drag with mig... I like to run either 90 degrees or a slight push. Maybe when welding dual sheild running stringers but thats about it for dragging mig. ARC pretty much demands that you drag.


All this for building a baffle? You know you don't need stainless wire and different gas to weld stainless right? You can use regular old C02 or 75/25. Your weld will rust but it'll stick to stainless just fine. If you don't want any rust at all then go for it. Just seems like a little much to me for a baffle. Stainless wire isn't cheap and neither is the (tri-mix) gas.

A gas cylinder is a good investment but unless you plan on doing quite a bit of stainless or need there to be no rust on that baffle, I say stick to copper wire (hardwire) and c02 or 75/25.

If you fill up a bottle with tri-mix and buy a stainless spool, you'll probably use a tiny bit of it then you have a bottle full of the chit and no other bottle to use for c02(unless you buy 2 bottles) not to mentiona the pricey stainless spool which you used little of. Sure you can burn the tri-mix with hard wire (spray arc) but you'll have a hard time doing anything other then horizontal position with it. It (spray arc) is IMO one of the most beautiful welds you'll ever see though when done right....


Basically, if you don't have much stainless to weld you may want to reconsider buying the stainless stuff. If you can get away with a rusty weld on the baffle then it'll save you money... if not then get the necessary chit.
 
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Big Blzn said:
Edit: The other post includes the liner for the thinner wire but not sure if it is necessary as I have used the same welding hose and liner for my .030 wire and my .35 flux wire. Don't know why but mine seems to feed well without changing anything other than the wire tips and gas tip.

Also, you may need to change the polarity, it think it's called, of the wires in the machine itself. I know my instructions say to do this. They are the wires inside the cover right next to the wire feed mechanism with little wingnuts on them. Also, be sure to change the roller on the wire feeder for the thinner wire too.
Click to expand...



You can use an .045 tip with .035 wire.... it'll just wander a little bit when coming out of the gun... tips are cheap though.;)

Most liners are usually something like .030-.045 (can run anything between .030 and .045) so you should be good there.
 
I agree with Fabrimacator21. Stainless may be over kill. If the baffle will have oil on it and it will get hot from the heat of the engine, rust should not be a big concern, unless we don't understand you project fully. I have not tried to weld stainless to mild steel with steel wire, but if it works, I say go for it. Or, do as my friends do. Find someone who already has the stuff for their welder and have them tack it up for you or let you do it. If you were close, I would help out.
 
Thanks guys, I was going to build a baffle box from scratch, but decided to just shorten the existing one to fit under my intake.
I get now that I can weld stainless without special equip. just the weld will be subject to rusting like regular steel.
Appreciate the tips.

Here's what I ended up doing.

HPIM1268.jpg
 
Fabrimacator21 said:
^^^^ what Rene said.... I never drag with mig... I like to run either 90 degrees or a slight push. Maybe when welding dual sheild running stringers but thats about it for dragging mig. ARC pretty much demands that you drag.


All this for building a baffle? You know you don't need stainless wire and different gas to weld stainless right? You can use regular old C02 or 75/25. Your weld will rust but it'll stick to stainless just fine. If you don't want any rust at all then go for it. Just seems like a little much to me for a baffle. Stainless wire isn't cheap and neither is the (tri-mix) gas.

A gas cylinder is a good investment but unless you plan on doing quite a bit of stainless or need there to be no rust on that baffle, I say stick to copper wire (hardwire) and c02 or 75/25.

If you fill up a bottle with tri-mix and buy a stainless spool, you'll probably use a tiny bit of it then you have a bottle full of the chit and no other bottle to use for c02(unless you buy 2 bottles) not to mentiona the pricey stainless spool which you used little of. Sure you can burn the tri-mix with hard wire (spray arc) but you'll have a hard time doing anything other then horizontal position with it. It (spray arc) is IMO one of the most beautiful welds you'll ever see though when done right....


Basically, if you don't have much stainless to weld you may want to reconsider buying the stainless stuff. If you can get away with a rusty weld on the baffle then it'll save you money... if not then get the necessary chit.
Click to expand...

Spray transfer is wonderful...but most of the home machines out there don't have a high enough output voltage to manage it even with a gas mix that has enough argon to support it. Spray transfer starts at ~27 volts, and most home machines top out at about 24 volts.

Rene
 
tRustyK5 said:
Spray transfer is wonderful...but most of the home machines out there don't have a high enough output voltage to manage it even with a gas mix that has enough argon to support it. Spray transfer starts at ~27 volts, and most home machines top out at about 24 volts.

Rene
Click to expand...


Good point Rene. I'm accustommed to industrial machines.


76zimmer.... you should be fine with that weld not rusting... like cgt80 said,,, as long as steel has oil on it is pretty much protected from rust.
 
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