#7 Customer Video - 303 Stainless and Hot Start for Stick
303 free machining stainless is not recommended for welding but for low stress non critical applications, sometimes we need to weld it.
I have tig welded quite a lot of 303 stainless for a machinist friend of mine but never for super critical welds.
So how can you tell 303 from other grades of stainless steel?
As far as I know, short of an XRF spectrometer, there is no sure fire way but here is what I do.
Because 303 has a sulphur content, there is usually a tell tale look at the toes of the weld. It looks like something is trying to boil out and it often looks very grainy.
312L stainless filler rod is very crack resistant and can be a good choice for when you can't determine the exact grade of stainless you need to weld.
312 is also a great all around maintenance rod for welding any steel to any other steel..
Ever wonder what the "hot start" feature is on a stick welder?
Hot start gives you a few more amps for a short time when you start or restart.
This is very helpful....especially for 7018 rods.
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