with my mig i use argon + 20-25% co2 for welding mild steel. pretty standard. i've never welded stainless before, but found out that you can get "gasless" stainless wire. i use the inverted comma's because it's stainless wire (1.2 and 1.6mm diameter) thats got flux and designed to be used with argon + 20-25% co2.

just wondering if anyone has used this and what you thought over solid stainless wire and appropriate gas (argon + 1-3% o2 for most)???

i certainly dont expect it to be as neat as solid wire, but i'm sure it's better than the totally gasless mild wire crap. i'd like to know i can weld stainless if required and i dont have to go and get a new bottle and gas - gas bottles are only rented here in australia (friggen boc and airliquide biopoly)

pics of the weld with the "gasless" wire vs solid wire would be awesome if anyone has them

 

gasless wire mig's suck. i used that on my rad support. you have no control of heat whatsoever.

 

yes i know gasless wire sucks compared to solid wire, but this is what could best be described as semi-gasless. the "gasless" stainless wire still requires the use of argon and co2. since it's using gas i was curious as to it's performance...

 

Flux ("gasless") wire only sucks if you don't know what you're doing. With the right technique and setup, you can make really good welds with flux wire. Plus it has better penetration than solid wire. You have the same control over heat, it's mainly in the machine setup. (with MIG)
That said, I have only done stainless with TIG. So I can't provide any helpful info here. Best bet would be to just get the right gas IMO and use solid ss wire. Especially if you are used to solid wire it will be easier for you.

 

i was reading on the inside of a miller machine the other day that they use a different gas mix, (it has 4 or 5 gases i don't remeber what they are) and a different wire. But they didn't refer to the wire as flux core

 

yeah i'm not sure if it is flux core as it's 1.2 and 1.6mm thick, but it falls under flux cored wires in the cigweld catalogue i have

 

A bottle of trimix is 35$ vs 20-25$ for C25...
Why not just do it right?

That said, I welded my SS exhaust with C25 gas and the welds are still fine after a few months. We're welding exhausts here, not rockets...
It may not look as good, but does it matter that much?

 

problem in oz is i cant find a disposable bottle of trimix so i have to rent the bottle. renting an extra bottle and then paying for extra gas on top of that gets expensive when i'm probably not going to be welding lots of stainless.