Welding Tips and Tricks

Has anyone here ever tried 308LSI on 316 base metal? I believe 316 wire is supposed to be used with 316 base metal, but I figured it should still work for non-structural purposes. However, there was terrible spatter, soot, and cracking in the welds. (I also manage to melt two tips, so I need to back off a little.) I was using a tri-mix gas and the recommended settings for my particular welder.

my first thought is who didn't turn the gas on
i have not touched that wire before but i think your voltage is set to high. i would expect 308lsi to be a bit lower amps than normal as well as its a silicon wire.

That definitely looks like no gas. That will also cause erratic arc.

No, the gas was on. I tried it at 25. 30, and 40 cfh. Like I said, the gas might be bad. I have a Lincoln Powermig, which has voltage settings A thru G. The recommended settings are voltage E at 190 in/min which puts the volts on the high end. I dropped the voltage down to C and kept the wire feed at 190 and got the results in the attached picture. It's amazing to watch the spatter form like it does. I've never seen it happen like that...big glowing blobs next to the bead.

The soot and spatter says no gas or bad gas. Are you using a flow meter regulator or a gauge type? Can you hear the gas at the cup?

I'm using a dial gauge and it's the same gauge that I use for CO2 and C25 (less the adapter). And yes, I can hear gas pouring out of it. I ran 3 tig passes on the plate with 308 filler rod (same spec as the mig wire). The first was low amp 90 with a 1/16 electrode and a No. 8 cup and it was cold. The second was the same set up except with bronze and then I went up to 125 amps, a 3/32 electrode and a Furick FUPA/12. They all fused to the base metal, so I believe that eliminates a matching metals issue.

Attached is a pic with a tig passes (keep in mind that I only have about 10 hours of tig time).

That high of amps on SS should not look that cold. That might be aluminum?

no, it's stainless - no doubt.....plus the tig ss filler laid in fine

There is some 308l on some 316. It’s about 1/4 thick material around 80 amps.

Edit this was tig.

Is the stainless welding process sensitive to the distance and angle of the gun? Is there a lot of wind or a fan blowing the gas away from the area?