Stainless steel and mild steel are two of the most popular types of metal materials. Steel has many applications in business and construction, such as in engineering, chemical plants, and the shipbuilding industry.
In addition to having differences in their carbon content, mild steel and stainless contain different amounts of other elements, like silicon, nickel, and manganese.
Welding mild steel to stainless usually isn’t a problem, but you must use proper equipment and techniques to avoid causing problems with your weld.
Can you weld stainless steel to mild steel? Yes. You can weld stainless steel to almost any kind of steel by using the right filler metal.
In this article, I will explore how to weld stainless steel to mild steel through MIG, TIG & simplest method. Keep reading!
Can You Weld Stainless Steel To Mild Steel?
Yes, you can weld stainless steel to mild steel using a filler wire named ER309L. However, there are a few additional considerations that need to be taken into account and special precautions taken when welding stainless steel with high carbon content. If a heat treatment is required, the welds must be made using a MIG wire with higher carbon content ER309 as the filler wire.
Stainless steel is a metal that contains a minimum of 10.5% chromium, making it resistant to corrosion and rust. Mild steel, on the other hand, has no chromium content at all; it’s just plain old steel.
I recommend when welding stainless steel to mild steel, using an electrode with a high percentage of chromium content. The higher the percentage of chromium in your electrode, the better your weld will hold up against rust and corrosion.
If you want to know the procedure of welding stainless steel to mild steel, then read the full article!
Procedure to Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel
Welding stainless to mild steel is a process that requires a lot of attention to detail and precision. Welding stainless to mild steel requires the use of special electrodes, fluxes, and shielding gas.
| No. | Steps Name | Description |
| 1 | Cleansing | The first step in welding stainless to mild steel is to clean both materials thoroughly. This can be done with an abrasive pad or by sandblasting. |
| 2 | Grinding | The second step involves grinding the weld area on both materials until it is flat and smooth. |
| 3 | Apply Flux | The third step is to apply flux on both surfaces using an abrasive brush or spray bottle. |
| 4 | Applying Electrode | The fourth step involves applying a thin layer of electrode paste on top of the fluxed surfaces and then heating them until they become molten by striking an arc between them with your welder’s torch. |
| 5 | Torch Movement | The fifth step involves moving your torch around over the molten metal until it becomes fully penetrated into the weld area so that no gaps exist between it and either surface being joined together (this will take several passes). |
| 6 | Repeating Step 5 | The sixth step involves repeating the above process again several times until there are no gaps left between either surface being joined together (this could take up to 10 passes). |
| 7 | Removing Paste | The seventh step involves removing any excess electrode paste from your workpiece before it cools down too much. After completing the whole welding procedure, try to clean the weld and let it cool down! |
Can you MIG Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel?
Yes, you can MIG weld stainless steel to mild steel.
MIG welding is a process that uses a machine to pass an electric current through a wire that’s attached to a metal rod called a filler rod.
The wire heats up when it comes into contact with the metal being welded, and the heat from the wire creates an arc between the two pieces of metal.
The arc creates an ionized path for the filler rod, which melts and joins together the pieces of metal.
The filler rod is made from aluminum or another type of metal that melts at a lower temperature than stainless steel does.
This means that if you’re using a stainless steel MIG welder and are trying to weld stainless steel to mild steel—or vice versa—you’ll have to make sure your MIG welder has settings for both types of metals, so it knows how much heat it needs to apply in order to melt them together properly.
Steps to MIG Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel
MIG welding stainless steel is a process that involves the use of a metal inert gas (MIG) welding process. MIG welding is used for welding together two different metals, such as stainless steel and mild steel.
This method is used because it produces a higher quality weld than other types of welding, such as TIG or stick welding.
In order to ensure that you are able to properly weld your stainless steel to mild steel, there are several things that you must do:
Step 1:
Identify Both Steel
To weld stainless steel to mild steel. First, you need to know which materials you’re working with. Stainless steel is a type of steel that has been treated with chromium and nickel.
Mild steel is a type of iron-based metal that does not contain either chromium or nickel. Both of these metals can be welded together by using a MIG welder, though there are some specific steps you’ll need to take in order to get the best results.
Step 2:
Use the Right Wire
ER 309-L and ER 312 wire are the two types of wire that you should use when MIG welding stainless steel to mild steel. ER stands for “electrode.”
ER 309-L is a low-carbon content steel electrode. This means it is made of a stainless steel alloy with a low percentage of carbon in it. The lower the carbon content, the higher quality (and more expensive) the electrode will be.
You can tell if an electrode is made of high-quality stainless steel by looking at its color. The higher-quality electrodes will have a silver appearance, while lower-quality ones will be white or even blue-gray in color.
ER 312 is also known as a “low hydrogen” electrode wire because it has a very low amount of hydrogen in it. This makes it easier to weld with and reduces porosity (areas where gas bubbles form) in your welds.
Step 3:
Go for Right Shielding Gas
MIG welding stainless steel to mild steel requires a special gas mixture that will protect the mild steel from corrosion during the welding process.
I suggest to use the combination of three different types of the gas mixture, i.e., Helium(90%), Argon(8%), and Carbon dioxide(2%).
You can use argon or helium as your shielding gas, but it’s important to select one based on the transfer mode you’re using. If you’re using direct current, use argon; if you’re using alternating current, use helium.
When selecting a gas mixture for your project, keep in mind that it’s important to have enough oxygen in your mix so that you can produce an arc when starting a weld; otherwise, it will take too long to start and may damage your welds as well as your equipment (and even yourself).
It’s also important to ensure that there isn’t too much oxygen in your mix—this will allow for more carbon dioxide production, which will make it harder for you to see what’s going on while welding and may cause damage to your equipment or yourself (depending on how hot the arc becomes).
Step 4:
Prepare all the Necessary Materials
You’ve got your MIG welder, and you’ve got some pieces of materials. Now you’re ready to get welding!
But before you can start, there are a few things you need to make sure you have on hand:
Safety gear: You’ll want to wear long sleeves, pants, and gloves that cover your hands and arms. It’s also a good idea to wear eye protection.
A ground clamp: This keeps the machine grounded while it’s operating so that the electrical current doesn’t flow through any unintended objects (like your body).
A wire brush: This is used to clean any rust or debris off of the metal surface before welding begins.
Step 5:
Clean the Metals
When you’re ready to weld your stainless steel and mild steel, then i will advise to clean both surfaces so that oxygen doesn’t get trapped between the two metals. This could lead to a poor weld, which means your finished product will be weak and prone to breaking.
Use a wire brush or sandpaper on both sides of the metal. Use a wire brush for rough surfaces like stainless steel and sand paper for smooth surfaces like mild steel.
Buff both sides with a cloth or rag that’s been dipped in oil or WD-40; this will remove any leftover dirt or dust particles from your previous step.
Step 6:
Adjust the Voltage & Wire Speed
Now that you have everything set up, you can start welding! Use a low voltage setting for stainless steel and mild steel. If your machine doesn’t have a control for this, use a lower number than recommended for regular steel.
You’ll want to set the right voltage for your application. Try to maintain it at 22V. Stainless steel has a higher melting point than mild steel, so you’ll need to increase your voltage slightly—between 3% and 10% more than you would for welding mild steel.
Next, set your wire feed speed at between 2.5 and 3.5 inches per second (IPS). This will help prevent the burn-through of the metal and provide better weld penetration.
Step 7:
Inductance Settings:
This is an important step. The inductance controls how much current flows through the wire, and it determines how hot your arc has to be to work properly.
If you don’t have enough current flowing through the wire, it will not melt and fuse with the metal being welded—instead, it will just puddle on top of itself and create a mess, so make sure you set your machine’s inductance before trying to weld stainless steel to mild steel!
Step 8:
Exact Working Angle
When you’re welding stainless steel, it’s important to keep in mind that you’ll need to modify your electrode gap and working angle.
This is because stainless steel has a lower melting point than mild steel.
Because of this difference in melting points, you’ll need to use a smaller electrode gap (1/32″) with stainless steel than you would otherwise. You also need a modified working angle (45 degrees) in order to get the best results with this type of welding. Try to maintain a traveling angle of 7 to 10 degrees.
Step 9:
Tacking of Metals
You want to make sure that when you’re welding stainless steel to mild steel, there’s no distortion of either metal. That’s why it’s important to tack weld both pieces before you start your final welds.
For thin metals, try to tackle metals with a range of 5cm. But it is not a definite approximation because it depends on the metal thickness.
Step 10:
Cleaning of Welded Beads
I will show you how to clean welded beads in the form of the following table:
| No. | Steps |
| 1 | Remove the stainless steel parts from the weld bead and clean them with a wire brush or sandpaper to remove any burnt oxides. |
| 2 | Use grinding wheels or sandpaper to smooth out any sharp edges or burrs on both parts of the welded joint. |
| 3 | Polish the weld to remove any remaining slag and scale from the surface of the welded joint using a polishing compound or fine abrasives such as emery paper or crocus cloth. |
| 4 | Apply a light coat of WD-40 or other rust inhibitors over all surfaces of the welding area to prevent rusting and corrosion in the future use of your equipment |
Procedure for TIG Welding Stainless Steel to Mild Steel
- Prepare the stainless steel by grinding it clean, and then brush it with a wire brush to remove any scale or rust.
- Clean the mild steel with a wire brush and then sandpaper, if necessary.
- Get all of your equipment together, including the filler rod and welding machine, as well as ground clamps and tweezers for holding the filler rod in place while welding. Make sure you have plenty of extra towels on hand to wipe up any spills or drips!
- Connect your TIG welding machine to the ground clamp attached to an ESD mat or workbench—this will help prevent static electricity from building up during welding that could damage sensitive electronics like computers or phones nearby in case they come into contact with your body while working on this project! You can also use an anti-static wrist strap if you’re worried about too much static electricity building up due to friction between materials involved during the assembly process (see step 7 below for more info).
- Set proper amperage settings for both metals being welded together based on alloy type: stainless steel is typically between 12-15 amps per inch thickness; mild steel is typically between 20-25 amps per inch thickness.
- Tack-weld the edges of the mild steel together using a small tungsten electrode for penetration (E7018).
- Grind both ends of the weld smoothly and clean with a flap disc or grinding wheel.
Can you Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel with Flux Core Wire?
The short answer is yes, you can weld stainless steel to mild steel with flux core wire.
However, there are some important considerations to take into account. You will need to use a stainless steel filler wire that has been designed specifically for this type of welding, and the process will require more time than if you were just welding between alloys that have similar melting points.
I recommend using the 309L stainless steel flux core wire. The main reason it works is because stainless steel has a higher melting point than mild steel, so it can withstand the heat generated during the welding process without becoming damaged or distorting its shape as much as mild steel would.
This allows you to use lower temperatures while still producing strong bonds between the two types of metal.
Can you Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel with Mild Steel Wire?
Yes, you can weld stainless steel to mild steel with mild steel wire. But, you need to be careful about the type of stainless steel you’re using and the kind of mild steel wire you’re using.
The first thing to consider is that there are different grades of stainless steel, and different grades of mild steel.
The grade of a material refers to its hardness or strength; the higher the number, the harder it is. For example, Grade 304 stainless steel has a high tensile strength and good wear resistance, whereas Grade 316 is even harder and more wear-resistant.
Mild steel comes in many different varieties as well but typically fall into two categories: low carbon (L) or high carbon (H).
Can you Solder Stainless Steel to Mild Steel?
Yes, you can solder stainless steel to mild steel.
Stainless steel and mild steel are both ferrous alloys, so they are compatible with each other. However, you should be aware that different grades of stainless steel have different melting points, and the lower-quality grades are less likely to be weldable at all.
If you’re working with high-quality stainless steel or aluminum (which also has a melting point below that of iron), then you can successfully solder them together using a silver solder wire.
Can you Stick Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel?
Yes, you can stick weld stainless steel to mild steel.
Stick welding is a process where the welder melts and fuses the metal together by passing an electric current through it.
It is commonly used for joining metal without using filler metal or requiring much post-weld heat treatment. This means that, if you have a piece of stainless steel and a piece of mild steel and you want to join them together, you can do so by stick welding them together.
Tips to Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel Successfully
Welding stainless steel to mild steel is a common practice, but it can be difficult to get perfect. In order to weld successfully, you need to have the right tools and know what you’re doing.
Welding stainless steel to mild steel requires a special kind of welding rod that’s made specifically for this type of material. You should use rods that are marked “alloy” instead of “stainless.”
The reason is that some stainless steel alloys are harder than others, so you don’t want an alloy rod that’s too hard or soft for your material.
The next thing you need is flux. Flux is used in welding because it helps protect your weld from corrosion. You can find flux at most hardware stores or online if you’re having trouble finding it locally.
The third thing you’ll need is a good pair of gloves—gloves are important because they protect your hands from any splashes or sparks that might come from your welds. They also give you more control over whatever objects (such as rods) might be hot during the process of welding!
Which Filler Metal is Best to Weld Stainless to Mild Steel?
Stainless steel is a metal that is known for its corrosion resistance and its ability to be used in a variety of environments. It is also very strong, which makes it a popular choice for many industries.
However, when stainless steel is welded to mild steel, it can be difficult to achieve a strong bond because of the different characteristics of each metal.
In order to find out which filler metal would be best suited for welding stainless steel to mild steel, I conducted an experiment using three different filler metals: ER70S-2, ER80S-D2, and ER308L.
I then tested these filler metals on both types of metal by measuring their tensile strength using ASTM B348 standard methods.
The results showed that ER70S-2 had the highest tensile strength when testing with mild steel, and ER308L had the highest tensile strength when testing with stainless steel.
This means that if you are looking for a filler metal to use when welding these two types of metals together, then either one of these options would work well!
You have the opportunity to go for a 309 filler metal because of having better corrosion resistance as compared to 308 & 310.
Which Welding Rod is Best to Weld Stainless to Mild Steel?
I recommend the best welding rod for stainless to mild steel is E309L-16, which is the most important component of stainless steel.
The reason it is the best for this purpose is that it has a high chromium content and it also has a low carbon content, so it is the least likely to cause problems with the weld.
It has a low carbon content because when you are welding stainless steel, one of the biggest problems you will face is that you can’t get enough heat into the metal being welded because carbon will absorb it all up.
Why Would you Want to Weld Stainless Steel to Mild Steel?
Welding stainless steel to mild steel is a great way to add some extra strength and durability to your project.
Stainless steel is known for its resistance to corrosion, and when combined with mild steel, it gives you a material that’s more resistant to corrosion than either of its components alone.
The benefits don’t stop there; these materials are also stronger than either of their components alone, which makes them ideal for projects where they will need extra support.
However, welding stainless steel to mild steel isn’t a simple process—you have to take into account several factors before you get started on your next project!
Final Words!
The answer to the question can you weld stainless steel to mild steel is yes! With the above article tips in mind, you can weld stainless steel-to-mild steel with confidence.
Be consistent with your welding process and use the right type of welding rod when working with these two different metals.
You will need to use an E309L-16 welding rod to avoid cracks and for better corrosion resistance. I recommend trying a MIG or TIG welding procedure.
