[kermdawg]

Any major differances? I'm gettin pretty good at tiggin mild steel pipe and want to move up to SS pipe. I've welded SS plate so I got a decent feel for the puddle and amps and stuff. Just wonderin if theirs anything I should keep in mind when doin pipe.

[Erik-j]

If you are going to weld stainless steel pipe you need rootgas (gas inside of the pipe) if you want a good looking weld on the inside that is. When using rootgas, backpurging what ever you want to call it you need to preeflow and postflow for awhile and during the welding obviously. How much and for how long depends on the size of the pipe you want to weld. there are ways of calculating this and that helps alot if your doing a big job and dont want to just waste a whole lot of gas.

For just straight up practicing i guess you could skip the rootgas/backpurging

[Geoff]

Depends on how far you want to go with the S/S pipe and what you do now. If you want to do S/S pipe welding for a living in the food industry for example , then practice welding with your left hand(if your right handed , or the other way round if your left handed ). Makes it easier on the job later , such as when your weldng in difficult positions. Suggest you practice on short bits too so you can check the inside of the weld (with an inspection mirror). Then you can see weld penetration...may help you with weld settings and wire feed. Go for it .I reakon S/S welding is the easiest welding there is.