Stainless repair on sailboat (underwater)

[SundownIII]

Denny,

I've been welding SS in a marine environment for a "few years".

Tri-mix can be a problem for the "hobby welder" because it's generally not available in smaller size bottles. That combined with the cost. I don't use that much, but I keep a 330 on hand for when I do need it. I've cut out/replaced too many SS welds that were done with other mixes to cut corners.

When it comes to Ed Craig, I'd take what he posts with a grain of salt. I think, more than anything else, his propensity to go against "industry standards" is more to sell books/advice than it is to help the welding community. Much of his advice, based on my own personal experience, is flat out wrong.

I personally cannot recommend an alternative mix/blend (covering gas) for SS, because I haven't used them myself. With the cost of the base material (SS), and the pre/post work involved with it, I just can't see cutting corners on gas.

I sure wouldn't recommend anything else for an underwater application in salt water.

With that said, I wouldn't be using mig to repair a cast SS shackle in the first place.

[yorkiepap]

Hey SundownIII,
I agree with you. I simply refer to Ed Craigs' site for the youngsters/newbies to get an idea of the multitude of fillers & gasses that are available & some of the results of thir usage. Personally, I found the carbon content info of fillers quite valuable. There are superb books & literature available that I have & use from Miller, Lincoln, Alcoa, ESAB, & others & I have all of them marked with a yellow highlighter for pertinent info. I don't base all needs on just one source.... all sources can be challenged or be controversial to some. I also have & use tri-mix for certain applications as I'm sure you do. Most general hobbyists & smaller outfits never found a need for it because of the low usage & the size bottles the LWS furnish.

Yup.... TIG would be the way to go.....

Denny

[Speedddy]

First of all york you wouldn't use 309 on a sail boat it has a high content of carbon.He should use 316L and for the gas The tri mix is used on welding stainless. I got certs on welding pressure vessels R stamp U stamp we use tri mix gas.

[youfoundtheking]

with the price of helium expected to skyrocket in the near future, it might be beneficial to explore the use of a different mix for ss,

As for Ed Craig, i found his site pretty informative. But I would have to agree with Sundown, you cant really trust a man with an agenda.