[39chevy]

I need to know Approx 18 guage sheet metal vs 18 guage stainless! I am repairing my trk bed (Basket case) and I have a mig 220v. I have access to stainless (duct). Will this weld as good as sheet metal and perform as well or not? Advise, thanks Dana

[123pugsy]

It will weld up fine. Stainless and mild steel together should be strong.

Now when it comes to paint sticking to it, that's another question altogether. We don't paint our stainless so I don't know about that.

[powerrodsmike]

To mig weld it properly you should have tri mix gas and stainless wire..$$


Try playing around some on some scraps with some thin (.023) wire first, you will find that with too much heat, SS warps all over the place, and does not like to hammer straight.

TIG welding works alot better on SS.


IMO, If you are doing repairs on an existing bed made from mild steel, stay with 18 G mild steel.


Later, mikey.

[TooMany2count]

I have welded lots of stainless to regular steel w/out any problems using my wire welder & even painted it. I used it as patch panels on the floor & dash in my 40 chev yrs ago & to this day the new owner hasn't had any problems w/it...joe

[bennerford]

Thin stainless steel will warp very easily. To avoid this use a TIG welder with 100% argon gas. put aluminum behind the piece and put in a water bath.The water disburses the heat and prevents warping. Do only 1/4" at a time.

The best ga. stainless to weld is 16 ga.

[redsdad]

What do you mean by "duct"? Is is really stainless like 304 (18-8) or 316? Or is it HVAC duct? If the latter, it may be stainless because it is galvanized carbon steel rather than stainless. If it is galvanized, I would recommend not trying to weld it. The only thing worse than the weld quality will be your lungs.

If it is stainless, you can weld it. I patched a mower deck with a scrap piece of 316L. If you use regular weld wire, the weld won't be stainless.

If I were you, I would get 18 ga. carbon steel sheet.

[BILLYJACK]

to weld stainless to mild steel you need to use regular steel wire .weld small welds a little at a time .cool it down with spray bottle to cool it to prevent warpage . you can paint stainless as long as u scuff it to give the paint somthing to adhere to . at my shop where i work at we sandblast the stainless if it needs painted. we build industial grade fans and paint a lot of them