Stainless steel welding is a sauce. Well, at least most of the time that is.

Here is a story about a certain type of stainless steel that is not so easy to weld.

“Hey John, you can handle TIG welding 303 stainless steel right?”

That’s the question the machine shop owner asked him just after notifying him that his welding shop won the contract that pays $18,000 to weld 4,000 spindles made of 303 stainless steel.

And by the way, the parts are already machined and on a truck on the way to your welding shop.

You ignore the 303 stainless steel comment because you know stainless steel is a doddle to weld…

Their welders are certified. They are artisans. They take pride in their work. there is no problem

The day the parts arrive on a pallet, your welders are drooling from all the heavy lifting they’re about to do. Their welders love stainless steel and the quality they produce is nothing short of a work of art.

“This stainless steel welds like shit! I think I have some bad argon!” says the best welder of him as he raises the hood after welding the first of 4,000 axles.

“It’s undermining, and it’s just welding wrong. Something is definitely wrong.”

You swallow hard. Your stomach sinks.

You are committed to getting the job done. You urgently need the money and you want to impress the mechanic shop owner so that he will keep sending you work.

So this is what you do…

Follow these tips for welding 303 stainless steel and things won’t be too bad.

1. Use 308L filler rod
2. use only enough amperage to make the weld
3. add a little more filler metal than you would on 304 stainless steel
4. keep a tight arch to avoid undercuts
5. reduce amperage slowly if you are tig welding to prevent crater cracking