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Cleaning Stainless Welds

Cleaning stainless after welding: We are Mig welding stainless steel and are having problems cleaning the parts that overheat during the welding process. The are blue from overheating and also have a flux type residue on the weld. They are mass produced parts and our pickler is having difficulty with cleaning them. Any suggestions?

Neville Waisbrod
metal furniture - New Zealand
2000

G'day Mate! Neville you some serious attention to detail in the shop to improve the MIG weld process first. MIG by its nature tends to generate a huge amount of turbulence in the IG stream. This leads to some pretty foxy oxides that the pickling guys hate. However, with some attention to detail you can improve the weld quality, reduce the finishing cost. The best bit is it takes no longer and you get a better result! Cheers

Hamish Hunt
- Melborne, Australia
2000

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2002

Hi:

We need information about this for racking material. What can we use to passivate type 303 stainless steel racks?

Thank You,

Claudia Ortega
- Saltillo, Coahuila Mexico

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Hi, Claudia

Either citric acid or nitric acid can be used to passivate 303 stainless steel. Please search our site for "passivate stainless steel" for some good discussions.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March 12, 2011