Jay.bro Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hello everyone I was wondering if anyone had any experience in forge welding stainless pipe I have a project I'm working on and I don't actually have a welder yet and I was thinking since I need the inside of the pipe to be open I could stretch a piece of stainless pipe on both ends to fit the other 2 ends that I'm needing to connect and forge weld it but I'm not sure how to go about setting the welds with it being a pipe. Any help or insight would be awesome. Thanks in advance guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Faster and cheaper to buy a welder capable of welding stainless. Even cheaper to just hire it done! It's a difficult weld to make as hammering on the outside will tend to make it larger. Might look into friction welding or spin welding; but again after the hundreds of hours gaining the experience and the cost of the machinery you would probably find that you could have paid to have it done and bought a pickup truck to carry it to the welding shop and back. Now have you looked into hard soldering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay.bro Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 No I haven't my back up idea is a brazing type technique I was thinking about its on a car exhaust pipe I have a gap I have to fill from hitting some stuff and that was an idea I had Hadn't actually heard of hard soldering I honestly thought it was mainly for aluminum and copper wires Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hard soldering is a type of brazing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay.bro Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Oh okay I didn't realize that I work for a company that builds electric motors and we braze the wire together so I was thinking just basically heat up the steel and just kinda use a blow torch to melt some stainless onto it with a piece of pipe over it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Stainless may require a special flux and a special brazing alloy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay.bro Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 Ah fair enough thank you to I was looking for a quick and easier solution since I'm a bit frugal and thought I could use my forge to fix my problem but I'm basic I've barely got a forge and right now I'm using a brake rotor nailed to my table as a temporary anvil and I haven't done much with it since I got it set up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Greetings Jay, You could just take it to a Plummer and have them cut threads on your pipe and put it together with a coupler. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay.bro Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 I actually hadn't even considered that seeing as how it's exhaust pipe and it's roughly 2 inch diameter I think so I hadnt even considered threading it due to heating and cooling expansion from the exhaust grear idea though I'll look into it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Why not take it to an exhaust shop and have them expand one end to slip fit over the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 After reading the whole thread I still don't know what you want to do, but if it is joining SS exhaust pipe, all you need is a TIG welder. Cheap to buy, not easy to operate. Find a local welder and get him to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay.bro Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 Well I have to add a piece of pipe into the gap where it basically pinched it and I'm trying to spend as little money as I have to on this seeing as how I am on a tight budget and just had the crazy idea about forge welding it and figured someone had insight on it because I know I'm not the first to consider it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Back when I was a poor student at the U of A in Fayetteville I used a strip of sheetmetal cut from a Coors beer can and wrapped around my exhaust pipe and tied on with baling wire at each end and replaced as necessary; 1962 Buick special I bought off my roommate's mother for US$100.... Or you could forge a bottle opener from a wrench and trade it to a welder or muffler shot to fix it proper... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Ha ha, I like Thomas' solution. I was thinking in rolling a piece of thin steel sheet that does not need to be SS ... actually you could use copper, some 3" wide and some 5" long wrap it around your exhaust pipe twice nice and tight, and hold it in place with two good hose clamps. You are talking about a precarious field fix, so forget stainless. This patch will stay in place for another 10 years anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay.bro Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 I have considered using a piece of pipe just small enough to fit inside it and use exhaust clamps like they use on mufflers but I wanted to try to figure out a cheaper alternative if possible lol that would be a good kinda invisible fix in case I sell the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Well ... I don't live in Polk county so don't know what the exhaust shop guys charge, but one weld can not cost much at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Showing up towards closing time on a hot summer Friday with a sixpack of brown pop has gotten me a LOT of welding done at a small welding shop near my house in Columbus OH...very cost effective, and being friends with the owner meant we helped each other out with scrap metal at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Lol, been there, done that! You can't hardly beat a beer can and two pipe clamps for cheap!! Especially after polishing off the beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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