Titanium Trailing shield

[WelderToTheMex]

I was given the task of fabricating a trailing shield in order to weld titanium pipe, but i came across a road block. I am planning on using steel wool in the trailing shield to spread the argon as i weld. The problem is I can't use regular steel wool because is will contaminate the Titanium. I have looked for stainless steel wool in local stores but have had no luck. Is there any other material I can use that will be safe to use and won't cause contamination?

[ThomasPowers]

Grainger sells stainless steel wool as does a number of other places.  Did you search on the net for Stainless Steel Wool?   For a local item would one of the stainless steel pot scrubbers work?  As regular steel wool burns at a touch of a spark I would think it was unsuited to the purpose.  I have not tried the experiment with stainless steel wool but as it resists oxidation better it might work.

Of course NOT KNOWING WHERE YOU ARE AT makes it very hard to suggest sources. We have over 150 countries participating here so what's right down the road in Perth Australia may be prohibitively far away in Iceland!

[WelderToTheMex]

Thank you, the stainless steel pot scrubbers might actually work. I'm working in a shop in Houston TX. I did find stainless steel wool online but it would take a couple of days to come in and this project is time sensitive.

[ThomasPowers]

I thought the srubbies looked tougher and better able to survive the usage; but didn't know if the coarseness would be an asset or a detriment.

Please update us on what you use and how it's working for you. 

[bubba682]

Miller makes a follower for there tig torch to use with titanium its pretty slick hope this helps by the look of the date im a little late .