BT - Brazing and Welding 304L Stainless Steel Page 1 of 6

Brazing and Welding 304L Stainless Steel

By John Palmer
Republished from BrewingTechniques' November/December 1994.

Last issue, one brewer presented a brief overview of options for welding stainless steels.
This issue follows up with some nitty-gritty details about welding and brazing options
for breweries large and small.

Many materials and joining processes are currently avalailable for use in constructing both
home and microbreweries. Each material or process has its own limitations, and these
usually become obvious when the economics of a situation are examined. One of the best
beers in the world, Pilsener Urquell, is brewed and lagered in pitch-lined oak barrels.
Although wood and pitch are readily available, the care and maintenance of such brewing
systems can be extensive. Because of its relatively low maintenance requirements,
stainless steel has become widely used in North America and throughout the world.

STAINLESS STEELS FOR FOOD-GRADE APPLICATIONS

The stainless steel of choice in the food services industry is the austenitic 300 series. The
stainless used for good pots (like Vollrath) is usually 304. Less expensive pots are often
made of 303 alloy stainless, which is less weldable and is quickly attacked by chlorinated
cleaners. Other stainless kitchen equipment, like utensils, are typically ferritic stainless,
which has less chromium and nickel and is less acid-neutral.

The 300 series of stainless steels was originally developed for use in cryogenics. These
steels also perform well at elevated temperatures and are used extensively for steam pipes
and exhaust systems. It is their resistance to elevated temperature, oxidation, and corrosion
that makes alloys 304 and 316 the choice for food preparation equipment, including steam-
heated boilers and storage tanks. But every silver lining has its cloud, and when it comes
to joining stainless steel, that cloud is heat. The metallurgy that makes these alloys
corrosion resistant and strong also makes welding more difficult than is the case with
ordinary steel.

METALLURGY BASICS

What makes a steel stainless? The addition of chromium and nickel to the iron creates a
significant percentage of chromium and nickel atoms at the surface. These atoms form
tenacious oxides that seal the surface and prevent oxidation of the iron. The process
known as passivation for stainless steel (see the article by Micah Millspaw in a previous
issue of BrewingTechniques [1]), is a common means of improving this protective oxide
layer through the use of oxidizing acids. Anodizing aluminum alloys is a similar method in
that a solid aluminum oxide barrier is created to prevent further corrosion. Like stainless
steel, anodized (black) aluminum cookware (Magnalite, Calphalon) is acid neutral and
resistant to acidic food because of this heavy oxide layer. Plain (bright) aluminum
cookware lacks the degree of surface oxides necessary to prevent reaction with corrosive
media.

Stainless steel's Achilles heel: All metals are crystalline materials that have specific
crystal structures that are dependent on temperature. These structures are referred to as
phases and are given names such as austenite and ferrite. A block of metal is very similar
to a block of salt. A block of salt is really a bunch of grains of salt all fused together.

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These grains are oriented every which way, and the interface to the next grain of salt is
called the grain boundary. As you would expect, the grain boundary is weaker than the
grain itself. The crystalline structure of metals is exactly the same in this respect. (By the
way, if you would like to see a metallic grain structure, go look at an aluminum street-light
pole. That mosaic you see is the grain structure.) Because the grain boundaries within a
metal are the weakest sites, heat and corrosion usually affect these areas first.

The corrosion resistance of stainless steel depends on the chromium. Austenitic stainless is
a supersaturated solution of chromium and nickel in iron. It is actually a very high
temperature phase that has been quenched (quick-cooled) to preserve the distribution of
elements.

Austenitic stainless does not like middling-high heat. It performs well up to 600 °F (315 °
C), but higher temperatures in the range of 800-1600 °F (425-870 °C) cause atom
diffusion and change the metal's properties. Such high temperatures allow the chromium to
diffuse away from the grain boundaries to form chromium carbides, its preferred
crystalline structure at that temperature range. If exposed to these high temperatures and
chromium diffusion occurs, the metal becomes sensitized and prone to cracking. The
diffusion of chromium away from the grain boundaries results in non-stainless grain
boundaries surrounded by stainless steel. This situation soon leads to localized corrosion
and rapid cracking of the grain boundaries. To correct this, the metal must be heated to at
least 1900 °F (1040 °C) for a period of time in an inert gas atmosphere and then quenched
to retain the austenite crystal structure. Unfortunately, doing this heat treatment to a
welded keg would result in considerable warping and distortion. It is better to get another
keg and start over.

Welding is a local melting-freezing process that creates high temperature gradients in the
metal around the weld. This heat affected zone (HAZ) is the region where unwanted atom
diffusion can take place if it is hot enough, long enough. Time/temperature curves describe
this phenomenon, and the curve for alloy 304 is shown in Figure 1. The figure shows that
for type 304 stainless (nominal carbon content of 0.08%), 5 min at 600 °C (1110 °F) or
higher will cause chromium diffusion that will later cause cracking in service. Type 304L
stainless - "L" denoting less carbon (nominal 0.03%) - is more weldable and can spend
about 6 hours at 600 °C before becoming sensitized. Most kegs (in North America) are
made from 304L to facilitate welded construction.

Caution must be taken when heating stainless steel equipment. I know of one home brewer
whose cut-off keg boiler began cracking at the bottom. The cracks appeared at the flame
line where the flame of the cajun cooker-style propane heater met the keg. This shows that
he was running the flame too hot and that, over time, chromium atom diffusion was taking
place.

Diffusion is cumulative.
Once this type of cracking occurs, there is no economical way to correct it.

Table I Manual Welding Parameters for 304L Stainless Steel

Welding Thickness Current Voltage Filler Rod Argon Flow Weld Speed Wire Feed
Method (in.) (amps) (volts) (AWS) (ft3/h) (in./min) (in./min)

85
MIG 0.063 21 ER316L 15 19 184
DCEP

0.045, 30/70 As
TIG 12-14 ER316L 12 2-4
0.090 DCEN Required

JOINING OF STEEL AND BRASS OR COPPER

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Stainless steel is routinely welded, but it must be welded under an inert gas atmosphere.
The most reliable method for welding stainless is the tungsten inert gas (TIG) process, also
known as GTAW or helio-arc. TIG welding has the advantage of a small weld head, it
requires lower heat input, and filler metal is optional.

The other common welding methods for stainless steel, metal inert gas (MIG) and shielded
metal arc welding (SMAW), are not as well suited for welding thin sections like beer keg
walls. (Note: Never weld on vessels that you intend to use under pressure [i.e., kegs that
will be used as kegs]. Because modern beer and soda kegs are designed thin to save on
material, a modified keg should never again be pressurized. Welds are always weaker than
the base metal, and at least one death has been attributed to a keg exploding after
modification.) MIG is commonly used for all types of stainless welding, but the weld gun
must be held close to the work, which decreases its effectiveness in tight areas. MIG
equipment will be more available to a do-it-yourselfer and should provide a satisfactory
joint.

SMAW is commonly used for welding thicker pipe and tanks. It has the disadvantage of
obscuring the weld joint during the pass, and the slag must be removed between passes.
Equipment and electrode filler rods are readily available; however, this welding process is
not recommended for brewing equipment. The welder lacks the control necessary to
ensure a good weld.

Because 300 series stainless steels are prone to high-temperature embrittlement and
sensitization, the welder must be careful not to apply too much heat for too long during
welding. An experienced welder will know how to produce a good weld without
overheating it.

Welding of thin-gauge stainless steel requires a definite skill. Producing defect-free welds
without overheating the steel takes years of practice, no matter which welding process is
used. This is not to say that a serviceable weld cannot be done by a novice. But in my
experience, it is better to take critical stainless steel weld jobs to an experienced welder
rather than attempting it yourself. Bad welds are difficult to correct in stainless steel. It is
more economical to get things done right the first time. The scale of welding that a home
brewer would require would most likely not exceed a welder's 1-h minimum charge. In
fact, I was quoted $25 to weld three pipe nipples into three kegs - not much to pay for a
quality job.

If you wish to do the welding yourself and have access to the necessary equipment, refer to
the suggested weld schedules for manual TIG and MIG welding of 304L steel shown in
Table I. The MIG weld setup uses a 97.5%/2.5% mix of argon and carbon dioxide and
0.030 electrode wire. The TIG welding uses a sharpened (~30#161#), thoriated (2%),
3/32-in. diameter electrode, and 1/16-in. diameter filler rod. The shielding gas for TIG
welding is 100% argon. Note that the same filler metal is used for both processes. As Jeff
Donaghue noted in his article, "A Primer on Welding Stainless Steel" in the September
issue of BrewingTechniques (2), vocational welding classes are usually available through
adult education programs and community colleges. These classes can provide the
necessary instruction, equipment, and practice material needed to get you working on your
brewing equipment.

SOLDERING

Stainless steel can also be soldered or brazed to itself or to brass or copper, with good
results. These processes provide good alternatives to the welding of stainless steel fittings.
They allow the copper tubing and brass fittings to be attached directly onto the stainless
steel. There is some potential for galvanic corrosion of the copper or brass in preference to
the silver. (In terms of electrochemical activity, stainless steel is more passive than silver
solder, which is more passive than brass or copper.) Available industry service data
indicate that the corrosion rate should be quite small. Many people have used silver alloys

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with these metals and have experienced no galvanic corrosion problems.

Table II The difference between soldering and brazing is

Common Silver Solders temperature. The American Welding Society
defines soldering as metal coalescence below 800 °
Composition (%) Temperature F and brazing as metal coalescence above 800 °F.
Both processes bond adjoining metal surfaces by
Silver Tin °F °C completely wetting the surfaces with molten filler
3 97 430 220
metal and maintaining that bond until solidified.
The bond is only as strong as the filler metal, but
2 98 450 230 some braze metals can be very strong indeed.

Stainless steel is difficult for solders and braze filler metals to wet. The surface oxides that
protect it from corrosion also prevent the filler metals from wetting the surface. Special
fluxes are needed to eat through these stainless oxides. The silver solder commonly sold
for home plumbing with copper pipe will work on stainless, but a different flux is needed.
Look for a flux containing hydrochloric acid or one that says it is for fluxing nickel alloys
or stainless. The specifics for two common silver solders are listed in Table II.

In my experience, getting the steel hot is the big problem. A propane torch can be used,
but the flame needs to be slightly reducing in nature to prevent the re-formation of surface
oxides. The best method for soldering a copper or brass fitting onto a stainless steel pipe is
to "tin" the fitting first with solder. Next, apply flux to the stainless pipe, and fit the two
pieces together. Then heat the joint, and feed more solder into the joint once it is hot. By
using this method, the steel surface is protected from the air until it is hot enough to be
wetted by the solder.

BRAZING Table III

Standard AWS Silver-Based Brazing Alloys
Silver-based brazing alloys have
lower melting temperatures than Composition
copper or zinc brazing alloys, so AWS
the silver-based alloys are the 5.8
more practical choice for do-it- Spec's Silver Copper Zinc Others
yourselfers. Two issues must be
44.0- 14.0- 23.0-25.0 Cd
kept in mind when brazing. First, BAg-1 14.0-16.0
46.0 18.0 **
most brazing temperatures are
right in the temperature range 49.0- 14.5-
BAg-1a 14.5-16.5 17.0-19.0 Cd
that causes sensitization of the 51.0 18.5
steel. The braze must be done
34.0- 19.0-
efficiently to ensure that the time BAg-2 25.0-27.0 17.0-19.0 Cd
36.0 23.0
limit for the onset of diffusion is
not exceeded. Acetylene and 29.0- 21.0-
propane are two of the most BAg-2a 26.0-28.0 19.0-21.0 Cd
31.0 25.0
common gases used for torch
brazing. Use a slightly reduced 49.0- 13.5-
BAg-3 14.5-16.5 16 Cd, 3N*
51.0 17.5
flame and AWS-type 3A flux,
which has the higher useful 39.0- 26.0-
temperature range needed for BAg-4 29.0-31.0 1.5-2.5 Ni
41.0 30.0
brazing (1050-1600 °F). Both
surfaces to be joined must be 44.0- 23.0-
BAg-5 29.0-31.0
46.0 27.0
cleaned and fluxed for best
results. As in soldering, it is a 49.0- 14.0-
good idea to prebraze the fitting, BAg-6 33.0-35.0
51.0 18.0
because it has the higher thermal
mass in the localized area. 55.0- 15.0-
BAg-7 21.0-23.0 4.5-5.5 Sn
Preheating the fitting will help 57.0 19.0
decrease the amount of time that

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heat is applied to the joint. 71.0-

BAg-8 Remainder
73.0
A friend of mine recently brazed
71.0-
a stainless steel pipe nipple BAg-8a
73.0
Remainder
directly onto the side of a
stainless steel milk can (Figure 53.0-
BAg-13 55.0 Remainder 4.0-6.0 0.5-1.5 Ni
2). He flattened the wall of the
can with a hammer to allow a BAg- 55.0-
good flat fit-up with the nipple. Remainder 1.5-2.5 Ni
13a 57.0
The pipe was 1/2-in. NPT with a
59.0- 10Sn. 0.125
wall thickness of 1/4 in. The pipe BAg-18
61.0
Remainder
max. P#
was heated first because it had a
much higher thermal mass than 92.0-
0.15-0.30 Li
BAg-19 Remainder
the milk can wall. It was brazed 93.0
using a flux-coated rod and an 29.0- 30.0-
acetylene torch. The braze was BAg-20
31.0
37.0-39.0 34.0
quite strong, allowing him to
torque up a connecting threaded BAg- 62.0-
fitting such that he later had 27.5-29.5 6 Sn, 2.5 Ni
21 64.0
trouble taking it apart!
*Total maximum allowable impurities in each allow is 0.15%.
Cd=cadmium Sn=tin P#=phosphorus Ni=nickel Li=lithium
Silver
brazing rod contains no lead, but some of the
alloys contain cadmium, which is worse.
Cadmium will cause severe heavy metal
poisoning. The American Welding Society alloy
designations are listed in Table III. Do not use
the alloys containing cadmium. Look for rods
that are made for food industry applications. The
AWS BAg-5 is recommended for this purpose
and is readily available from weld supply shops at about $15.00/oz (1/16-in. diameter,
spooled). Table IV shows the usage temperatures for the alloys listed in Table III.

USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

Soldering, brazing, and welding are all useful methods for joining stainless steel. Consider
the joint design when choosing the process. Each process has its own limitations, but the
most important is the nature of alloy 304L itself.

Soldering is most useful for joining pipes and small fittings. Brazing is useful for making
high-strength bonds between dissimilar metals. These two methods may be used fairly
easily at home. But if the goal is to seal a stainless pipe through the wall of a keg, then
welding is the best way to go.

Table IV Standard AWS Brazing

If you want to do the welding yourself, ask Alloy Usage Temperatures
yourself the following questions: Can I
produce a quality weld (no defects or Brazing Temperature
overheating), and What resources do I have
AWS 5.8
available? Weigh the economics of your Spec's °F °C
decision. Time, effort, and equipment
investment are some factors to be BAg-1 1145-1400 618-760
considered. If you have the interest and
knack for learning new skills, then give it a BAg-1a 1175-1400 635-760
try. Check out vocational welding classes
BAg-2 1295-1550 702-843
in your area. With some instruction and
practice, a serviceable weld is not difficult.

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If you want to get right to the brewing, BAg-2a 1310-1550 710-843

then you may want to hit the Yellow
Pages. BAg-3 1270-1500 688-816

BAg-4 1435-1650 779-899

REFERENCES
BAg-5 1370-1550 743-843
(1) Micah Millspaw, "The Care and
Feeding of Stainless Steel," BAg-6 1425-1600 774-871
BrewingTechniques 2 (4), 44-47 (1994). BAg-7 1205-1400 652-760

(2) Jeff Donaghue, "A Primer on Welding BAg-8 1435-1650 779-899

Stainless Steel," BrewingTechniques 2 (5),
52-54 (1994). BAg-8a 1435-1650 779-899

BAg-13 1575-1775 857-968

FURTHER READING
BAg-13a 1600-1800 871-982
ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 3,
BAg-18 1325-1550 718-843
Properties and Selection: Stainless Steels,
Tool Materials and Special-Purpose BAg-19 1610-1800 877-982
Metals; Fabrication of Wrought Stainless
Steels (American Society for Metals, BAg-20 1410-1600 766-871
Metals Park, Ohio, 1980).
BAg-21 1475-1650 802-899
ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 6, Welding, Brazing, and Soldering; Arc Welding of
Stainless Steels (American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1983).

ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 6, Welding, Brazing, and Soldering; Torch Brazing
of Steels (American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1983).

ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 6, Welding, Brazing, and Soldering; Brazing of
Stainless Steels (American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1983).

ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 6, Welding, Brazing, and Soldering; Soldering
(American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1983).

ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 13, Corrosion; Environmentally Induced Cracking
(American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1987).

ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 13, Corrosion; Corrosion of Stainless Steel
(American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1987).

ASM Metals Handbook, 9th ed., vol. 13, Corrosion; Corrosion in the Brewery Industry
(American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio, 1987).

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