stainless top for welding table?

[nissancrawler]

Yes? No? I've been pondering this due to my hate for rust. I paint my anvil every time I use it just for this reason. Is there any reason not to use a stainless top?

[rwangler88]

I've got an old stainless kitchen cart that I have been using until I build a nicer table. I hate the way the slag sticks to the top (melts in). I am not sure if stainless has a lower liquidity temperature than mild steel or not, but I'd like to have a top that the slag would not melt into as easy.

[Toddy]

Stainless will rust the first time you drag a piece of carbon steel on it. Or if slag from welding with steel gets on it. Best thing in my opinion is a steel top and keep it wiped down with minerial oil or something of the sort. Mine stays covered with dif oil and hte such so much that rust is not a problem. And if kept inside I dont see rust being that big of a problem.

Toddy

[rwangler88]

Toddy,
Does the steel top kept oiled collect weld slag? That slag is a pain for set things level on top.

[Azzy2000]

It's Stain LESS , not Stain Proof

I wouldnt bother with putting a stainless top on. Use thick mild steel and keep the metal dust and such wiped up. Run a fine grit orbital sander over it every now and then to clean it up if it bothers you.

[Toddy]

Originally Posted by rwangler88

Toddy,
Does the steel top kept oiled collect weld slag? That slag is a pain for set things level on top.

Not as bad. You could get some nozzle spray for a mig to spray the table with when welding. And it might be enough to keep the rust off also.

I am bad about tacking stuff to my table so I dont have to clamp it. Then I just run a sander over it when I am done and it takes care of rust and slag.

Toddy

[WillisXJ]

Maybe keep it coated in that weldable primer??? Worth a shot.

[jymmiek]

Originally Posted by nissancrawler

Yes? No? I've been pondering this due to my hate for rust. I paint my anvil every time I use it just for this reason. Is there any reason not to use a stainless top?

Why would you paint your anvil every time when you could just put some sort of oil on it, such as wd-40?

[THachiya]

I put a 3/8" plate on a 4*2 stainless rolling table and it works.

Good luck!

[sn0border88]

I would only do that if you doing alot of stainless or aluminum work so its easyier to keep stuff free of rust and dirt. But with the price of stainless in order to have a sturdy table top it would probably be the most expensive table your ever owned.

[jpmassey]

Originally Posted by sn0border88

I would only do that if you doing alot of stainless or aluminum work so its easyier to keep stuff free of rust and dirt. But with the price of stainless in order to have a sturdy table top it would probably be the most expensive table your ever owned.

x2
You should price it out first, and then weigh its utility then. I bet that would end your debate real fast.

[nissancrawler]

I did price it out, a piece of "scrap" stainless that's 4'x3'x.5" (all I have room for) would probably run me about $4-500. I hate oil, don't want to have to oil anything. It makes a horrid mess, gets on me, everything that has to be painted has to be cleaned well, gets in welds, and I'll be using it for a workbench when I'm not welding.

I had a piece of expanded metal in my garage, cleaned the oils off of it for welding, and in less than a week it was covered in rust. No thanks. The weldable primer idea might work well for my needs. I don't care what color it is, as long as it's not rusty, and not oily.

I think I'll experiment with the weldable primer on a sheet of steel and see how it does.

[nissancrawler]

Originally Posted by jymmiek

Why would you paint your anvil every time when you could just put some sort of oil on it, such as wd-40?

Then it looks like crap, and either way I have to spray it with something, might as well make it look nice. Paint also lasts until the next time I use it, wd-40 and such would have to be reapplied.

[Murfman1967]

I have a 5 x 5 work / welding table that has a stainless top, I made it ~10 years ago, never had an issue with rust, or welding splatter. It gets oiled from time to time when I'm rebuilding a Auto Trans.

No wimpy sheet stainless either, full 1/4 " thick plate, 4 removeable pieces, with a stainless framework underneath that works nice for serious plasma or torch work. I'll post up pictures tonight.

[Toddy]

Why not stainless clad? Get a piece of 1/8" and weld it onto you table top. Paint the sides and bottom and you have a stainless table.

Toddy

[adampfisters]

I just use a thin coat of Pam. It is not messy and stays for quite a while and the slag doesn't stick to the table with even a thin coat. Spay it, wipe it around/up and you are good to go for a while.

[Urban Wheeler]

Get a piece that still has the mill scale on it.

[Josh83]

Originally Posted by Urban Wheeler

Get a piece that still has the mill scale on it.

Agreed. We built a welding table at work 3.5 years ago and it still isn't rusty. The plate we used for the top (4x8x.5) still had the mill scale on it and has held up well.

[adampfisters]

I ground/flap wheeled the mill scale off of mine, don't know if it was necessary for current flow but did it just in case.

[kwrangln]

I've built a few welding tables at different duty stations. Alwayse use 1/2" mild steel plate for the top, never worried about rust, if it rusts you aint usin it enough.

Seriously tho, I used plain ole mild steel on the one I built on the last ship I was on. 3 years in the Carribean with salt air and triple digit humidity and never a rusting problem. Most rust it saw was rings from coffee cups I sat on the corner while working. Whenever we had material inspections I'd hit the top with a 60 grit 7" sanding disc just to make it shine. After a while it would get a dull look to it, but it didn't take any effort or time to clean it up to look like chrome.

If you can get a deal on thick stainless then go for it, but if its going to cost you extra then forget it.

[1wook]

"Blue" the top with machinist layout bluing, Berry's and slag don't stick to it and it wont rust.

[mustange70]

I don't think its worth it for a stainless top, its a lot of money for the material that can be made worthless with containination for carbon steel, it you ever plan to tack anything to it its gonna be a pain in the ass (they will tend to break), just go with a good 1/2thk plate or better.

[BumpyDodge]

I like your projects NissanCrawler, you like to [over]engineer your stuff and make things a little differently. Here's all I could think of to make mild steel "weld booger and rust resistant" that didn't involve paint or hasn't been mentioned already.......

Heat steel with a rosebud, rub it with a motor oil soaked rag, then heat it some more til it's smokin'. Leaves a nice blackened finish "Olde Blacksmith style". Rub with a little paraffin wax while still warm for long term rust protection. Cost: near nothing (but you can burn the living crap out of yourself doing it and it smells awful). You can buy block paraffin at the grocery store in the "canning supplies" section.

Let the steel rust and hit it with dilute phosphoric acid. It will turn the rust into a black oxide coating. Cost: I think DuPont 5717s "metal conditioner" is about $15 a bottle. You can buy it at the Auto Body supply.

Copper brush plate the steel with a 6v power source and some homebrew copper sulphate solution. Wouldn't be too expensive, would never rust and it would look . You would have a *really* good ground for your projects and spatter won't stick. Cost: $30 if you did it with ghetto/homebrew internet methods?

[Murfman1967]

Stainless here, Cost: 0.00$







Its a 5 x 5 10,000 lb floor scale that was made to the wrong dimensions for the pit, manufacturer sent a new one and never asked for it back. The top is 4 squares that lift off, and its open underneath. I never did get around to building a sheet metal tray underneath to catch slag. But my Welder and Plasma cutter fit under it nicely, regaining some of the room it takes up. The legs are the lower tapered portion of 20' tall rack systems that were too tall for our old shop. Cut them down and used the bottoms here. I mad the worbench 4' tall, and built a 3' by 5' 12" wood bse to stand on. This way I don't have to bend over as much when welding if I stand on the floor. Ive had a complete Cummins, NV-5600, NP-203/205 on this bench and it didn't even creak.

[nissancrawler]

Nice, I really like that. I might do something like a 3/8" steel top covered with 1/4" stainless.