New NCPWB Technical Bulletin Explores Purge to Protect Stainless-Steel Pipe Welds

July 30, 2025

The National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau (NCPWB) has released a new Technical Bulletin to answer member questions about the use of backing flux in lieu of purging when making welds on stainless steel or other corrosion resistant materials. The bulletin describes an experiment conducted by NCPWB Consultant Walter Sperko where he had a colleague make stainless steel butt welds without any protection of the root of the weld, with inert gas backing, with backing flux and with flux-coated wire.

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