Need some tig advice…if we were to tig weld on the back of a 1/8" thick sheet of 304 stainless, would the weld discolor the front of the sheet? Is there a way around this? My old welding teacher recommended trying to put a wet/damp towel under the sheet while welding, would this result in electricution, lol?
1/8” will very likely discolor if you’re doing anything more than a tack weld. I don’t think a wet towel would do anything, good or bad.
You can passivate (remove the discoloration and increase rust resistance) with an acid, citric is inexpensive and popular. I like using Barkeeper’s Friend, which contains oxalic acid.