Welding galvanized pipe
- Thread starter dethomson
- Start date
bad_idea
Well-known member
the zinc in the galvanizing is hell on your lungs. grind the galvanized coating off in an area around the area to be welded sufficient to prevent the coating from burning off. not a big deal, just don't burn the stuff.
Big-Foot
Well-known member
I run into this frequently...
Grind and/or heat with a torch and use a stainless steel brush to remove the oxidation from the area to be welded.. Whatever you do NOT use brake clean on those surfaces.. You may wake up looking at the wrong side of the lawn!
Edit - and yes, do this in a well ventilated area!
Grind and/or heat with a torch and use a stainless steel brush to remove the oxidation from the area to be welded.. Whatever you do NOT use brake clean on those surfaces.. You may wake up looking at the wrong side of the lawn!
Edit - and yes, do this in a well ventilated area!
Galaxieman
Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2012
- Messages
- 8
Also, when you do weld it...hold your breath and/or use a fan....
Guster
Well-known member
Grind/sand any coatings off around where you want to weld. Galvinisation has to be cleared at least 2-3" from the weld area and inside if you are welding dipped galv tubing. Muratic acid is also a great option for removing certain coatings like zinc galvinisation though great care should be taken with ventilating the fumes produced in the process.
Good ventilation first followed by filtered respiration. Weld outside if you can. Holding your breath is not an option. Don't forget that prolonged exposure to zinc fumes will also affect and irritate mucus membranes including your eyes.
Good ventilation first followed by filtered respiration. Weld outside if you can. Holding your breath is not an option. Don't forget that prolonged exposure to zinc fumes will also affect and irritate mucus membranes including your eyes.
Lotek
Well-known member
It can kill you... Rip Paw-paw Wilson Proceed with caution, lots of good info in that link.
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grinding and brushing will NOT completely remove the Zinc plating. you can weld it, but the gas emitted will seriously compromise your welds.
there's an easy way to deal with it. go to any pool supply or hardware store, get a gallon of Muriatic Acid for $3.
brush it on and rainse off with tap water, you are good to go. it takes the acid 5 seconds to eat away the zinc plating.
there's an easy way to deal with it. go to any pool supply or hardware store, get a gallon of Muriatic Acid for $3.
brush it on and rainse off with tap water, you are good to go. it takes the acid 5 seconds to eat away the zinc plating.
brianpgriset
Well-known member
Ding ding ding! I weld lots of galvanized hw and always dip it in muratic acid and the zinc is gone in a few seconds.
Brian_B_
Well-known member
I used to have a welding helmet that was shaped to wear a respirator under it...for galv and a few other things. That would be the safest.
BD1
Well-known member
Are you arc stick welding this ? If arc use DC 6010 and burn right through. YOU WILL HAVE SMOKE. I never cleaned galvanized pipe or angle. What kind of material is it being joined ? Pipe to pipe ? Are you couping out end of
pipe ?
pipe ?
BD1: I'm using a MIG. All the material is old fence posts.... I am replacing an old chain link fence with a 6' high wood privacy fence. I can't dig holes around my large trees due to the mature root system and plan to leave in the ground a few old cemented posts (one on either side of each tree) to be the base for a metal frame I'm building that will be a hanger for the fence panels that **** up to the trees. There are two trees and four posts left in the ground for this project.
Half the welds will be end - end (to lengthen the vertical posts), the others will be 90deg (attaching the stretchers between the vertical posts)
Half the welds will be end - end (to lengthen the vertical posts), the others will be 90deg (attaching the stretchers between the vertical posts)
EvilWelder
Well-known member
Grind off as much as you can and wear a P100 respirator and you will be fine.
Blackie94Gt
Member
You can grind back from your weld joint, however, the zinc is going be vaporized from the heat of the arc (which is where all the smoke comes from) so it's really not necessary except in certain conditions. You can run into some issues on certain joints, where you will get porosity if you don't prep the surfaces to allow the zinc a vapors way to escape. I've done it both ways.
When I was much younger and didn't know better I worked as a tradesman's assistant. I was given the job of grinding a load of galvanized plating off some large pump frames in preperation for the welder to attach a load of brackets. I was sick sick sick that night.
PS: same dbags gave me a job to fill in some gaps in plate using a mig...gave me the automatically adjusting face shield...set on the lowest setting..woke up with sand in my eyes that night.
Be careful.
PS: same dbags gave me a job to fill in some gaps in plate using a mig...gave me the automatically adjusting face shield...set on the lowest setting..woke up with sand in my eyes that night.
Be careful.
holding your breath isn't sufficient. you need a respirator to safely work with the stuff. even grinding it creates dust which gets in your lungs.
Its best to use a respirator. welding next to a hood will help but for it to really be effective it would be sucking up all your shielding gas. my PCO gets on our *** about it because he welded that **** with no protection and now has serious medical issues... shakes and tunnel vision among other things.
Jarhead0408
Well-known member
Yeah, I can't really talk about the best method as I know zilch about welding.
But I had a buddy in our mechanics shop who welded on galvanized metal for a grill without knowing the dangers. He used to get me to bring him milk back from the chow hall to gargle and spit back up. It was supposed to clean the zinc out of his system but I guarantee it didn't work like he thought it did. Whenever he spit it out it was a real sick greenish grey color. He finished that one project and said that was it as far as galvanized was concerned
But I had a buddy in our mechanics shop who welded on galvanized metal for a grill without knowing the dangers. He used to get me to bring him milk back from the chow hall to gargle and spit back up. It was supposed to clean the zinc out of his system but I guarantee it didn't work like he thought it did. Whenever he spit it out it was a real sick greenish grey color. He finished that one project and said that was it as far as galvanized was concerned
Guster
Well-known member
Just out of interest. Galvanised or zinc plated steel is also not to be used anywhere near cooking food. Many cheap gas or portable bbq's uses a stamped galv flame baffle and while the effects are slow they are still cumulative like any metal poisoning.
Link-Belt
Well-known member
Welding Galveston really is no big deal if you take proper safety. Grind the area wheat a resperator even in a ventalated area and keep some milk on hand. If you start feeling different while welding drink the milk it will help kinda like tater slices on the eyes for flash burn.