Posted: 9/10/2006 7:13:02 AM EDT
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I am new to welding and need to see if welding galvanized pipe (like the pipe used in chain link fences) can be welded using a basic Lincoln MIG welder? Thanks |
You have to remove the galvanize or the zinc fumes will contaminate the weld. I doubt if a wire wheel will do it, but you can try. Just remember, it will rust where you welded it unless you re-coat it. |
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As already mentioned be carefull with the fumes ( respirator a good idea ) and do it outside MIG ( solid wire with shielding gas does a relatively poor job on galvanized You will have much better luck with a ( AWS Classification E71T-11 ) electrode also know as a T-11. These wires will weld over the galvanized well The most popular trade name ( you can get it a Home Depot as well as industrial welding stores ) is Lincolns Innershield NR-211 Make sure you change the polarity over to Electrode Negative if its not already |
Supposedly some enzymes in the milk will combine with the zinc fumes and get it out of your system. These fumes will mess you up (get you high), and supposedly makes you sterile. I wouldn't weld much galvanized without an external air system. A few inches one time is not that bad, but breathe as little of the smoke as possible. |
Good to know. Maybe I'll bypass the welding step and bolt it together. |
| I don't think due to my knowledge of welding and cutting galvanized metal that it will get you high. I for one get a headache and my head feals like it is on fire but my body is freezing cold i get sick at my stomach and you kinda feel like you got the flu. Drink the milk cold and before the welding and cutting or shortly there after. I would spend a little time and try to find some mild steel for the job as per i won't weld that crap any more it wll lead to zinc poisioning and will kill you. |
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my old job was working maintainance at a plant that build refrigerators. i used to weld galvanized sheet metal all day with a regular mig welder, using standard wire. yeah, the fumes were kinda nasty, but as long as you didnt have your head in them the whole time, it didnt affect you. i never needed to grind the galvanizing off to weld, never had any problems like that. oh yeah, im not sterile from it. learned that the hard way 
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| Grind the metal or powersand untill you start to see sparks. The galvanized material wont spark so when you do see sparks you know that you are down to the parent material. If you want to use a wire brush, you can heat the areas to be welded with an oxy/acetelyne or propane torch untill you see those green and yellow gremlins floating around the hot areas. Keep your head out of the smoke and you should be ok. Do this work outside. |
I don't know if high is the right word. A while back a guy wanted a welding job done, and it was on galvanized. There was a deadline looming, and this was the only piece of steel the right size. The welder stayed out of the stream of smoke, but the engineer who wanted the welding done stood directly in the fumes for abou 30min. He could barely stand and was very loopy. The welder told the guy not to breathe the fumes, but the engineer was a dumbass. All told, I just don't want any metals in my system beyond what I get in my food. |