Welding Galvanized Sheet Metal With Mig
When welding the steel that is galvanized the welder has to be set a bit hotter than normal and make sure to give a wiggling movement between the workpieces that are galvanized in order.
Welding galvanized sheet metal with mig. Do not do this on structural components as the added argon can produce higher strength weld deposits which may increase hardness reduced ductility and increase cracking susceptibility. Similar to gmaw but use a metal cored electrode aws e70c 6m. When using smaw stick welding galvanized steel can be welded in the same manner as uncoated steel. For example i worked for a while welding big tables that held furniture stripper chemicals.
Mig welding galvanized steel. They were made from galvanized sheet metal and we didnt clean crap. Welding galvanized steel with the galvanizing removed the carbon steel will weld just like uncoated steel and all standard forms of welding can then be used. The main reason to use a smaller diameter wire is that it takes less heat for melting and hence the metal around the weld is not heated to a very great extent.
For mig welding sheet metal it is often recommended to use an electrode wire of the smallest diameter to prevent burn through and warping. Welding of the galvanized steel is done similar to the welding of bare metal with a difference of low vaporization temperature in the metals with zinc coating. We just welded em. Welding galvanized steel is an important and valuable technique in the metal fabrication process especially when producing galvanized steel wire cloth or galvanized steel gratings but people are shying away from it lately due to the toxic fumes that welding galvanized steel produces.
Welding galvanized steel is a dangerous task since the galvanized zinc coating on the metal becomes extremely toxic when it s heated. Use shielding gas only on galvanized sheet metal parts. It depends on what you are welding and how critical the application. Standard welding prepping practices should be used to complete the prep work for example grinding knife edge bevels on thicker metal.
When using mig or flux cored welding one may have to adjust the voltage slightly to control spatter and one may have to clean the welding gun of spatter and zinc oxide deposits more frequently that when welding uncoated steel. Yes you can use the mig process solid wire and shielding gas. Choose the right kind of solid wire and shielding gas and you can do it. Here are the 16 things to know when flux core welding galvanized steel made simple.