Welding galvinized metals

Hey guys. When you weld galvinized steel what kind of prep do you do? I hear you get real sick from them fumes. Any ways to still weld with galv? Thanks

what i did befor was grind the spots im welding and place a fan blowing away the smoke/fuems but best to do it outside or on a slightly windy day.

I hear drinking lots of milk before and after can help you.

Best practice is to try and grind off the zinc before welding, and to weld in a well ventilated area. If you weld outside with a box fan blowing away from you so the fumes cant reach your face you should be fine.

The only problem with using a fan to blow the fumes away is it makes it hard / impossible to weld using gas shielded mig. We never really had any issues with welding galv. Just keep your head out of the smoke as much as possible.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/weldinggalvanized.pdf

It's the released lead fumes that's very dangerous from the zinc. We learned to never ever weld them without a proper gas mask or welding vent.

there is a thread in the FAQ abouot this so you guys know.

I didnt know there was one in the faq sorry bout that

Mark288 wrote:

I didnt know there was one in the faq sorry bout that

Its always a good idea to check the FAQ or use the "Search" function before posting a question.

Zinc burns, Best way I've done it coming from an ironworker I aprrenticed with.
"Get a 55 gallon drum, get yourself a nice hobo fire going, drop your galvanized peice in and run."

i am just going to give my 2 cents, where i work when we weld galvanized (the only galvanized metal we normally weld are caster wheels) we will use are fume extractor and a mask or stay near to a door and again wear a mask. On mobile jobs normally the best we can do is just wear a mask and since we are stick welding the wind, etc. will normally blow the fumes away. but if you are going to weld galvanized id recommend taking little breaks from welding and let the shop air out your working in or the general area your working in.

DO NOT BREATH IN GALVANIZED FUMES!! Been there done that.. was welding pipw up for a guy and thought nothing of it and aas light headed felt like I was going to die for 2 days.. its some nasty stuff