Built a muffler last night (really pleased with how it came out and sounds). Woke up with a sore throat. By lunch a had just a touch of the shakes. Called the FLAPS where I bought some of the piping and they guy said it was galvanised. When I bought the stuff, I specifically asked about this, as it was hard to tell if the parts were coated (not the usual sheen). The other guy said he thought they were just aluminized and would be fine to weld. Being a beginner - I believed him.

Any idea how this will last? I spent a continuous 2-3 hours last night breathing this crap. I litterally feel like I have a mild flu.

It is poison..

I used to weld the stuff all day, but we had 30" fans behind our backs pushing the fumes out the door.

You need to get the stuff out of your system and take it easy for a while. Go on a welders forum and see what they have to say about it.




Oh if you have to weld again, you can try grinding the galvanized out and it'll help, but in the end, turn up your argon, get a fan to suck the air away and weld through it.

yes, bad stuff!!!

Don't play dumb when you do something you're not sure about. You will probably be ok but you better google it. I have welded gal metal but always have ground the galvanizing off to get a cleaner weld and to keep the nozzle from getting all caked up with the gal spatter. I'm sure it will kill you but you might be 100 before it happens. It's nearly impossible to weld with a mig with gas with a fan blowing the gas away, the weld will be porous with the gal contamination and then with the gas shielding gone it will really bubble and spit. The fan sucking might help though.

The proper respirator is not "THAT" expensive. I think it is worth it. read about it in the welders forum.

Charlie,

Nearly impossible welding is my name! Thats why you have to crank up the argon.. When I used to do it in the shop we had a big fan blow all the air out, it was necessary, but we got good welds out of it with a couple tricks. One of the wierdest tricks that I figured out was that we wouldnt grind down the galvanize OR the primer over the galvanize (commercial door frames), then we would grind a small spot to start our weld and just weld right through the primer and galvanize. It actually allowed (for an unknown reason) for the galvanizing to not affect the weld. Otherwise if we tried to grind to bare metal and weld, we would just lay our bead and then POP and the weld would be gone, and we would have to reweld it MANY times... Not such a good thing for a production shop...

I'm sorry but I never had a good experience trying to weld through galvanize with a mig. I have welded it pretty trouble free on angle that was gal though with a stick welder. I'm sure it was the flux on the rod.

Scott,

Galv is accumulative. It never really leaves your system. The sickness will pass but you will more sensetive to the fumes next time. Take some real asprin for the headache at the back of your skull and eye sockets and drink milk. The milk will help with the throat and the nausia.

Becareful out there kids.

Hmmm I was just wondering about this, so is the same concern true with Zinc coated pieces?
Also would brazing get things hot enough to "burn" such coatings?

It's zinc-oxide fumes that cause the symptoms. From what I've read, it's unpleasant but not fatal or long-lasting.

Galvanizing is essentially zinc-plating. Slightly different process, but the same metal.

Yes, brazing would cause the same issues.

sometimes when i have to weld galvanized parts, and grinding it off is no option, i let it soak in vinegar (strongest you can get) overnight, it will eat off the galv compleatly.

Jeez Scott...

I never believe what FLAPS guys tell me. They've been wrong too many times.

Sorry about that Scott
get well soon.

I agree with Mike on this one.
those FLAPS guys are mostly just trying to get through their day
some are good, but some are terrible.
Never trust them unless you know them and have lots of repeat experience with the same guy.

Monday my bike broke down on the way to work. Battery was dead. I'm assuming the alternator is out, but I take the battery into checker and its reading 10.8volts. I ask the guy if he can charge it. He puts his tester on and on his machine its 11.2V He says the battery is fine. I tell him that I know its ok under load but needs a charge so I can get home. He insists its just fine as is, and I have another problem I need to fix. Again, I agree I have a charging problem but I also want him to charge the battery and I point out this is a 12volt system so the battery is low. He insists the battery is fine as is.

I catch a ride home, charge it for 20 minutes, get another ride back to the bike, and ride home with the battery at 100%loss.

Flaps guys can be terrible.

I'm to old to put up with dumb ass people. I would have asked for the manager and said I would pay for the charge if they were to tight to do it for free that the battery needed to be at 12v when I leave or it is no good. 11.2 could be a weak cell or low on acid on that cell.

A lot of galvanized metals are hot dipped and the coating is pretty thick. Most zinc is put on with electrolysis and is not very thick so it is easier to work with.

If I weld 1 spot of galvanized I immediately have an upset stomach, need to go poop, and get a headache, all within seconds. It's poison. Wear a respirator, they're 8 bucks at Walmart.

You have what is referred to as Metal Fume Fever which has flu like symptoms.

Old timers say to drink a pint of milk before and after welding galvanized. Better to have proper ventilation and a respirator.

I don't shop at Wallyworld but 8 bucks sounds VERY cheap for a real respirator with the proper cartridge for welding Zinc.....check it for sure, not all respirators/cartridges are "created equal"....just my .02