Hi Dudley:
You won't read any flames from me or most members of the list. What you
have stated is the truth which many amateur metal workers need to know. In
addition, your comments apply to amateur painting as well. How many
hobbyists have blithely shortened their lives and created future bad times
for themselves by scorning proper preparation and equipment when insisting
that they would "do it all themselves and for very little money".
John
>Hi Y'all
>
>Finally something I actually know anything about!
>
>A couple of general points. The fumes given off when welding galvanised
>will not do you any good whatsoever. The fumes are toxic. Drinking milk
>to line your stomach before welding galvanised will not give you immunity!
>The inclusion of zinc (galvanising) in your weld will do nothing to improve
>its physical properties and using filler to cover up dodgy welding is not
>really the answer when working on structural body work.
>
>As an ex welder, I speak from bitter experience that the effects of
>inhaling fumes when welding galvanised. At technical college when I was
>doing my training we referred to the resultant illnes as metal fever or
>fume fever. The symptoms are similar to flu. The worst flu you have ever
>had. You go hot and cold, you shake, you have a blinding headache. The
>symptoms once they begin can come on very quickly and with considerable
>vengence. You could go through the above in half an hour. Its not like
>the kind of flu where you can still manage to sit through watching the
>footie on the tv. If you have 'properly' you just want to die and if you
>dont realise what the cause is may suspect you are dying! One of the
>endearing features of 'fume fever' is that it has an accumulative effect.
>After you have had it once, next time the exposure level required to bring
>on an attack will be lower. Not that you will know when to stop as the
>attack can, in my experience, follow anywhere between four and twelve hours
>after exposure. As students we were told that the zinc absorbed by your
>body concentrates in your major organs and takes years to disperse. How
>true that is I dont know, but it seems to have a ring of truth when you
>consider how the heavier metals build up in the body.
>
>Some people say that they only work in well ventilated areas. In my humble
>opinion, the level of ventilation you require to be 'safe?' would also blow
>away mig shielding gas. Oxy acetylene or stick may be a better route.
>Other people say they have been doing this for years and its never done
>them any harm at all. It is worth remembering that kids used to play with
>mercury because it was fun and it didnt seem to do any harm.
>
>Are there any advantages to using galvanised sheet to make repair panels?
>Probably not as many as you may hope for. When you weld the galvanised it
>will burn off the protective coating any way. So you will need to clean
>back the heat affected areas and prime, paint (and underseal) them. If
>your preparation and painting are effective will the galvanising do that
>much good any way?
>
>One final point. It is not just galvanising that is harmful. Welding
>painted components, especially powder dipped or coated ones can be equally
>dangerous. Just about any form of electroplating can lead to fume fever -
>chrome, nickel, bright zinc, cadmium.
>
>I have no doubt that by now there will be a whole load of people reaching
>for their flame throwers. It is just possible that they are also the
>people we have all seen at one time or another, doing a bit of a welding
>job in the summer with no overalls on, not even a tee shirt - just standard
>issue shorts and trainers, frying their delicate lilley white skin with the
>intense uv radiation from their arc welders. Ask any wleders you may know
>about the joy of 'arc burn' and how quick you can get it.
>
>Time to get off of my high horse and don my flame proof welders overalls!
>
>Bye y'all
>
>Dudley
>
>ps please excuse typos etc
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