welding zintec steel

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Hi guys, We will be making some wellhead control cabinets out of zintec in the next few weeks but i have never worked with zintec before? Im a stainless steel man! Im just looking for a few tips and things i should be aware of. Whats it like to weld? how bad are the fumes, if at all? can i TIG it or would MIG be better? anything you guys know about working with zintec would be a help. Thanks very much.
Reply:Never heard of zintec so I googled it, and here is what it is, electo-zinc or zinc/nickel coated, then phosphated or chromated.  http://www.steel.ie/ServiceCentre/Zintec.htmlDoes not look great for welding, but maybe no worse than hot dipped galvanized.  If the wellhead covers are fairly thin sheet, I would take a look at using silicon bronze (Everdur) with TIG, more of a TIG Brazing process, although it can be done with MIG as well, MIG Brazing.  I think the everdur should work well, and help preserve the zinc coating at the joint.  With fusion welding, the zinc will be vaporized off  for some distance around the weld.One additional comment, if your zintec is phosphate treated, this could cause severe hot cracking problems.  Don't know what the chromate treatment may do in a weld.Here is a link to a UK forum, some guys say it welds just fine since it is much thinner than galvanized.  http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/s...p?t=817&page=2
Reply:Pulser's pretty much nailed it. It's not as bad as galvanised with regards to welding but similar in that the fumes are still nasty and it welds better if the coating is removed local to the weld (it'll burn off anyway if not removed). Unless very thorough with removal of the coating forget TIG, the zinc will trash the tungsten as it burns off. As with galvanised it can look like the coating is removed when in fact it isn't- hard to explain but you get two colour changes as the coating is taken back to bare steel. I rarely work with any carbon steel but only ever use zintec as thin sheet, clean'n strip discs and coarse SCM discs take it off quickly without marking up the base materialCan be brazed with TIG or MIG and CuSi3 (C9, usually SIF #968 brand) without destroying the coating once the parameters are dialled in
Reply:Thanks for the replies guys, It dont sound like its going to be a very nice job! I will let you know how it goes.