Tig or Mig on galv unistrut??

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My thinking is that TIG will burn the galv away before I add the filler? Have tried MIG and it looks like it will work (with my limited welding skills), but had some sloppy starts until the zinc got wasted away.BTW, got an air sucker with a HEPA filter to digest the fumes. Not wanting MFF.
Reply:welding galv.  with TIG aint gona work..... galv metal will contaminate the tungstun MIG will be better  i vote FC wire  or grind back coating an maybe gas mig  but me  iwould use FC mig  OH and use the  maskidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Unistrut just sucks rocks... +1 on cored wire, or maybe electrode if you can.Matt
Reply:Thanks. Is flux core going to give a better bite or easier time getting by the zinc? I have a Millermatic 251 and don't feel like buying a full spool of FC wire just for this small project. Maybe just easier to grind back. I also have access to a Home Desperate Lincolin FC MIG and may give that a try.
Reply:6010 works ok without cleaning, but with a little cleaning/ grinding I'm sure mig would work ok. Negitive on the tig, even if you clean/grind to bare metal the metal will still release zinc, etc. onto your tungsten and on you as well
Reply:If you go with TIG, don't bother sharpening your tungsten, 'cause it will be the size of a baseball bat in a few minutes...
Reply:Don't even bother with tig.Stick or wire.Grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind.Wear a respirator, that dust and smoke will put a hurt on you.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:GRIND, GRIND, GRIND that stuff and MIG it.Even then, it's gonna be contaminated with zinc and is gonna suck to weld.Be sure NOT to breathe the fumes. Honkin' on those zinc fumes is hazardous.Get in and out as fast as you can.When stuff is galvanized it's cause it's gonna be subjected to harsh conditions.Don't waste your time and effort TIGgin' it.As long as you put a good weld on it, who cares.Save your time and effort and use it on something to be appreciated.Measure twice, cut once.Millermatic 211Millermatic 251Miller Dynasty 200DXESAB O/A Set-up
Reply:I wonder if heating it with a torch will make all the galvanized stuff evaporate?  You might hit the outside with the grinder and then heat with a torch to get rid of the stuff you can't get with the grinder.This may take too much time to get the piece hot enough, but I'd say it's worth a try.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:Personally, I just stick weld strut, no grinding. Wear a respirator. 3/32 7018 or 1/8 6010 does just fine...never tried MIG or FCAW. TIG fouls the tungsten, bad...
Reply:When welding galvanized it often helps to whip forward and back as you weld with stick or wire feed.  The idea is that you burn our the zinc when you whip forward then back in to the puddle to weld.  A 1/4 inch to 3/8th inch motion would be enough.
Reply:Go ahead use tig don't listen to us and learn like the rest of us. LOL My2¢
Reply:Grind lots, don't just shine up the galvanizing, keep going until you are into the steel.  Stick weld with 7018 is all I ever do.  Forget TIG, MIG should work, never used it myself.  Close fit up is a must, keep gaps to a minimum.  When welding, move fast you are trying not to get a lot of penetration as strut is basically folded up sheet metal..  Avoid fumes, use a respirator and a fan or smoke eater.  Good luck."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25
Reply:I would use MIG and they make a filler wire just for galvanized metal.Do not use ER70S-6 filler metals should not be used when welding galvanized steel. Silicon content is too high.Use FCAW  E-71T-11 or Hobart Galvcore(same thing)AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:i use my mm251 with solid wire Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by ed maci use my mm251 with solid wire
Reply:There is galvanized then there is galvanized. There really is a heck of a difference between double hot dip, single hot dip and some big box store electro plated shiny fence post. I doubt some of the fence tubing manufacturers apply any more zinc than absolutely necessary to fall in the 'galvanized' class. Not much more than a mist on there.When somebody says "how can I weld this galvanized such & such", I don't know how you can answer that without seeing the very piece they plan on welding up close and personal."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by ed maci use my mm251 with solid wire
Reply:I have welded the stuff tons of time with just 3/32 6010, gotta grind away the galvanize though. I just grind it till I see yellow sparks....and I use a fume extractor. We use unistrut allot for support.
Reply:Originally Posted by Donald BranscomIt looks like you are getting excellent results with your method.Question : Did you sand or clean the joint before welding?What wire WERE you using? Interested. Thanks!
Reply:Ive tig-ed  galv strut, I just tiger pawed back to bare metal around the weld. If not, it likes to sugar up around the weld and make the arc unstable. But it is possible if you clean it well.
Reply:ed mac,You're wrong about dragging the bead.It's generally accepted knowledge that dragging the bead results in greater penetration than pushing the bead.Pushing the bead results in less penetration and a flatter bead profile.Guess this is just another of your posts where you put out BS without knowing what you're talking about.PS.  Keep sending those PM's and I'll keep exposing you for how little you know and how much bad/misinformation you put out.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:One method to weld galvanized material is using Silicon Bronze tig wire (ERCuSi-A) and carbon scarfing rod.  For years before I got my Synchrowave, I used this method to weld conduit, fence tubing, and galvanized or MS sheet with very good results.   I used the smallest scarfing carbons I could find and sharpened them in a pencil sharpener.  I held the carbon in my electrode holder and ran DC forward at about 35 amps.  The arc started best on the rod and I controlled the heat by adjusting the length of the arc.  The weldment is quite strong.  Mating sheet inside corner to inside corner, I fabricated numerous tool boxes and storage containers with little to no distortion.  For a workin' man's tig welder it proved to be a good process.  I agree with the previous posts. The tungsten will look like a baseball bat almost as fast as you strike it.
Reply:Originally Posted by SundownIIIed mac,You're wrong about dragging the bead.It's generally accepted knowledge that dragging the bead results in greater penetration than pushing the bead.Pushing the bead results in less penetration and a flatter bead profile.Guess this is just another of your posts where you put out BS without knowing what you're talking about.PS.  Keep sending those PM's and I'll keep exposing you for how little you know and how much bad/misinformation you put out.
Reply:push, drag, whatever...Ed's galvanized welding looks damn good...Originally Posted by SandyThere is galvanized then there is galvanized. There really is a heck of a difference between double hot dip, single hot dip and some big box store electro plated shiny fence post. I doubt some of the fence tubing manufacturers apply any more zinc than absolutely necessary to fall in the 'galvanized' class. Not much more than a mist on there.When somebody says "how can I weld this galvanized such & such", I don't know how you can answer that without seeing the very piece they plan on welding up close and personal.
Reply:"Tiger Paw" ?????? what is that?AWS certified welding inspectorAWS certified welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Donald Branscom"Tiger Paw" ?????? what is that?
Reply:Originally Posted by welds4dpush, drag, whatever...Ed's galvanized welding looks damn good...
Reply:Originally Posted by ironmangqIm pretty sure he came on here asking HOW to do this and asked for HELP so he didnt come on saying he knew anything about what he was doing. In the end he posted what he did and his observations with the project. Whether his observations held to generally accepted knowledge or not should not give you reason to flame because you dont agree with him. Ive read a few of your recent posts and Im hoping you dont log on here just to point out other peoples mistakes and bad habits and purposely knock people down because they may pass on a misinterpreted piece of information. I hope you dont deal with customers in person the way you deal with peers on an online forum because I doubt you would have much repeat business.There are much better ways to make corrections to poor information than to throw out a post degrading the integrity or intelligence of the poster and calling him out on his own thread. People like you make some not want to ask for help when they need it for fear of being flamed and called out.
Reply:Originally Posted by Sputter FizzleMy thinking is that TIG will burn the galv away before I add the filler? Have tried MIG and it looks like it will work (with my limited welding skills), but had some sloppy starts until the zinc got wasted away.BTW, got an air sucker with a HEPA filter to digest the fumes. Not wanting MFF.
Reply:Originally Posted by con_fuse9.........................................BTW, isn't uni-strut typically gold iridited (sp?).  At least the stuff at home depot was at one time.
Reply:Originally Posted by VinnieGo ahead use tig don't listen to us and learn like the rest of us. LOL My2¢
Reply:Originally Posted by ed macis this frasier, do you smoke a pipemaybe its sigmund freud
Reply:Originally Posted by ed mactanks guys, no cleaning, wire is er 70s-6 turn the wire speed down just a little so you can slow your travel speed down to help burn the galv off for the welddrag the weld (or pull) like you would with flux coretheres less penetration when mig welding that way
Reply:Expat,Don't confuse "that guy" with facts.  His mind's made up.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Originally Posted by ExpatWelderThere's MORE penetration pulling when MIG welding
Reply:No hijack intended, but try it both ways sometime, run 2 quarter inch fillets, same settings, one pushing, one pulling, section and etch them both and tell us what you find.6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers
Reply:I use 6010/6011, or NR-211 on unislut.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Wow. Just started a few practise pieces yesterday and came back here to see if I missed anything. Thanks for the info and I will post pics next week on my tire rack progress. Off to pack up the car for the weekend. Competing tomorrow with the Porsche club and instructing at a BMW autocross school on Sunday. Ride with the students a few times and put them in their own passengers seat. New drivers are always scared sh**less when they find out how much faster the passengers seat is than the drivers seat.
Reply:Played around with some samples last night. Tried FC wire in the spool gun first. Something was just not right. Found out that the FC wire needs to be put in the spool gun, not sitting on top of the table. Aluminum wire that was in the gun did not do so well on the galv. Did a bit better with the FC in the gun, but still not predictable welds. Decided it was a prep problem so I sucked it up and ground the zinc well away from the joints. Decided spool gun was not the way to go and back to solid wire. 18V and 120 on the wire. Wire comes out and seems to melt right into the steel with little or no spatters jumping out. Just a hissing sound. Welds look OK but not great, and are strong. Any thoughts?
Reply:grinding is a waste of time you cant get inside the channel..3/32 6011 at 65 amps dcep works good for me.