Welding galvanized steel: do not, and if you must, here is how

@arc_annie · Sep 16, 2026 · 194 views
Difficultymedium

Zinc fumes cause metal fume fever: chills, aches, a night you will not forget. Grind the coating off 1" either side of the joint (it looks dull grey when the zinc is gone), weld outside or with a fume extractor pulling from behind the joint, wear a P100 respirator under your helmet, and re-coat with cold galvanizing spray after. Milk does not help; that is a myth.

Fence posts, chain link rails and unistrut are all galvanized. Plan for it.

#galvanized#safety#fumes#welding

37 💬 3 comments

3 comments

Log in or sign up to join the discussion.

@rtr_watch 1mo ago

Question: do you need to disconnect power for this or is it safe to leave it plugged in?

13
@crucible_carl 1mo ago

Tried this over the weekend and it worked first time. Thanks for writing it up properly.

10
@arc_annie OP 1mo ago

I did the same repair last month and your step 3 is where I got stuck. Wish I had this then.

4

Report this

Tell the moderators what is wrong. Spam, stolen content, unsafe advice, scams.