Joining galvanised sheet

[thinfourth]

As part of a project i find myself joining lots of 1mm galvanised sheet in various angles and shapes but mostly at right angles

My current technique is to fold the edge, drill a hole every 100mm and then stainless steel pop rivets.

Not a huge pain in the butt as i have decent drill and an air riveter

Is there a better or quicker way?

i don't want to MIG or TIG it due to the nasty fumes

Anything i haven't thought of

And no duck tape isn't and answer

 

[thinfourth]

Or No more nails

 

[Fintray]

3M VHB tape?

 

[Kent]

Ducting type folded joint? Dementia has set in and I can't remember the darn name but you know the thing if you think of galv rolled duct

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Spot welder?

 

[Hitch]

Flanged and spot welded, dependant on sizes of the parts...

All kinds of fancy sheet metal corner joints, lock seams, but you'd need a machine for them.

 

[Gareth0123]

Seamed joints with soft solder applied using a good old fashioned large copper soldering iron. You'll find them quick and easy to do right after a little bit of practice, they are really strong, look excellent and work superbly... and they'll last a lifetime; Take a look here for a few details.

 

[thinfourth]

I thought a spot welder would be stinky and need prep to remove the galvanising

 

[thinfourth]

Seamed joints with soft solder applied using a good old fashioned large copper soldering iron. You'll find them quick and easy to do right after a little bit of practice, they are really strong, look excellent and work superbly... and they'll last a lifetime; Take a look here for a few details.

Why didn't i think of that

I have been using a piece of scrap galvanised sheet to solder pipes together on

And more then once i have solder the pipe to the sheet

 

[outofthefire]

If you have a well ventilated workspace i'd just weld it, tickle the galv off a bit with a grinder first.

 

[thinfourth]

The ultimate aim of this is to live outside

So if i remove the galvanising i end up with rust

And then i would end up having to make a new one in a few years

Or even worse

I might have to paint it

 

[Bill Edwards]

Araldite?

Sorry, but I couldn't resist following some of your remarks!

 

[Gareth J]

Sheet metal "stitch" tek screws. If the application suits them.

 

[Bsmith]

Good quality sewing machine and a reel of whitworth thread

 

[Kent]

Of course it could also be made from untreated steel then sent off for galvanising if you so worried about burning it off ? The only way you can mitigate it other than that is some form of mechanical / folded joint

 

[clift_d]

Fold the edge and fix with 13mm self drilling jack-point wafer head screws - like these:
http://www.condell-ltd.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=16414&gclid=COTyke2sucUCFSPnwgod3FgATg

Cheap as chips as they're made for drylining.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I have successfully spot welded galvanised sheet without any prep, you do need to clean the contact electrodes more often though as they get contaminated quicker.

 

[thinfourth]

Seamed joints with soft solder applied using a good old fashioned large copper soldering iron. You'll find them quick and easy to do right after a little bit of practice, they are really strong, look excellent and work superbly... and they'll last a lifetime; Take a look here for a few details.

I had a try this evening and came to the following conclusions

1 The internet is wrong and you can't solder gal sheet together using plumbers solder and flux

OR

2 I suck at soldering


I think i shall stick to drilling lots and lots of holes

 

[Gareth0123]

Please explain the technique you used along with the actual solder and the actual flux used.

I use a tinman's bar solder, bakers fluid flux and an 8oz hatchet soldering iron. In the dim & distant, I have got away with plumbers flux on a few occasions, and have used battery acid drawn from flat tractor batteries more than once.

 

[awemawson]

Clean fresh galvanised sheet solders nicely with the new 'lead free' plumbers solder and it's flux.

I'v made a few recently where odd shapes, or oil-tightness were needed