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Thread: Looking for tool advise
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5th Aug 2018, 01:32 PM #1New Member
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Looking for tool advise
Hi, I work in a small shop (4 of us). We build temporary fence panels that we rent out for job sites and events. We build the panels, the bases, and the tops ourselves. After we weld everything up, we send it all out to be galvanized. Where we have problems is cleaning both the posts on the bases and the interior of the square tube on the panels to a depth of approx. 12 inches. We are sticking a round peg in a square hole so we need both the round peg and the square hole to be as smooth as possible.
Right now we use a reciprocating saw to clean the inside of the square tube, both the extra galvanizing and the seam. And we use a flap disc to clean the outside of the round posts. This method is fine if you just have a few to clean. However, this situation is not optimal when you are dealing with thousands of posts and tubes.
I am hoping by tapping into the collective experience of this forum I can find some type of tool, either purchased or made, that will make these processes much easier.
The round posts originally start as 1" schedule 40 pipe and the square tube starts as 1 1/8 14 gauge square tube.
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5th Aug 2018, 04:10 PM #2Most Valued Member
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Do you need to clean the gal off so the parts slide together more easily?
Some pic's might help also.
cheers, shed
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5th Aug 2018, 09:16 PM #3Banned
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Grinding after gal is a bit counter productive, why not use a thinner walled square tube or a smaller round tube. The gal lumps will have to be removed of course but the gal should remain unbroken.
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6th Aug 2018, 01:44 AM #4New Member
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Shed, that is correct, we need to clean the gal up so the pieces slide on, and off easier from both the round posts and the square tubes. The round posts are 4 inches apart from each other so using a flap disc is problematic, as well as very tedious. As for pictures, when I get back to work tomorrow I will snap some and add it to this post.
As for Ona's suggestion to redesign everything, these were the sizes and thicknesses that we decided on for rigidity, stability, and length of product life. While they might be overbuilt, we prefer it that way to make sure that we keep the product around long enough to have a good ROI. Between materials, labor, tooling, and galvanizing we have about $200 USD tied up in each panel. But our panels so far have lasted 10+ years and are keeping going. So we are happy with the design, we are just looking at trying to find a repeatable process for cleaning the pieces when they come back from being dipped.
We make approx 800 panels and accompanying pieces every winter, for square tubes that is 3200 tube ends, 1600 round pieces for the bases, and 1600 round pieces for the tops. As you can see, for a small shop to do this is very time consuming.
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6th Aug 2018, 02:00 AM #5
Hi Lagair,
Whilst you haven't posted any pictures of the product or parts, I see two possibilities based on your description,
The first is to prevent galvanising on the parts that you are having to clean, by using a removable plastic insert could be one way, the second would be to use a plastic part to do the coupling between items. I can see the reasoning behind galvanising, but does it need to be done on the internals of the tube.Best Regards:
Baron J.
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6th Aug 2018, 12:56 PM #6Most Valued Member
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I know you can get internal and external pipe reamers and perhaps a hand deburring tool for the square tube.
Perhaps a step drill for the pipe if the inside needs to be cleaned up.
Phil
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6th Aug 2018, 07:47 PM #7.
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John,
The molten zinc bath used in the hot dip galvanising process is 435 degrees C or 815 F and prior to galvanising the steel is immersed in a nasty acidic pickle bath. Both the pickle and the zinc have to drain out from inside any hollow section and while there are probably plastics impervious to the acid and heat, plugging an open end would prevent the required drainage.
An alternative might be a product similar to our Duragal which is steel sheet that has been "galvanised" in a line process , formed into a range of sections and welded. The process was copied in Australia by Tubemakers in the early 80s from an American idea ( so the story goes. ) . The surface is smooth compared to that of a hot dipped item and the smoothness would facilitate the installation of the round tube spigot into the square leg but it would not have the same corrosion resistance as hot dip galvanised steel if exposed to the elements. It would also be a lot cheaper than the hot dipped version.
Lagair,
I imagine the square leg has the greatest build up of zinc around its open end. Could you make the square section longer and cut it to length after the galvanising to remove the built up edge? Also given the softness of zinc, what about a long chisel or a carbide tipped scraper - https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/54734652 to remove the excess from the inside of the tube.
Bob.
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6th Aug 2018, 09:01 PM #8Most Valued Member
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What about something like a round expanding mandrel that you insert into the square tube and expand it slightly before galvanizing.
It would give slightly more clearance and may be enough to remove the need for mechanical cleanup altogether.
If it works it could be done very quickly using something similar to the machines exhaust places use for expanding one end of a tube to fit over another.
Steve
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6th Aug 2018, 09:23 PM #9Philomath in training
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I was wondering whether mounting a magnetic base drill on a stand and using that to drill into the base of the tubes may be worth thinking about - perhaps with a rotacut style of bit. From memory Mag drills have a longish rack and pinion feed on them so may be good for 12" of travel.
Michael
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