In the last post about galvanized vent hole plugs, we covered the difference between aluminum and zinc vent hole plugs and the circumstances in which each one is best suited.

When using oil based steel primer, temperature at the time of coating is important. Paint will dry at a slower rate in colder temperatures and its drying solvents can evaporate away before drying is complete, leaving a clay-like film in its place. This is called 'cold curing'.

All vent hole plugs are designed for the same purpose, to seal the vent and drainage holes made in a steel component during the galvanization process. While their functionality is simple, the choice of whether to use aluminum or zinc vent hole plugs can be more complicated.

One of the most common and basic products used in steel fabrication and other construction trades is the steel wedge.

Askew head bolts are used in masonry work in conjunction with wedge inserts. The askew head bolt is inserted into the wedge insert, which is embedded in a concrete wall, to allow for a connection to be made with a steel member (usually a relieving or lintel angle). 

If you were just starting out as a structural steel fabricator, it wouldn’t be long before you saw a tie rod, hanger rod, or cross brace assembly called for on a building plan. Typically, these assemblies are used in conjunction with a clevis, or more commonly two clevises, and a turnbuckle. While we go into depth on tie rods, clevises and turnbuckles in other articles, today we are focusing on a particularly unique clevis rod order that The Steel Supply Company fulfilled.

Thermal Break Bearings have become a more and more common element used in steel fabricating plans. These products are insulators, meaning that they do not easily conduct heat or energy. As such, they are used to stop heat from transferring between steel members or escaping from the wider building envelope.

Now that the COVID-19 lockdowns are being steadily eased, steel fabricators and other construction trades are finding themselves with a ton of work backed up.

Slide Bearing design and specifications fall into categories with the most common being FC-1010-CS, a 3/32” layer of Fluorogold® bonded to 1/8” thick carbon steel. An upper and lower member of FC-1010-CS are used to create the slide bearing, as shown in Fig. 1. This is the most common configuration and can function effectively in the following ranges:

Environmental regulations for the construction industry are continually developed, and in many cases increased. As most readers of this blog are likely already aware, one highly regulated area of construction pertains to the use of steel primers, particularly the level of volatile organic compounds (or “VOCs”) that they contain.