does anyone know about galvanized sheet metal?

[pdhenderson]

Go find wood or buy it, woods not expensive, build the frame and mount it to that.
Another option, if you seal the metal with neoprene as used in spill kits ( $13.00 canadian 36 x 36 ) go nuts with it.

 

[hllywd]

Bean,
I really didn't consider condensation a problem, assuming plenty of ventilation there shouldn't be any, at least in my experience. I would agree if we were discussing something resembling a glass cover. Maybe the stuff I'm considering "galvanized" actually isn't. It's the stuff I make flashing out of when I do a roof or work on a chimney. Bright shiny steel, definitely not aluminum ( I do know the difference) and different from the galvanized buckets I remember as a kid. clean it with some lacquer thinner, hit it with a can of Rustoleum and its good for a few years, even without painting it takes several years to rust here in Ohio.

Honestly I'm making some assumptions here but I'd cut the stuff with some snips or have the pieces sheared and pop rivet it together if I were to tackle such a project.

Come to think of it I used a bare piece dadoed into pine sides as the top of my first canopy when I first got MH lighting. I was falsely worried about heat. I used a piece of specular aluminum for the reflector with a 1/2" air space. It lost it's shiny look but over the period of 4 or 5 years it never rusted just turned to a dull gray, while the optical coating burned off the aluminum...

Tim

 

[leebo_28]

your talking 8 bucks for that canopy to be built...minus reflectors...go collect some aluminum cans , or check your couch for change!!

 

[BeanAnimal]

Thanks for the added input Tim..

Yes most "flashing" is galvanized steel

It will stay nice and shiny because of the coating I mentioned. Once the coating wears away, then the self protection starts to kick in. Notice how it turns from shiny to somehwat white after a few months or years?

There is also Stainless flashing (not that most of us would pay for it).

The galvanized buckets and trash cans start out shiny like that at the mill, unless they are HOT DIPPED (like roofing nails).

That "dull gray" is what would worry me.

I suppose we could get Boomer or one of the other chem guys to answer the question better so that we could all learn something.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Steven cutting it with a torch is bad news. I would not lose too much sleep if you cut it with a grinder... just don't make a habit of it without respiratory protection.

 

[Steven0000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10100408#post10100408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pdhenderson
Go find wood or buy it, woods not expensive, build the frame and mount it to that.
Another option, if you seal the metal with neoprene as used in spill kits ( $13.00 canadian 36 x 36 ) go nuts with it.

i would have done that from the very start, but my father does not like a 250w bulb getting close to wood and it is house so....kinda have to do what he says.

maybe i can talk it over with him again
it took a long time to convince him to let me have the mh
but maybe this won't be so bad

does anyone know of any good DIY canopy forums?

 

[BeanAnimal]

Why not save your money and get (2) pendants like Reef Optix IIIs.

They are about $100 each. They will look decent until you get a wood canopy built and will help your father feel more comfortable.

 

[Steven0000]

my dad actually camr home from work today with a decent soulution

he had 2 pices of stainless steel
one was a threaded pole
and the other was something to bolt on the ceiling
he said it could hold some 2,000 ibs
so i dont think i will have a problem
so we decided we will do that and leave the canopy build for later