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Metal shavings on panels

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gregg baslee
9/9/2009
I have been told for years and have seen metal shavings on steel roofing projects from applying screws, sparks from blades, etc. Sometimes these rusty area appear to be splatters of rust- how does this occur? Also, I have not heard of long-term effects with the shavings being left on the roofing- only rust stains. After several weeks of the shavings on the metal panels, how does one attempt to remove them if needed. Does the speed(rpm) of the drill have an impact with this problem?
Ken Buchinger
NCI Building Systems, Inc.
9/11/2009
When steel shavings are left on a roof, they will obviously rust. Whether the roof panels are bare or painted, staining will result. Typically you will wind up doing more damage to the roof trying to remove the stains than if you left them alone. However, I have seen large piles of steel shavings from erectors cutting panels on the roof. In this case, you need to get the shavings off of the roof to prevent them from rusting a hole in the roof. The best thing by far is to never cut panels on a roof and to sweep or blow all drill shavings off of the roof at the end of each work day.
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