Preventing Swarf Damage

Cutting

• Cut only by shear; power shears or hand snips produce the least amount of debris.
• Power nibblers give a clean cut but generate debris which if left is prone to corrosion.
• Do not use metal friction blades or reciprocating saws which produce fine hot particles which can embed deeply into the coating surface and corrode rapidly.

If metal grinding is taking place near the surface of an installed or uninstalled roof, careful masking of nearby coated steel surfaces must be executed.

Clean-up

Swarf should be swept or hosed from the job progressively and certainly no less than at the end of each day. Swarf that has become stuck must be removed carefully, avoiding action which is likely to remove or change the appearance of the paint or metal coatings.

When sweeping or hosing into a gutter, clean out the gutter before leaving the job to prevent premature corrosion. On completion of the job, give a final wash or sweep down.