PIcked up the conduit the other day. It’s a bit rough due to the galvanizing. Has anyone “sanded” theirs to make it smoother? I’m concerned the roughness will translate into the carvings.
I “sanded” mine on my MPCNC originally, however, I just used 600 grit wet and 1500 grit wet. It was mainly for aesthetic reasons, and while it did make the pipe slightly shinier, I dont think it impacted performance any. I think if you really wanted to make them look nice and actually be smooth, you would have to work your way up the grits, (80,150,300,etc) for a noticeable difference. Not sure it would be worth the effort, but to each their own.
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Be aware that the coating is toxic and you shouldn’t breathe it in.
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Jeff beat me to it. Conduit is galvanized eith zinc. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.fishersci.ca/content/dam/fishersci/en_US/documents/programs/education/regulatory-documents/sds/chemicals/chemicals-z/S25641.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwja_-mzuI6JAxVwOjQIHYrRAkcQFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw22ZTh3zVbkTjznzLVl5q8n
The MSDS for that doesn’t look like anything I want in my lungs. Wet sanding keeps particulates out of the air, but Id probably also wear gloves.
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Wow, was not aware of that, I just started sanding away 
. Thanks for the advice everyone, sounds like sanding is not the way to go……
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should we add (not advisable) to this header?
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Another thought that I wondered about is, if sanding off the galvanized coating would expose the steel to risk of rust. Of course this is minor compared to the health risk from the fact that the coating is toxic if ingested or breathed.
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Wet sanding shouldn’t release dust, and a mask and gloves should do the trick for safety. As hobbyists we don’t do a LOT of this, so the risk is low, however, it does bear mentioning that precautions are a good idea.
Mostly though, I question: Is it helpful, and does it negate the benefits of galvanization (rust protection). If the answers are no and yes respectively (and this seems to be the case) then we shouldn’t, unless the appearance bothers you and you don’t mind the reduction in rust protection.
If I had the capability, I’d chrome the steel on mine 
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Did that. 
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