49034

Preferential attack during electropolishing  

June 16, 2008

Hello
I am trying to electropolish a cylinder of stainless steel. I place a platinum wire inside the cylinder for allowing the current to pass. As cathode I have two plates of stainless steel of the same composition as the cylinder. The cathodes are at both ends of the cylinder. The electrolyte is a phosphoric, sulfuric water mixture. The temperature is about 40ºC. And I have a problem: one end is always more electropolished that the other, I mean, the electropolishing is not regular as one end is thinner than the other one. I have asked a lot of people and I have consulted many books but I am not able for find a solution.

Elizabeth Perez
- Mexico

Hello,

Move up the current.

Jose Castellanos
- Minneapolis, MN, USA