Testing whether it's Zinc or Nickel-chrome plating

June 18, 2008

Hi,

In parrot keeping there are huge problems due to chronic and acute zinc toxicity.

Toys are often made with galvanized parts, but also with nickel or chrome plated ones. The latter two metals are currently thought to be safe and not cause toxicity in parrots.

To test for stainless steel - which is safest - is easy with a magnet. But how can owners test in order to differentiate between zinc and nicker or chrome?

Some bird websites recommend testing with hydrochloric (resp. muriatic) acid for zinc (foams and may turn black).

Questions:
1. How reliable a test is this?
2. How would nickel or chrome plated parts react?
3. Are there any better tests that you would recommend to test for these metals

The alternative is sending the parts in for lab testing which is destructive and expensive

Ann Castro
retailer of products - Frankfurt, Jesse, Germany

June 20, 2008

hi , beware that some stainless steels are magnetic -( low grade)so a magnet test can be unreliable .

hydrochloric acid would attack zinc immediately and turn black as you know already .

the same acid will also attack chrome(not as quick or aggressively) - but not the nickel.
it would also take longer to get a reaction but when the chrome had been stripped , there will still be shinny nickel left .

it should be easy enough for someone to tell you the plating just by looking at it .

a copper sulphate test will prove if it is s/s or mild steel - only on unplated areas . mild steel will turn copper colour , and s/s will have no change .

hope this helps

jay smith
- Essex UK

June 20, 2008

The zinc react very rapidly with HCl. Nickel and chrome both react, but much slower and they have a greenish tint to the solution.
It is a reasonable test. Use tiny amounts and protective equipment.

James Watts
- FL

June 20, 2008

The Zinc plated parts will probably have some coating over the zinc to prevent wear and tear, sort of like a clear coat. Which is fine for a while but will break down to expose zinc. The HCL will cause a reaction with the zinc but only if it is able to touch it. You would have to scrape the part a little and then apply the HCL. This is a destructive test to some degree as you have to scratch it. If the part is nickel or chrome, the HCL will have nearly no effect at all on the part. If that is the case just rinse it off, dry it and let your parrot have fun with it. I would think that the shop owner you are buying from should have some type of idea as to the makeup of the parts that he is selling if he is animal friendly. If not, try another shop owner that looks into that kind of thing. Hope this helps

Mike Berrier
- Addison IL

June 21, 2008

Thank you very much for your replies! That really helps!

I have an online shop and we buy from wholesellers, manufacturers and importers. You would not believe how often the wholesellers and importers do not know what materials were used. Sure, we ask and then we are told it is birdsafe. But then if we are persistent and ask for written guarantees, it often turns out that they are not quite so sure.

Also, I have an online parrot forum. So people do not buy just from us,but go there to seek help. I think I will go to the hardware store, pick up some HCL and try to make a little info-video for the website. If the difference is dramatic enough, it hopefully will be visible on the video

Many thanks again, for your help!

Ann.
www.birds-r-fun.com (in German)

Ann Castro
- Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany