024. Activation of Alloy 55 SST [this thread is closed]

Letter 0024

Activation of Alloy 55 SST [this thread is closed]

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Teaching the AESF L.A. Branch this semester, and several students mention problems with plating Alloy 55 (stainless steel) without blisters. They say they use Wood's Nickel Strike after etching, rinsing, etc. But after baking at 375 for 23 hours (per spec), they get blisters, Would using a special copper strike after the Wood's Nickel or in place of it be a possible cure?

Best regards, Myron

Myron E. Browning
L.A. Branch AESF

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Many years ago I ran a line plating mil-spec cad, watts ni, and ni-cad. Process was electro-clean in a cyanide based deruster/cleaner with a periodic reverse (5 min racks, 10-15 bbls), rinse, HCl pickle (also on periodic reverse),10-15 sec, [leave on reverse cycle] rinse, woods ni strike, rinse, then to process [cad/ni etc.] Many of these parts went on to bake afterward, without difficulty [that I'm aware of] leading me to believe that the surface prep cleaning may be responsible for your blistering

Ron Landrette
- Connecticut

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