Search our quarter-million Q&As

Home of the finishing HOTLINE since 1989

-----

Substitute for iron plating material

Q. Dear sir,

Is there any substitute for iron plating method because I do not have material for iron plating?

Thanks

more power!

ronnel agustin
an electronics co. - Binan Laguna, Laguna, Philippines
2003

Hello Mr. Agustin.

Sorry, but if my car broke down you could not suggest whether I should substitute travel by airliner or bicycle until I told you whether I was going across town or across the country.

Similarly we will need to know why you were using iron and in what application before we can tell you what, if anything, will work as a good substitute. Thanks, and get back to us, please.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
2003

---

2003

1) As Mr Mooney pointed out rather figuratively, without knowing the application or available alternatives, one cannot suggest a suitable substitute.

2) Iron plating is probably the least expensive plating process in every way: chemicals (ferrous sulfate ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] ), equipment (a clean steel container serves as both tank and anode, and you can get by without agitation, filtration & heating) and wastewater treatment. Plating similar metals (Co, Ni) is far more expensive in terms of set-up, operation and wastewater. So, why not iron plate?

Ken Vlach [deceased]
- Goleta, California
Finishing.com honored Ken for his countless carefully researched responses. He passed away May 14, 2015.
Rest in peace, Ken. Thank you for your hard work which the finishing world, and we at finishing.com, continue to benefit from.

Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Please maintain your bookmarks! Although Ted Mooney is retiring, finishing.com is not!
It will have a new owner/curator very shortly!