Summary for iron plating substitute Discussion
iron plating substitute is the central question here, but the thread does not give a direct replacement. Ronnel Agustin of an electronics company in Binan, Laguna, Philippines asked whether there is any substitute for iron plating because he did not have the material. The reply, from an unnamed responder, says no useful answer can be given without knowing why iron is being used and what the application is. The responder uses a travel analogy: you would not choose between an airliner and a bicycle without knowing whether the trip is across town or across the country. The practical takeaway is that the right substitute depends entirely on the purpose of the plating, so more details are needed before recommending any alternative.
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
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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
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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.