No registration or passwords; no pop-up ads -- just aloha, fun, & answers.
(as an eBay Partner & Amazon Affiliate earns from qualifying purchases).
Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Advertise
 
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
pub  Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989



-----

STRIPPING COPPER PLATING




Q. WE MANUFACTURE VERY PRECISE AIRCRAFT ENGINE (JET) SEALS FROM 17-4PH STAINLESS STEEL. THEY ARE COPPER PLATED 0.4 MILS MIN.IN SELECTED AREAS TO PREVENT NITRIDING. AFTER NITRIDING THE COPPER IS STRIPPED IN A NON-ELECTRIC (IMMERSION) SODIUM CYANIDE SOLUTION.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A NON-TOXIC, NON-ETCH REPLACEMENT.

DOES ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTIONS?

THANKS,
LLOYD

Lloyd steirer
GENERAL MACHINERY & MFG. CO. - chicago, Illinois, USA
2000


A. Lloyd - A great way to strip off the copper plating from SS is to use a peroxide-based stripper. No electricity is required and the process can take as little as 2-5 minutes. Check out our website for information on our line of Laser products. Good Luck.

Dan Brewer
chemical process supplier - Gurnee, Illinois
2000


A. I do not think you can find a really non-toxic alternative, but using cyanide-base solution is not required. You can use oxidizing acid like a standard passivating solution (any one recommended for the PH stainless steels), or simply a 50% nitric acid (room temperature), chromic acid, etc. Make sure the parts are well degreased prior to treatment with oxidizing acids.

Regards, Max

Max Stein
captive metal finisher - Montreal, Québec, Canada
2000



To: Lloyd Steirer:

adv.
We manufacture a copper stripper that is very effective in stripping copper from steel and stainless steel. It was developed in response to a request from Boeing Aircraft and has been approved for use by Boeing (spec #BAC5771. It DOES NOT etch stainless steel, has a pH of 10.2 - 10.8 containing no acids nor cyanides. It is a one-component powder that is mixed with tap water and used at room temperature. This is a low-voltage electrical stripper with an extremely long life. Phone, fax or e-mail me and I will forward literature and lab sample for your in-house testing. Regards, Gayle

Gayle Coffey
Metalx Specialty Products / Ronatec
supporting advertiser
Fallbrook, California

metalx banner
2000




Multiple threads were merged: please forgive repetition, chronology errors, or disrespect towards other postings [they weren't on the same page] :-)



Removing Copper Plating from Stainless Steel

Q. We have been painting stainless steel hinges for some time. One of our customers asked us to also pretreat their hinges by passivating. We took them up on it and have been doing so for a couple weeks using copper sulphate [on eBay or Amazon]for a drop test to confirm the stainless steel is passive.

We have had a couple failures which results in the copper sulphate plating out copper on the part. We have been able to remove most of the copper by wiping, but this is not 100%. We would like to strip the copper without damaging the stainless steel; we process 302 and 304 stainless steel.

Is there a way to do this?

Erik Kafarski
Plating Shop Employee - Madison Heights, Michigan
2007



simultaneous replies

A. Very few things are more easy, than remove copper from stainless steel, diluted nitric acid will easily do the trick, and steel will only be "more" passivated.

Bo König
- Odense, Denmark
2007


A. Nitric acid solutions work well.

Ken Vlach [deceased]
- Goleta, California

contributor of the year 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.

2007


A. Persulphate will do the trick.

ray kremer
Ray Kremer
Stellar Solutions, Inc.
supporting advertiser
McHenry, Illinois
stellar solutions banner
2007



A. All the above answers are satisfactory because you are talking about hinges. But for critical and delicate surfaces, if the acid copper stains, it means that some material from the surface was lost and the surface is immediately damaged from the moment it is stained.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
2007




(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

 
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g, Train'g
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2024 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"