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Test for Brass Vs Zinc Plating

Is there a simple test to determine if the steel nuts we purchased are actually zinc plated instead of brass plated?

Hannah Low
Buyer - Singapore
January 14, 2011

January 20, 2011

Who plates steel nuts with brass?

Steel nuts are plated with zinc or zinc alloys. On top of the zinc plating there is a post treatment which in most cases is bluish or sometimes irrediscent yellow.

Sara Michaeli
Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel

I have seen cheap decorative nuts plated with brass, to have the steel strength and the brass color. A proper choice of brass parent metal would negate this and be a better product.

The test, put 1 nut in a cup of vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil link] and stir for several minutes. if the solution gets a yellow tint it is zinc with a chromate. Let it set for an hour and it will probably have stripped most of the zinc off also. brass should not be affected to any great degree.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
January 20, 2011

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