Strip Brass Plating: Strong Chemical Options for Steel

Summary for strip brass plating Discussion

Strip brass plating from low carbon steel substrate is the core issue in this thread: Clay O'Shell asked whether a commodity chemical could remove an accidental 200 microinch brass deposit from steel rivets so the parts could be zinc plated in-house. The only answer shown comes from Ray Kremer of Stellar Solutions, Inc., who suggests two possible stripping chemistries: ammonium persulphate at 75 g/L with ammonia at 375 mL/L at 21–29 °C, or sodium cyanide at 90 g/L. The thread excerpt does not include follow-up testing, safety discussion, or confirmation of which method worked, so the advice should be treated as a starting point rather than a proven shop procedure. The practical takeaway is that brass can be stripped from steel using an appropriate chemical stripper, but the exact process and safety controls need to be verified before use.