Summary for acid zinc bath contamination Discussion
Acid zinc bath contamination from dissolved titanium baskets was the issue in this thread: Zach Joseph said the bath turned murky with a white substance after a titanium basket began dissolving, the anodes ran low, and voltage went high, though plating still looked good afterward. He wanted to know how to clean up the tank so he could see his work clearly. The only answer advised caution and a lab-first approach: before treating the whole bath, take a few ounces of solution and pass it through piece filter paper to see whether simple filtration removes the murkiness. The responder emphasized that with unknown contamination, small-scale testing should come first, and asked Zach to report back on whether filtering solves the problem. No chemical treatment or full-tank corrective action was recommended in the excerpt.
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Q. Hello
As the topic states, I have had some dissolving of a titanium basket in an acid zinc bath, solution is now murky from a white substance that gathered in the basket and dispersed into the solution while removing it. Anodes ran low and voltage high, I have since filled the basket.
Although it was plating with good results afterwards i cannot see my work in the tank clearly and would like to clean it up.
How should i treat the bath?
Thank You !
Zach Joseph
– Houston, Texas
April 8, 2023
A. Hi Zach. A general principle in cases involving unknowns like this is you always try it in the lab on a small sample before attempting anything on the whole contents of the tank. So take a few ounces into the lab, pass it thru a piece filter paper, and tell us whether it solves the murkiness problem please.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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