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 0. Choosing a Finish (corrosion, compatibility)
  1. Preparing the part (mech. prepchem. pretreatmasking & racking)
    2. Metallic Finishing (stainless & titaniumanodizing & light metalselectroplatingelectroless platingPVD & vacuum processesgalvanizingbluingother inorganic processes)
      3. Organic Finishing (CED, electrocoatpowder coatinglacquers, clearcoatspainting, printing, adhesives)
        4. Post-treatments (chemical post-treatsbaking, soldering, dryingstripping & reworks)
          5. Supporting Issues (analysis, lab, QA/QCwater & wastesafety, emissionsplant/process engrg.specs, books, statslingometallurgyprecious metal recovery)

            6. NON-industrial (hobbyists, DIY, around homeresearch, thesisK-12 scienceArtists' Corner)
              7. NOT Metal Finishing (off topic but interesting)

   or Post a Question or RFQ of your own


0. CORROSION, COMPATIBILITY, CHOOSING A FINISH . . .

• How to restore mirror finish on stainless steel open Q. - September 14

• Q&A about iPhone Finishes open Q. - September 13

• Internal hydraulic tank rust prevention open Q. - August 27

• What would make Brass magnetic? open Q. - August 24

• Black stainless steel fasteners for exterior automotive use - July 26

• Hot dip tinning vs. tin electroplating - July 12

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1. PREPARATION . . .

1a. MECHANICAL PREP [GRINDING, POLISHING, VIBRATORY FINISHING, BUFFING, HONING]

6053-1i Stainless steel vibratory finishing Q&A open Q. - August 6

• Vibratory polishing of stainless steel components - May 15

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1b. PRETREATMENTS [CLEANING, PICKLING, ETCHING, PHOSPHATIZING, ACTIVATION]

• Parker Parcolubrite -- history of zinc & manganese phosphate open Q. - August 20

• Suitable sodium nitrite levels to inhibit corrosion - August 17

• Electropolishing of Tungsten Carbide open Q. - August 14

• Manganese Phosphate coating color uneven, and not taking in spots - July 27

• Zinc Phosphate coating problems & issues; Q&A's - July 20

• We don't want to use HCl activation for zinc plating - July 20

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1c. MASKING, RACKING, TAPING, PLUGGING, PHOTOSENSITIVE MASKS


adv. maskcoat banner 

• Best Masking Materials & Methods for Aluminum Anodizing - June 17

• How to selectively patina copper (darken it) - April 18

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2. METALLIC & INORGANIC FINISHING . . .

2a. STAINLESS STEEL & TITANIUM PROCESSING

• Phosphoric acid & sulfuric acid electropolishing of stainless steel - September 18

• Procedure for electropolishing stainless steel - September 16

• Anodizing titanium to green color -- Q&A's open Q. - September 6

• Cleaning step/process after passivation treatment - July 26

• Anodizing Titanium: electrolyte formula - June 9

61345-3i Haziness or Cloudiness on Type III Anodized Titanium - June 2

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2b. ANODIZING AND LIGHT METAL TREATMENTS (Aluminum, Magnesium)

• Failed Taber testing on hard anodizing open Q. - September 18

• Two-step black color anodizing Q&A, Problems & Solutions open Q. - September 15

• Dissolving aluminum with caustic soda - September 15

• Reduce anodize thickness by leaving in tank with power off? - September 14

• Chromate Conversion Coating of Cast Aluminum: Problems & Solutions open Q. - September 14

• Gold hard anodising with anti-bacterial silver open Q. - September 14

• Problems in cold sealing of anodized aluminum - September 4

• I need to to know exact chemical composition for MIL-DTL 5541 conversion coatings - September 1

• Caustic Etch Analysis -- aluminium anodizing open Q. - August 26

• Calculations & formula to reach 25 micron [0.001"] anodizing thickness open Q. - August 23

• Preventing yellow/tan discoloration of molded aluminum open Q. - August 15

• Black spots problem in anodized aluminum - August 15

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2c. ELECTROPLATING and ELECTROFORMING

• Formula for Woods Nickel Strike - September 21

• Yellow shade in decorative chrome plating - September 20

• Copper plating staining & oxidation problem, bright dip fails open Q. - September 19

49988-4i What are these crystals on cadmium plated parts? open Q. - September 18

• Zinc plating thickness vs. salt spray resistance open Q. - September 14

• Nickel plating peeling problem open Q. - September 14

• Nickel adhesion to silicone open Q. - September 7

• Zinc plate rubs off on thumb - September 7

• Chrome plating of zinc die castings -- Problems & Solutions open Q. - August 29

• Acid Zinc Plating turns gray in 3 months open Q. - August 26

• Preventing Tarnish on Gold Plated Brass open Q. - August 24

32077-6i Black spots/patches in acid zinc barrel plating - August 21

• Platinum Plating with P-salt open Q. - August 20

17234-2i Black spots on welding cords after Zinc-Nickel plating - August 18

34543-1i Gold plating attacked by stainless steel passivation process? - August 17

• Nickel plating cost calculation - August 16

• Want electroforming machine to make gold jewelry open Q. - August 15

61563-1i Black deposits in ID of silver plated mouthpieces - August 13

• How to remove Zinc contamination from Nickel plating bath - August 5

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2d. ELECTROLESS PLATING, PLATING ON PLASTICS, IMMERSION PLATING, CHROME-LOOK SPRAYS, LIQUID METAL COATINGS

• Epoxy separating from Electroless nickel after thermal stress exposure open Q. - September 14

• Need mirror finish electroless nickel plating on inner walls of holes - September 9

• ENIG (Electroless nickel / immersion gold) & ENAG Plating open Q. - September 8

• Electroless Nickel anti-tarnish treatments, post dips, chromates - July 28

• Chrome plating onto 7075 T6 ALUMINUM? - July 28

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2e. PVD, CVD, ION IMPLANTATION, VACUUM PROCESSES

• PVD coating directly on hot dip galvanized steel open Q. - September 18

• Need to pre-coat polyester fabric for PVD aluminum coating open Q. - September 18

• Electroplating onto sputtered Titanium & Copper thin films pulls them off open Q. - September 9

• PVD coatings: color control - August 3

• Base coat for vacuum metallizing? - July 18

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2f. GALVANIZING, ALUMINIZING, HOT TIN DIPPING

• Lead (Pb) in Hot Dip Galvanizing open Q. - September 4

• Black dust on chromate quenched galvanizing open Q. - August 29

• Want to do Hot Dip Galvanizing Off and On - August 1

• Hot dip galvanizing flux Q & A's - July 13

• Spotting, Staining, Blackening of Hot Dip Galvanized Finish open Q. - July 5

61556-1i What causes the golf-ball depressions on zinc-pot walls after usage? open Q. - June 19

• GSM to Microns. Converting galvanizing weight to thickness - June 2

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2g. BLACK OXIDE, BLUING, COLORING, PATINAS, NITRIDING

• Blackening gold with iodine - June 17

• Possible to black oxide Inconel? - May 14

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2h. OTHER INORGANIC FINISHING: Mechanical Plating, QPQ, Metal Spray, Zinc-rich Dip-Spin Coatings, Sherardizing, Rust Preventatives, etc.

• Rust spots on pickled coil after a few days open Q. - September 1

• Sursulf Processing Q&A, Problems & Solutions open Q. - April 4



3. ORGANIC FINISHING [PAINT, POWDER COATING] . . .

3a. ELECTROPAINT PRIMING, AUTOPHORETIC COATINGS

• CED E-coat air pockets/air trapping open Q. - September 21

• Misc. problems in CED (cathodic electrodeposition) coating open Q. - September 16

• Electrodeposition/e-coating (CED) issues & problems open Q. - August 17

• Unable to get stable pH & conductivity for CED process open Q. - July 29

32774-10i Misc. problems in CED (cathodic electrodeposition) coating open Q. - July 14

• Need E-coating service for stampings, car parts & bodies open Q. - July 11

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3b. POWDER COATING

• Need 4 chrome wheels stripped & powder coated RFQ: Pompton Lakes, NJ - September 18

• Brown-black powder coating problem: white or silvery specks open Q. - July 20

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3c. LACQUERS, CLEAR COATS, ELECTROPHORETIC TINTING, ANTI-TARNISH

• Need longer-lasting lacquer for gold plating open Q. - September 11

• Misc. problems in CED (cathodic electrodeposition) coating - August 5

• Electrophoretic lacquer as a gold substitute? open Q. - July 27

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3d. PAINTING, PRINTING, ADHESIVES AND OTHER ORGANIC COATINGS

• Will paint withstand while moving a vehicle top of it open Q. - September 14

• Plastisol & Solvent Ink Formulas & Improvements open Q. - September 14

• FBE Pipeline Coating Issues open Q. - September 12

• PVDF Coatings. What are they composed of? - September 2

• Epoxy bleed out problems open Q. - August 20

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4. POST-TREATMENTS

4a. CHEMICAL POST-TREATMENTS [CHROMATE CONVERSION COATINGS, RUST PREVENTATIVES, PATINAS, COLORIZING]

• Can zinc plated parts go on for zinc phosphating? - September 3

• Trivalent passivation yellow or iridescent open Q. - July 29

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4b. BAKING AND NON-CHEMICAL POST-TREATMENTS [HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT AND DE-EMBRITTLEMENT, ANNEALING, WHISKERS, SOLDERING, REFLOWING]

• Post plate baking of EN coatings - June 25

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4c. STRIPPING, REWORKS, ETC.

adv. metalx

• I need nickel stripping salt composition - May 27

• Removing/Stripping Electroless Nickel Plating from Steel - May 23

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5. SUPPORTING ISSUES

5a. ANALYSIS, LAB TECHNIQUE, Q.A., SALT SPRAY TESTING

• Water immersion test for stainless steel passivation Q&A, Problems & Solutions open Q. - September 18

• IGA/EGP testing to ASTM F2111 - September 18

• How to measure plating thickness on small coil spring - July 11

• Analysis Methods Zinc-Nickel Plating Bath open Q. - June 20

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5b. WASTE & WASTEWATER TREATMENT, POLLUTION CONTROL

• Change Hexavalent to trivalent chrome? Chrome Reduction process open Q. - September 15

• Wastewater treatment issues: Cyanide destruction questions open Q. - September 14

• Ion Exchange / DM plant calculations open Q. - September 6

• pH of DM water is a mystery - August 30

• Mixed bed De-ionization: How to separate cation resin from anion 2ND REQUEST - August 17

• Table of Water Resistivities open Q. - July 27

• Can RO water be used in manufacturing phosphatizing chemicals? open Q. - July 20

• Algae/Fungus/Biological Growth in Plating & Anodizing Rinse Tanks - June 17

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5c. SAFETY ISSUES, EMISSIONS, TOXICITY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

• Painting galvanized stock tanks, and use as a swimming pool or hot tub? open Q. - September 7

• RoHS -- is the chromium in 6061 / 5052 aluminum hexavalent? open Q. - August 29

• How to remove chrome stains from hands & arms? - August 24

• Chrome plating mist/fume control: PFOS, fume suppressants, emission limits, surface tension reducers, scrubbers - August 6

• Can Trivalent Chromium degrade into Hexavalent Chromium? open Q. - August 1

• Is nickel-plated flatware safe? - July 10

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5d. PLANT & PROCESS ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION

• Chilling of temporary anodising bath on the cheap - September 18

• Chem supplier for small biz RFQ: Alpine, CA - September 15

• Heating open-top tanks Q&A - September 2

• Does DM water have lesser heat transfer properties? open Q. - September 1

• Manganese Phosphate Bath Heating and Sludge Control open Q. - July 29

• Titanium Steam Coil in lead lined Anodic tank open Q. - July 11 vipInquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help

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5e. QUESTIONS ABOUT SOFTWARE, SPECS, BOOKS, EDUCATION, INDUSTRY STATS, HISTORY, ETC.

• Zinc Plating specification QQ-Z-325 open Q. - September 16

2754-4i Hanson Van-Winkle Munning (H-VW-M) memories & memorabilia open Q. - September 10

• Need Expert Training in Electroplating Processes open Q. - August 30

• What does coating "EP- FE/ZN8/HB/CM2Y" mean? open Q. - August 20

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5f. W...W...W...WORD OF THE WEEK

• What is the definition of "Metallurgical Bonding"? - May 5

• 14 ga. CRS, Zinc Electroplate 0.030" THN? Huh? open Q. - April 18

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5g. MOSTLY METALLURGY; Heat Treatment

• Sometimes in hot rolling the Mill Scale is excessive open Q. - September 12

26714-1i Yellow stains on heat treated stainless steel open Q. - September 10

• "Double tempering" of 420 stainless steel? open Q. - June 8

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5h. PRECIOUS METAL RECOVERY

• Recovery of fine floating gold open Q. - September 3

43983-6a Is my rock rhodium? open Q. - August 29

• Can gold be reclaimed from old ceramic dishes with gold trim - August 26

• Extracting gold from copper - August 24

• Refining silver from smithing, plating, mine sludge open Q. - August 18

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6. NON-INDUSTRIAL ISSUES

Hobbyists, DIY, Around Home

• Chrome over Black Chrome or vice-versa for highlighting open Q. - September 19

• "Frosted Duco" Finish" / National Resophonic 'Duolian' - September 18

• Model railroading: Effect of oxidation of nickel silver on its conductivity? open Q. - September 18

• Can I un-polish my polished ring? open Q. - September 18

• Restore Silver damaged by bleach ... toothpaste is the answer - September 14

• Removal of clearcoat on copper cookware - September 14

• Pewter cleaning, finishing & polishing - September 13

15330-2i How can I make copper turn black? - September 7

• Silver polish (Tarn-X) stained my stainless steel sink - September 6

• Need Noxon Metal Polish - September 5

• How to Give Aluminum an Aged Look? open Q. - September 4

• Repainting wrought iron planters open Q. - August 26

• Hexavalent chromium released from stainless steel anodes - August 24

• Paint a roof to look like real copper - August 18

35381-1i Refinishing, painting, or powder coating fireplace screens open Q. - August 16

• Polishing Silver with Aluminum Foil and Washing Soda open Q. - August 5

• Tin ceiling restoration help please open Q. - August 5

• How to remove chrome plating peeling off of rims! - August 5

• Repairing chrome plated aluminum wheels open Q. - August 2

• Graphite coating as metallizing for electroforming - August 1

• Solid rhodium rings? Why or why not - August 1

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6b. RESEARCH, THESIS TOPICS, UNIVERSITY & POST-GRAD STUDENTS

3795-11i Achieve uniform thickness in Cobalt-platinum electroplating open Q. - September 12

• Electrodeposition of Bismuth, Bismuth Plating Baths open Q. - July 29

• How to make potassium gold cyanide open Q. - July 29

• How to make nickel sulfate, nickel plating solution - June 18

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6c. K-12 Science Projects, Grammar & High School Student Questions

• How Much Does a Penny Weigh? open Q. - August 18

• How to convert from v/v to w/v if specific gravity is given? - August 13

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6d. The Artists' Corner

• Hand painted art on a vehicle open Q. - September 11

49168-8i How to clean/restore C Jere metal sculpture open Q. - September 9

54848-2i Corten sculpture/art & landscaping Q&A open Q. - August 2

61557i Brightener for copper art castings? - July 16

• Preserving heat coloring of copper when clear coating - July 11

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7. DRIFTED OFF FINISHING, BUT INTERESTING :-)

29370-35i Identifying rings/hallmarks open Q. - September 18

9941-8i Why is this penny silver? - September 16

23897-10i How to clean corroded lamp base and legs - September 1

• Barber Chair Plating & Restorations: Q&A's and Successes open Q. - September 2

• Need Sweet Spirits of Nitre (the traditional folk medicine) - September 1

• Unexpected color change in acid solution for soil digestion open Q. - August 24

• Sedgwick Residential Elevators Parts & Maintenance RFQ: Massachusetts - August 20

• Restoration of Vintage Soda Fountain open Q. - August 20

• Can't remove old plastic protection film from stainless steel - August 17

41407-4i I have a 1998 penny that looks silver open Q. - August 16

19039-24i Need info on Majestic No. 4 woodburning cooking stove open Q. - August 8

61564-1i Rewiring a lamp with no access - August 1

51699-1i Neighbors electricity shocks me via titanium implant - July 27

• FB Rogers Silver Co. -- Is it Sterling or Plated - July 22

• Preparing sea shells for crafts or display - July 19

• Stiffel lamps repair Q&A's - July 13

• National Cash Registers: How to Restore & Refinish open Q. - July 12

11377-7i Taking antique brass bed apart open Q. - July 8

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