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Current Topics:
0. CORROSION, COMPATIBILITY, CHOOSING A FINISH . . .
04144. What screw material for galvanized electrical boxes on bridge? open Q. (October 10)
46556. Coating stainless barware for corrosion resistance (October 7)
24520. Anodizing of stainless steel vs. other coloring methods (September 29)
49642. Anodizing or Chrome Plating? Need expert help open Q. (September 26)
60766. Trivalent chromate on bare steel (September 24)
30608. Reaction between zinc wall cladding and aluminium rivets (September 21)
33735. Need a long lasting low COF coating for aluminum (September 12)
07897. Galvanic compatibility of aluminum and copper (September 10)
22849. Coating the inside of a stainless nut to prevent galling 
(September 7) 
06082. Chrome vs. EN plating for extruder screw for sand (September 3)
51622. Stainless railings stained by concrete open Q. (August 12)
60819. Aluminum Pool Track Bonding (August 11)
48391. Compatibility of aluminum and galvanized steel open Q. (August 6)
60810. Corrosion of SAPH440 steel packed in VCI bags open Q. (July 31)
60806. Rebar suffering black rust or iron sulfide? (July 26)
27702. Silver corrosion from zinc based additives in lubricants (ZDDP) open Q. (July 25)
23629. Plating Methods Cost Comparison (July 22)
35528. Substituting bright zinc plating for cadmium on studbolts (July 16)
43730. Electrolysis between stainless steel and steel (July 6)
60781. Roller Ski Finishing Questions (June 27)
31020. Galling problems (June 12)
19766. Galvanic Action between Galvanized and Stainless Steel? open Q. (June 8)
00376. Mechanical polishing vs. electropolishing of stainless steel (June 6)
1. PREPARATION . . .
1a. MECHANICAL PREP
[GRINDING, POLISHING, VIBRATORY FINISHING, BUFFING, HONING]
45366. How to get a good polish on a stainless weldment open Q. (October 17)
52636. Vibratory finishing of steel open Q. (September 12)
05629. Vibratory polishing of gold (September 10)
05396. Ra surface finish -- what does it actually mean? (September 10)
28824. Belt Grinding of HVOF coatings (September 7)
10620. Carbon steel media burnishing (August 27)
22747. Aluminum Impregnation in Stainless Steel? - Glass Media Blasting open Q. (August 25)
12866. Mill finish vs. 180-grit finish (July 14)
45662. Shot Blasting vs 7-Tank Phosphating -- Which is better? (June 23)
12526. What sandblasting standard should be used for interior of petroleum storage tank? open Q. (June 3)
1b. PRETREATMENTS
[PICKLING, PASSIVATION, PHOSPHATIZING, CLEANING, ELECTROPOLISHING, ACTIVATION]
20185. Best detergent for electrolytic cleaning? (October 22)
04561. Electropolishing of molydenum and its alloys open Q. (October 17)
35943. Inco 625 Parts Get White Spots on Some Surfaces after Chemical Etching open Q. (October 17)
53135. Need details of "the 7-tank phosphating process" open Q. (October 14)
11573. Cleaning oil & grease from steel surface (October 7)
39277. HCl pickling process (October 2)
14221. Surface Activation for Phosphating, Grain Size Issues open Q. (September 29)
26380. Etching acid for removing possible oxide layer on shot-peened IN718 open Q. (September 27)
34589. Iron spray Phosphating blue finish (September 18)
25146. Chrome plating gets stained by passivation chemicals (September 14)
32384. How many microns should phosphate coatings be, and how to check? (September 11)
00779. Copper Polish Stains Hands Black open Q. (September 2)
34052. Black manganese phosphating coating has black and gray dots (August 24)
04344. Defoaming agent for degreaser tank open Q. (August 23)
13830. Radiusing by tumble processing open Q. (August 22)
60823. Precision Etching for 316L watch parts open Q. (August 17)
13109. Electropolishing a brazed stainless 304L/copper 101 part in same bath? open Q. (August 8)
11047. Electropolishing S.G. drops in summer open Q. (July 25)
27078. Stainless Steel 304 Electropolishing issues open Q. (July 23)
10166. Pickling codes for A312 Stainless Steel (July 22)
60796. 304 Stainless Passivation for Powdered Medical Food Storage (July 20)
01655. Chemical polishing of stainless steel open Q. (July 19)
20720. Zinc phosphating problem: very low pH in activation bath open Q. (July 18)
28409. Etching a pattern in large stainless sheet sheet open Q. (July 13)
15480. Maximum temperatures for phosphate coatings (July 13)
37610. Zirconium oxide following phosphoric acid pickling open Q. (July 10)
12132. Passivating welded stainless steel (July 10)
47682. Easiness of descaling stints open Q. (July 4)
40321. Iron phosphate formula to aid powder coating adhesion open Q. (July 3)
00479. Passivation of carbon steel open Q. (June 30)
00628. Passivating type 416 & 416Se stainless steel (June 28)
19391. Oxalate Coated Stainless Steel Fasteners open Q. (June 27)
47017. Procedure to remove burn marks from stainless steel (June 25)
60775. Cleaning Aluminized tubes to ISO 16232 (June 18)
53891. Electropolishing stainless steel pipe (June 10)
19203. Prevent stainless pots from rusting in weld area (June 4)
07112. Electrodeburring type 304 Stainless Steel open Q. (June 3)
1c. MASKING, RACKING, TAPING, PLUGGING, PHOTOSENSITIVE MASKS
58316. Liquid masking for anodizing (June 27)
60780. Permanent masking for plastic plating open Q. (June 27)
2. INORGANIC FINISHING PROCESSES . . .
2a. ANODIZING AND LIGHT METAL TREATMENTS (Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium)
11260. What is ammonium bifluoride and when should it be used (October 23)
14441. White spots on black dyed sulfuric anodizing with hot water seal (October 22)
45421. Black spots/streaks in anodized aluminium (October 20)
48150. Shade Variation in Hard Anodised Aluminium (October 20)
32786. Prevention of white rust in aluminum castings open Q. (October 20)
55057. Uniformity problems in vertical aluminium anodizing open Q. (October 17)
60828. Trickle Charge to Protect Aluminum Cathode for Anodize open Q. (October 16)
04024. 'Never dump' processes for electropolishing aluminum? open Q. (October 16)
30736. Room Temperature Acid Brightener for Aluminum open Q. (October 14)
00270. Clear conductive coating for ADC12 that offers 300 hours salt spray (October 11)
02528. Aluminum Pretreatment: 3-step Iron Phosphate vs. Chromate Conversion Coating (October 6)
04558. MIL-C-5541 / MIL-DTL-5541 Class 1a vs. Class 3 Chromate Conversion Coatings (October 4)
53050. Why does bare aluminum continue to corrode? (October 4)
02469. Hard Anodizing MIC-6 open Q. (October 2) 2nd Request
44929. High temperature color anodize (September 29)
11686. Formulas for chromating of aluminum (September 26)
01819. Q&As on Teflon (PTFE) impregnated Hard Anodizing of Aluminum open Q. (September 25)
14229. Clear anodizing, how to get the best clarity (September 21)
41155. Pitting under the rack marks in Boric-Sulfuric anodizing (September 19)
46468. Prep of aluminium 7108 before anodizing open Q. (September 18)
03678. Precision optics - aluminum race with sliding steel sphere (September 17)
60839.Can we buy bright aluminum plate? open Q. (September 12)
04343. Plating 6061 Aluminum for sea water submersion open Q. (September 12)
06903. Anodizing for Electrical Resistance / Dielectric (September 12)
24127. Yellow Spot/Stain on ADC12 Die Casting Part open Q. (September 8)
33933. Anodise encroachment into chromated area (September 5)
23085. Streaking problems in anodizing extrusions open Q. (September 3)
45313. Copper builds up in de-smut/de-oxidizer open Q. (August 28)
54298. Can you clear anodize over color anodizing to make it darker? (August 27)
10807. ASTM-B117 Salt Spray test on aluminum -- how long? (August 25)
60812. Inside of hollow anodized aluminum profile has white dots (August 21)
01263. Interference color anodizing of aluminum and two-step (electrolytic) coloring open Q. (August 19)
45728. Alodine 1200S Problem: Powdery Condition open Q. (August 17)
24066. Importance of nickel acetate in anodize sealing (August 6)
60816. Titanium grade for fasteners for aluminum anodizing open Q. (August 6)
06733. Concentration of phos/nitric acid in bright dip for aluminum? open Q. (August 6)
50478. Powdery issue on Al-2024 with sulphuric acid anodized and dichromate seal (August 1)
10002. Cleaning fingerprints from conversion coated aluminum open Q. (July 31)
00937. Anodizing titanium alloys in gold and other colors open Q. (July 25)
28128. MIL-A-8625 Type II, chromate sealed parts have white patches (July 19)
40099. Hard anodizing color problem open Q. (July 11)
57550. Anodize is peeling during tape test (June 25)
00685. Surface roughness and polishing of PEO / Microarc Oxidation Finish open Q. (June 24)
06326. Post anodize operations for glossy finish (June 24)
21510. Bright dipping aluminum on titanium rack seems to galvanically electropolish it open Q. (June 13)
44433. "Close Looping" an Aluminum De-Ox System (June 6)
2b. ELECTROPLATING and ELECTROFORMING
17284. Copper underplate required for nickel plating on brass? open Q. (October 20)
12243. Barrel tin plating is dull or black (October 18)
33883. Pits in nickel-chrome plating on aluminum open Q. (October 17)
09380. Some sulfamate nickel plated parts bright; other shapes not open Q. (October 16)
21250. Why is Zinc Plating changing colors? open Q. (October 14)
40943. Black zinc okay for oxygen environment? open Q. (October 14)
09527. Starting a small plating business open Q. (October 11)
15090. Problems in plating glass-to-metal seals open Q. (October 10)
49143. pH of gold plating bath (October 10)
60869. What Ra or Rz Needed before Bright Plating? open Q. (October 9)
47217. Palladium-nickel plating isn't adhering open Q. (October 9)
07077. Black nickel is fading (October 7)
54564. Pinholes in Copper Plating of Gravure Cylinders open Q. (October 6)
28851. Black patches, pit marks on Zn-Ni plating (October 5)
60866. Uneven plating thickness in acid zinc (October 4)
04153. Silver plating small tubes on inside (September 29)
44771. Acid Copper Plating Problems (September 25)
09737. Cadmium Plating Touch-up (September 24)
54204. Chrome plated rods passed 500 hours NSS; now they fail at 90 hours open Q. (September 23)
60842. White rust over zinc coated bolts open Q. (September 19)
40095. Remove titanium contamination from acid zinc plating bath open Q. (September 19)
46130. Gold plating onto 304 Stainless Steel (September 18)
28863. Seeking alternative methods for lowering Copper Cyanide in Alkaline Bath open Q. (September 18)
15017. Help with sulfate concentration in a chrome plating bath (September 18)
02797. Peeling off problem in nickel strike on 303 stainless steel (September 18)
51293. Alkaline zinc plating doesn't cover axle bolt threads (September 18)
05287. Is the stress in hard chrome plating tensile or compressive? open Q. (September 18)
31565. Hard chrome plating on Aluminum Bronze open Q. (September 17)
37430. Gold plating is turning copper-ish color open Q. (September 17)
21020. Can I nickel plate undersize shaft ends? (September 17)
08473. Chromium cracking after bake cycle open Q. (September 11)
55350. Zinc Plating: clear, blue, yellow, green passivation differences (trivalent or hexavalent) (September 9)
38047. Horizontal hard chrome plating (September 7)
36618. Washers nesting and not getting cad coverage open Q. (September 7)
50375. Need rhodium plated silver to stay tarnish-free 2 years (September 5)
56395. Does tin plating need undercoating with copper/nickel? open Q. (August 31)
37067. Electroplating Copper onto Silicon Wafers open Q. (August 31)
26110. Avoiding tin whiskers on bus bars (August 28)
29013. Why Ni-Cu-Ni plating of NdFeB Magnets? open Q. (August 26)
03795. How to overcome non uniform thickness in electroplating open Q. (August 25)
38877. White spots in alkaline zinc plating open Q. (August 21)
44753. Pitting in sulfate nickel bath for diamond plating only when new (August 21)
50922. Silver plated surface as an anode for hard chrome? open Q. (August 21)
24842. Chrome burns when 4 parts on rack but not with 2 parts open Q. (August 18)
13089. Best plating for filling porosity (August 13)
23909. Problems in zinc plating of cast iron open Q. (August 9)
41922. Nickel Plating defect: white patches open Q. (August 8)
35619. Nickel bath has white precipitate open Q. (August 5)
32077. Black spots in zinc plating (August 1)
25173. Want rough zinc plating so powder coating adheres (August 1)
37456. White Spots after Zinc Electroplating (July 21)
43916. Black spots on antique brass plating (July 26)
06561. Chrome hardness varies across the part open Q. (July 25)
04676. Rhodium plating with Vintage Finishing open Q. (July 25)
60804. Reel-to-Reel Cleaning of Copper Coil before Plating open Q. (July 25)
38936. Rusting of Cu-Ni-Sn plated steel open Q. (July 23)
11706. White precipitate on anode rods & anode bags in Nickel Sulfate solution (July 23)
10870. Platinized titanium anodes for electroplating (July 23)
07458. Corrosion on a zinc plated item (July 21)
05106. Tin plated parts are turning black (July 21)
20963. How to barrel silver plate nichrome open Q. (July 21)
38212. Cyanide zinc electroplating problems (July 21)
49424. Tin plating over copper is blistering (July 21)
12175. Seeking Touch Up Pen for Zinc Plating and Chromate open Q. (July 19)
11579. Coefficient of friction of yellow vs clear chromate (July 16)
56140. Adding Chemicals in HEEF-25 Hard Chrome Plating (July 13)
54564. Rotagravure copper plating is too soft open Q. (July 7)
open Q. (July 7)
32321. Yellow Passivation for Spokes & Nipples (July 7)
00005. Gold Plating of Microwave Guide open Q. (July 2)
47424. Bubbles in lacquer on plated Zinc Die Castings (July 18)
05188. Tin Anode in Hull Cell Turned Brown open Q. (June 30)
33245. Passivation of dark trivalent chromium plating (June 27)
05974. Chrome spotting on leaded brass open Q. (June 13)
26622. White rust on zinc plated parts (June 13)
60774. Low temperature limit for zinc plated parts (June 13)
16734. Chloride contamination of acid tin plating bath (June 12)
60765. Plating on silicon steel fails salt spray test quickly (June 11)
29347. Chrome plating shock absorber shafts Q&As, Problems & Solutions (June 11)
28003. Copper & silver plating blisters only on bus bar tabs open Q. (June 1)
2c. ELECTROLESS PLATING, PLATING ON PLASTICS, IMMERSION PLATING
56043. How to check the copper coating thickness in MIG wire? open Q. (October 20)
33632. Adhesion problem, electroless silver plating on polyamide open Q. (October 18)
26853. Composite electroless nickel-PTFE plating open Q. (October 10)
32955. Etching of ABS for Electroplating with chromic-sulphuric acid open Q. (September 27)
16897. Problems doing Electroless nickel plating on stainless steel open Q. (September 26)
20973. Immersion gold sticks to baskets (August 24)
60811. Electroplating Plastic (ABS) Threads: Tolerances open Q. (July 29)
59721. Electroless nickel buildup in small holes open Q. (July 26)
47083. Chrome Plating of ABS Plastic -- Delayed Cracking open Q. (July 11)
38067. Electroless nickel on aluminum step-by-step please (June 29)
20662. Electroless plating of diamonds onto tools (June 28)
60779. Electroless nickel plating of monel open Q. (June 25)
2d. PVD, CVD, ION IMPLANTATION, VACUUM PROCESSES
45683. Cracks appear after Vacuum Chrome plating on polycarbonate open Q. (October 10)
28527. Base coats and top coats for vacuum metallizing open Q. (October 5)
34053. Titanium nitride targets cycle off and on (September 2)
06125. Bright PVD Gold Is Okay; Matte Gold Won't Adhere (July 31)
07846. PVD coatings: color control problem with TiN (July 31)
16927. Coloring stainless steel -- electrolytic vs. PVD (June 13)
60771. High Temperature PVD Coatings open Q. (June 4)
2e. GALVANIZING, ALUMINIZING, HOT TIN DIPPING
21047. Treating galvanized steel sheets to avoid white rust (October 20)
55032. Minimize/control galvanize coating thickness open Q. (October 14)
60808. GALVALUME Coated Sheet Steel in animal confinement applications (October 3)
43365. Purlins turn red in flux tank open Q. (September 23)
49271. Ammonium chloride requirements for galvanizing flux open Q. (September 17)
60826. Contaminants building up in galvanizing flux open Q. (September 13)
22164. Electroplating vs. galvanized for permanent tent (September 10)
57163. White shadow mark on hot dip galvanised material (September 3)
37959. What is the maximum temperature a pre-flux bath tank can be? (August 23)
56573. Galvanizing Pot Temperature -- Ideal zinc temperature for galvanizing? (August 22)
38915. Peeling problem in galvanizing of steel open Q. (August 16)
45651. How to stop hot dip galvanizing flaking (August 16)
60822. Accessory for hanging parts for galvanizing? (August 16)
08715. How does galvanized steel get its look? (August 16)
34789. Difference between pre-galvanized and hot-dip galvanized steel? (August 6)
43365. Galvanizing flux Q&A's (July 27)
54709. Trivalent vs. silane galvanizing quenches (June 13)
2f. BLACK OXIDE, BLUING, COLORING, PATINATING, NITRIDING
12141. Gas Nitride Issues: Blistering and Flaking on Nitrided H-13 open Q. (October 16)
39187. Black oxide failing oxalic acid test (August 1)
21437. Rainbow Stainless Steel (June 30)
23742. What is the difference between Black Phosphate and Auto Blackening? (June 30)
48674. Is blackodizing banned as hazardous in Pune? (June 25)
28779. Is zinc phosphate an alternative to QPQ (May 28)
07605. Replace powder coating with black oxide (May 7)
01754. Blackening stainless steel in the field open Q. (May 2)
2g. OTHER INORGANIC FINISHING: Mechanical Plating, QPQ, Metal Spray, Zinc-rich Dip-Spin Coatings, Sherardizing, etc.
24154. Welding of Tungsten carbide coating open Q. (July 23)
08591. Chromating a zinc-alloy thermal diffusion coating open Q. (July 17)
60730. Are bullets (projectiles) ever mechanically plated? open Q. (April 10)
3. ORGANIC FINISHING PROCESSES . . .
3a. ELECTROPAINT PRIMING, AUTOPHORETIC COATINGS
32574. Defects in CED Coating open Q. (September 29)
44399. Must zinc plating be stripped before Geomet coating? (September 27)
23047. How to reduce paint thickness in Cathodic Electro Deposition (CED) system? open Q. (September 26)
57561. Pin holes in CED e-coating open Q. (September 9)
46042. How to clean choked membrane? open Q. (July 20)
51966. Electrodeposition/e-coating (CED) issues & problems (July 13)
11694. Can e-coat be used on optics or does it outgas open Q. (June 13)
3b. POWDER COATING
45155. Powdercoating stainless steel Q&A's (October 20)
45526. Structure Formation Problem in Powder Coating open Q. (October 14)
35126. Pinholes in powder coating open Q. (October 5)
05234. Repair of Powdercoat after Welding? (September 25)
60844. Bad powder coating on steel: Poor wet out surface defects open Q. (September 24)
42644. Pinhole problems in powder coating open Q. (September 23)
10377. Powder coating on aluminum casting open Q. (September 11)
08904. Salt Spray Hours vs. real life exposure for powder coating (September 3)
15733. Preheating with sunlight before powder coating open Q. (August 27)
22876. Powder Coating masking and peeling problem open Q. (August 25)
01618. How do you powder coat over a powder coat primer? (August 23)
18298. Black "rub marks" on powder coating open Q. (August 22)
60820. Powder Coating Problem: Grinding & Sanding Marks show through (August 22)
48524. Powder Coating fails impact test open Q. (August 6)
60795. Discoloration of Gray polyester powder coating over aluminum open Q. (July 11)
15733. Food-safe pretreatment of aluminum before powder coating open Q. (July 4)
21611. Pretreating and Powder Coating Cast Iron (July 3)
04729. Powder coating chips off aluminum during pemming operation open Q. (May 14)
3c. LACQUERS, CLEAR COATS, ELECTROPHORETIC TINTING, ANTI-TARNISH
47125. Need gold color without real gold open Q. (August 25)
09194. Clear E-coating turns my gold too orange (June 15)
3d. PAINTING, PRINTING, ADHESIVES AND OTHER ORGANIC COATINGS
24110. Kynar vs. Powder coating for boat T-tops (October 22)
23536. Spray finish of silver nitrate open Q. (October 20)
23620. Do powder coated trellises need field painting? (October 17)
12199. Holiday detection in FBE Coatings on Pipe open Q. (October 16)
51696. Silky Smooth Rubberized plastic coating on pushbuttons open Q. (October 4)
39979. If We Use High Temperature Paints Will It Contaminate the Shop with Silicone? (September 21)
45803. Any Paint alternate to powder coating for Hospital beds? open Q. (September 18)
09222. How I can make Teflon paste? open Q. (September 13)
29450. Electro-black parts get white spots after lacquering open Q. (September 9)
22639. Clearcoat has Unwanted Rust Colored Tint open Q. (August 25)
56629. White patches on PU coated Aluminium open Q. (August 20)
22500. Are nanotechnology coatings food-safe? (August 13)
38769. Painting over electroplated ABS (August 2)
08382. Formulation of plastisol primer coat open Q. (July 27)
15909. Plastisol Ink for Textile Screen Printing Production Process open Q. (July 13)
26415. Wanted Electroless Coatings for Zinc and Tin-based Pewter (July 11)
11789. PVC coating on 304 grade stainless steel (July 11)
10157. Is NBR rubber sprayable for use as a coating? open Q. (June 3)
30522. Clear coating to seal a rust patina finish on metal (June 1)
4. POST-TREATMENTS
4a. CHEMICAL POST-TREATMENTS
[CHROMATE CONVERSION COATINGS, RUST PREVENTATIVES, PATINAS]
28837. Can we do chromate coating on a formed part made from E.G. CRS (September 12)
50709. Blue passivation turns into silvery colour after a week (September 10)
39937. Blackening Nickel Plated Items (August 26)
03755. Clear coating of Silver for Anti-tarnish (August 17)
50193. Brightening & corrosion-proofing brass (August 1)
40243.Corrosion proofing the ID of plated tubing open Q. (July 14)
4b. BAKING AND NON-CHEMICAL POST-TREATMENTS:
[HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT AND DE-EMBRITTLEMENT, ANNEALING, WHISKERS, SOLDERING, REFLOWING]
00958. Soldering Problems with Tin Plated Brass open Q. (September 6)
07194. Can't Activate ZnNi Plating for Chromate after Baking open Q. (August 25)
60809. Tin Plating Solders Well Manually, but Pinholes when Wave Soldered open Q. (July 26)
4c. STRIPPING, REWORKS, ETC.
60838. Strip Melonite finish from stainless steel open Q. (September 14) 2nd Request
41862. Stripping silver from alloy of gold, silver and copper open Q. (July 6)
57202. Chemical to strip nickel plating (March 29)
5. SUPPORTING ISSUES
5a. ANALYSIS, LAB TECHNIQUE, Q.A., SALT SPRAY TESTING
38140. Tri-acid etch analysis without thorium titration or specific-ion electrode? open Q. (October 18)
41654. Determine % Nitric Acid. Titration? Conversion factor? (October 17)
22800. Equivalence between ASTM B-117 vs. ISO 9227 NSS (October 6)
38853. Distinguish Between Electrodeposited Zinc and Cadmium Coating open Q. (October 4)
01744. Can 304 SS replace Galvanized Steel? (September 29)
51596. EDX Q & A's open Q. (September 27)
11800. Ductility issue in acid copper plating (September 27)
44450. Determination of oil content in degreasing bath open Q. (September 23)
35573. Will yellow chromate get white rust in salt spray test? (September 14)
44422. Sulfate Analysis of Chrome Plating Solution open Q. (September 6)
26694. How to determine acceptable manganese phosphate appearance? open Q. (August 26)
54154. Analysis of fluoride in hard chrome plating without using thorium nitrate open Q. (August 22)
44293. Solution Analysis of Chromate Conversion Coating Process (August 20)
60442. "Stress Tabs" for plating? open Q. (August 15) 2nd Request
60821. Stripping copper foil from Cr-Ni film (August 13)
60803. SPC measurement for Leadframe Plating Thickness (August 10)
09833. Sulfur Analysis in Nickel Plating by ICP-OES open Q. (August 6)
50132. Salt Spray Test -- ASTM B117 Operational Problems (July 23)
40408. How to digest stainless steel completely? (July 6)
38230. Steel & Aluminum allowed simultaneously in same Salt Spray Test? (June 6)
47480. Analysis method for nitric acid and ammonium bifluoride for etch bath (June 6)
20398. Testing aluminum mirrors -RFQ- (June 4)
44899. Telling 304 from 316 Stainless? (June 3)
03642. How to calculate % purity of citric acid by titration method? (June 3)
5b. WASTE & WASTEWATER TREATMENT, POLLUTION CONTROL
07245. Plating wastewater treatment (October 4)
30932. Ion Exchange / DM plant calculations open Q. (September 6)
48818. Reuse regenerated water in Cooling tower as a makeup open Q. (September 4)
14346. How to remove fungus from drinking water pipe line open Q. (September 4)
02846. Waste treatment in zinc plating open Q. (August 13)
51446. Ferrous Chloride dose rate to remove Sulphides (August 5)
33620. pH increase in blowdown of steam generator? open Q. (July 31)
04555. Disposing of plating solutions / closing down electroplating shop (July 23)
43864. Reducing nickel content in wastewater effluent (July 22)
03392. Wastewater treatment of iron and zinc phosphate conversion coating processes open Q. (July 21)
00269. Catalytic oxidation of cyanide using carbon open Q. (July 19)
32633 Tube Settler Reynold's Number open Q. (July 17)
40394. Cyanide reduction using sodium hypochlorite (July 11)
32443. Mixed bed of dimineralizer isn't working right (July 10)
00674. Floating Sludge in Wastewater Treatment open Q. (June 25)
5c. SAFETY ISSUES, EMISSIONS, TOXICITY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
07164. Galvanized zinc shards in my eyes (October 23)
44945. Is white dust from anodized aluminum harmful (September 18)
10836. Mercury Poisoning from thermometers (September 3)
15303. Is bronze flatware safe (September 3)
45056. Galvanized steel for planting vegetables (August 29)
10986. Swallowing Muriatic Acid (August 25)
54053. Can working in aluminum foundry cause Parkinson's ? open Q. (August 18)
34001. Hexavalent chromium emissions from anode of unknown metal? (August 8)
49633. Looking for PPE recommendations for Chrome plating line (August 8)
01321. Eating off of Medallion Liquid Gold plated flatware open Q. (July 22)
38164. Hazards of Grinding Anodised Aluminium open Q. (June 29)
40416. Aluminum oxide = health risks? (June 23)
21703. Galvanized stove and metal fume fever (June 4)
5d. PLANT & PROCESS ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION
21092. Best Gas Burner for Powder Coating Oven open Q. (October 11)
17485. Tank Water Evaporation Estimates open Q. (September 24)
22905. DI water is attacking PVC Piping (August 19)
04221. Heating and Cooling of Chrome Plating Tanks (July 29)
07984. Pump seals for hydrochloric acid open Q. (July 22)
56947. IGBT vs. Diode Rectifiers open Q. (July 20)
60793. Aluminum Smelter Cathode Deterioration While Idle open Q. (July 10)
41928. Zinc Phosphate Sludge Buildup Problems (June 15)
60772. U-shape vs in-line zinc electroplating (June 6)
5e. QUESTIONS ABOUT SOFTWARE, SPECS, BOOKS, INDUSTRY STATISTICS, ETC.
26629. What does "MFZn8 Colour Cluster" mean? open Q. (October 20)
24664. Any code for copper pipe touching galvanized steel? open Q. (October 20)
00097. Which plating book to start with? (October 18)
22456. Need specification number for copper bright dip or cleaning open Q. (October 17)
18495. Electroplating Engineering Handbook (September 26)
00097. Training in Electroplating -- Where to Get? open Q. (September 15)
35197. What is FE/ZN Cz plating? open Q. (August 17)
54165. Where to get NACE corrosion training? (July 15)
60788. MIL-PRF-32348 Class Distinction open Q. (July 3)
43668. Thickness tolerances for 2024 T4 aluminum (June 5)
60770. Standards for Chemical Milling open Q. (June 1)
5f. WORLD WIDE WORD OF THE WEEK
49660. Need stainless steel rails on a brass hairline finish (August 26)
30536. What does "CL" mean in CL304 Cres & CL416 Cres? (August 21)
03605. What is Alusil? Who can coat it on fuel tanks? (April 23)
60702. What is flash anodizing? (April 15)
5g. REACH, RoHS, EOL Directive; Cd, Pb, Cr+6, Nitric Acid & Phosphate Replacements
60877. Does Wash Primer have Hexavalent Chrome? open Q. (October 20)
03113. Formula for Blue Chromate (Passivation) for Zinc Plating (October 4)
59342. RoHS Zinc Plating ASTM B633 with Trivalent Chromate (August 31)
60831. Cement reverts to having hex chrome after treatment (August 29)
48221. Repairing Type I Conversion Coating with Type II open Q. (May 14)
24431. Is SPI B3 Finish RoHS & REACH Compatible? (May 5) 2nd Request
5h. MOSTLY METALLURGY
15010. Prevent scale build up during induction heating open Q. (October 17)
50226. These are the specs, what grade Stainless is it? (October 2)
12545. How to Anneal Stainless Steel open Q. (September 14)
03862. Annealed SS tubes come out green or black open Q. (September 4)
05089. How to remove heat treat scale with non-aggressive chemicals open Q. (August 28)
25152. Bending thinwall aluminum tubing with out damage? open Q. (August 23)
10417. Spring Failure Causes open Q. (July 26)
51470. Insufficient hardness achieved in heat treating C45 Material open Q. (July 23)
31430. Hy-Tuf Steel Machinability & Hardenability open Q. (July 19)
60790. Chrome plated pin gage is oversize (July 6)
5i. PRECIOUS METAL RECOVERY
55693. Scrap value of gold plated stainless flatware? open Q. (October 9)
33616. Gold Recovery for Dummies? (October 9)
60864. How to Recover Tin, Copper & Lead from their chlorides open Q. (October 2)
60814. Blackening of Diamonds after De-Stoning process in Aqua Regia (September 29)
20033. Getting gold from my black sand farm open Q. (September 23)
06262. Silver refining problem: Removing copper from silver nitrate (September 21)
34676. Best & easiest way to refine gold to get high purity open Q. (September 18)
05198. Sodium Cyanide & Hydrogen Peroxide Destruction open Q. (September 18)
49593. How to manufacture rhodium plating solution on a large scale open Q. (August 23)
22253. Refining of Platinum & Palladium (July 31)
53511. Recovering gold from 'bombing' procedure (July 31)
18889. Left CPU gold plated pins in acid solution too long and it dried out open Q. (July 15)
6. CONSUMER, RESEARCH, & STUDENT ISSUES
6a. ARTISTS, HOBBYISTS, CAR BUFFS, HOME OWNERS, ETC.
02662. Preserving heat coloring of copper when clear coating open Q. (October 23)
15391. Stainless steel cooktop stain removal (October 22)
36025. Can Citristrip be used to remove zinc plating? (October 22)
43774. Restoring bleach damaged silver (October 20)
23721. Best aluminum finish to hide scratches yet look complementary to SS? (October 20)
07423. Pretreatment for classic auto restoration (October 17)
03606. Black Chrome Plating for Harley Bolts? (October 16)
14173. Painting a plastic (polyethylene) motorcycle gas tank open Q. (October 15)
33774. Gold plating over sterling silver? (October 14)
59759. Undercoating on GM Cars in the 1950s open Q. (October 9)
00085. Small scale acid copper plating problems open Q. (October 8)
28810. Looking for Sheffield "The Silver Solution" replating solution (October 7)
33780. Repaired ring doesn't match its mate open Q. (October 7)
12857. Coloring sterling silver for jewelry use open Q. (October 6)
10270. History of electroplating sterling jewelry with rhodium open Q. (October 4)
16945. Bad clearcoat ruined my Corten patina (October 4)
60863. Anodize, Alodine or Paint Aluminum Catamaran Structure? (October 4)
54552. Why Don't Electric Fences Kill Us? (October 4)
41517. Gold Plating Problems with Jewelry open Q. (October 2)
29692. Teflon Finish on catering pans open Q. (September 30)
60862. Cheap & easy way to keep motorcycle headers from rusting open Q. (September 30)
20323. Brass Finishers in the 1800's open Q. (September 29)
53424. Gold plating of brass jewelry open Q. (September 29)
60858. Rust removal and polishing for Springfield 1911 A1 Stainless Steel open Q. (September 27)
44383. Rust protection and rust removal from steel and stainless bearings open Q. (September 27)
49168. How to clean C. Jere metal sculpture open Q. (September 26)
35145. Is citric acid the same thing as ammonium nitrate? (September 26)
26845. How to paint a stove top (September 25)
59059. Removing Tarnish and Cloudiness from a Trombone (September 24)
12873a. Removing Silica Water Stains open Q. (September 23)
19891. Chrome plating on faucet is disintegrating (September 23)
14512. Chrome contamination of all-chloride nickel plating bath (September 21)
22541. Car propeller shaft corrosion protection (September 19)
47295. Copper striking for hobbyists (September 19)
37526. Mirror gold/brass finish on steel/stainless steel open Q. (September 17)
01432. Replating silverware at home (September 17)
15649. Heat treating steel for color effects (September 17)
16257. Painting galvanized steel (September 14)
00019. How to Blacken Engraved Areas in Stainless Steel open Q. (September 12)
00001. Help a beginner to electroform (September 9)
41804. Differences between SS304 and SS316 stainless steel (September 7)
04736. How to anodize an aluminum water bucket (September 4)
42425. Color plating of chrome vanadium sockets (September 4)
44081. Patina on nickel, Artificial aging (September 4)
01215. How to Antique or Blacken 24 kt Gold Plated Lamp (September 3)
12362. Coating tables and bar tops with thick clear pourable plastic open Q. (September 3)
44807. Anodizing aluminium with steel pin in it (August 29)
00161. Clear coating "copper" pathway lights (August 29)
42765. Confused about "acid test" for silver open Q. (August 28)
34692. How to reproduce amazing gold plated chain? open Q. (August 27)
18493. Silver Plating Discoloration -- turning pink (August 24)
20705. Electroplating plastic model parts open Q. (August 23)
20858. How to clean old nickel-silver knife (August 22)
19866. Cleaning zinc clad tabletop? open Q. (August 21)
28788. Newcomer wants to know everything about Gold plating (August 21)
16006. Can Alodine be 'wiped on'? (August 17)
26353. Cleaning gold that has been burned open Q. (August 17)
41930. Galvanic Corrosion between Galvanized Steel and Aluminum (August 16)
46505. What not to use to clean a sublimation coated mug? open Q. (August 16)
00798. Elevators discolored by ammonia-based cleaning solution? open Q. (August 13)
17968. Removing oil-rubbed finish from bronze (August 12)
60818. Painting raw edge of plaster board (August 9)
08229. Removing stains from bath tubs. (August 8)
19519. Painting Fiberglass Tub/Shower Unit open Q. (August 8)
32106. Derusting of old pipes (August 8)
30186. Stainless sink stains white towels (August 8)
33151. How is this gold attracted by a magnet in Russia? 
(August 5)
34112. Will steel patio set rust? (August 2)
38226. Brake rotors: G3000 castings with Geomet vs. G3500 with zinc plating (August 1)
35697. Carburetor re-plating / re-coloring (July 31)
37544. Removing scratches on painted kitchen stoves and refrigerator doors open Q. (July 26)
60807. Low-temp flux for soldering stainless steel open Q. (July 25)
01198. How to Darken Bronze open Q. (July 25)
16559. Powder coated lawn furniture is sticky open Q. (July 25)
26821. Lacquering of copper with airbrush open Q. (July 23)
18178. Small scale copper polishing open Q. (July 23)
60799. Can you add additional Chrome to a thin layered chromed part? open Q. (July 22)
15539. How to make stainless steel duller open Q. (July 21)
01831. Rough edges on aluminum billiard rack are tough on felt table (July 21)
21209. Stripping and painting cast aluminum patio set (July 21)
21693. Sealing aluminum yard art to prevent oxidation? (July 21)
31286. Is a barrier layer of Nickel plating needed when Silver plating on Copper Jewelry? (July 18)
03066. Anodized aluminum for C4 corrosion class? open Q. (July 17)
34318. Cast Iron Claw-foot Bathtubs: How to Clean, Remove Rust & Stains, Restore, Re-surface, Recoat open Q. (July 16)
41066. Aluminum kitchen stuff no longer shiny -- How to fix it? open Q. (July 16)
41124. Q&A's Replating of Silver Rings (July 15)
29417. Cold blackening a Scotty Cameron stainless steel putter (July 14)
09480. Porosity issue on galvanized trailer open Q. (July 11)
37536. Heat resistant, food-safe finishing open Q. (July 10)
09128. Copper Sulphate as Swimming Pool Algae Remedy? (July 10)
39975. Outdoor Resin Furniture Refreshing (July 9)
19891. Removing chrome plating to return to nickel plating (July 4)
09462. Glass etching cream is not strong enough open Q. (July 4)
60789. Strange particles on stainless steel refrigerator open Q. (July 3)
27488. Peruvian silver markings open Q. (July 3)
44569. Ford 75th Anniversary Silver Bowl (July 2)
23824. Can I turn a blued gun into a silver looking shiny gun? open Q. (June 28)
26032. Changing brass to silver, nickel, or satin chrome look (June 27)
16032. Cleaning/restoring vintage tin humpback trunk open Q. (June 25)
10337. Remove rhodium plating from gold -- Is Rhodium plating reversible? open Q. (June 25)
34314. Electrolytic cleaning plates for silver: Q&A open Q. (June 23)
26176. Automotive Wet Spray vs. Powder Coat -- 1950's Tanker Desk (June 19)
10202. Jeweler says it will take 2 weeks of humidity for my ring to get shiny again open Q. (June 13)
12868. How to dull brass (June 13)
53013. How to calculate the cost of gold plating per piece (June 12)
17560. Bottle cap and similar decorative tabletops (June 6)
60773. How to Colour Stainless Bolts Bright Blue Similar to Aluminium Anodising (June 5)
18212. Cadmium plating disk brake rotors? Yes/No? (June 5)
18486. Stainless flatware in the dishwasher (June 4)
55151. Oxalic acid for stains on vinyl pool liner open Q. (June 3)
30419. Want to replate chlorinator plates with rhodium stripped from them (June 3)
23481. Polished Aluminum Clearcoat Secret (June 1)
23568. How long will brass lacquer last? (June 1)
29778. Damaged my Harley brake pedals stripping the chrome open Q. (June 1)
6b. RESEARCH, THESIS TOPICS, UNIVERSITY & POST-GRAD STUDENTS
11853. Questions about surfactants open Q. (October 23)
60875. Why do nails in Kanchan arsenic filters sometimes NOT rust? open Q. (October 19)
46268. Gold plating from tetrachloroaurate [AuCl4] (October 16)
21436. Removing oxidation from bronze grave markers (October 5)
08792. The Kelite Bldg. in Los Angeles open Q. (October 4)
01185. Problem in MSA Tin Plating on Silicon open Q. (September 9)
09676. Plating solder over brass (August 17)
00555. Plating copper onto aluminum (July 21)
60798. Applications for Nickel foam open Q. (July 19)
07372. Plating Thickness vs. Current/Amperage -- What is the Relationship? (July 17)
12891. How to neutralize nitric acid open Q. (June 14)
6c. K-12 SCIENCE PROJECTS, GRAMMAR & HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT QUESTIONS
26899. Can all metals rust? (October 18)
11608. Science project: Turning pennies gold color (actually brass) (October 14)
48959. How to set up steel wool corrosion test open Q. (September 13)
11551. Science project: Coins or nails in vinegar (September 11)
04134. Copper sulphate reaction with steel wool (September 8)
36628. How do you make copper sulphate crystals? (September 2)
38861. What are ways to measure rust? (August 24)
09716. Why is copper chloride blue? (August 13)
20696. Treating copper sulphate waste as school project open Q. (July 19)
06997. What is rust? And how does pH effect it? (June 24)
32766. What conducts heat quicker copper or nickel? (June 15)
21478. Acid + Carbonate = what reaction? (June 3)
7. DRIFTED OFF FINISHING, BUT INTERESTING TO SOME OF US :-)
13277. Copper for natural gas lines? Or steel, plastic, CSST, etc. (October 23)
24359. Barber Chair Restoration Q&A's and Successes open Q. (October 20)
52212. Cleaning blackened bank notes (October 20)
11030. Iridium Copper Metal which Pulls Rice and De-Colors It (October 16)
32413. Need sweet spirits of nitre open Q. (October 16)
13393. Food-safe coating for sea shells? (October 5)
31934. Price of Copper in 1941 (October 5)
18029. Problems in White phenyl Manufacturing open Q. (September 23)
44362. Swallowed Sodium Hypochlorite during root canal open Q. (September 23)
19039. Cast Iron Cook Stoves: How to restore open Q. (September 18)
53795. What chemicals will heat up water (September 15)
37106. Cleaning roof with bleach (September 8)
14356. Unable to get bids on SS316L roof (September 2)
14995. Excessive Copper in Swimming Pool Water? open Q. (August 22)
23922. Musty smell in basement and throughout entire house (July 10)
33143. Reassemble Stiffel Lamp open Q. (June 29)
44362. Swallowed Sodium Hypochlorite during root canal open Q. (June 28)
60769. Etching to get roughened surface on Phillips screwdrivers (June 22)
60777. Is recycled steel more prone to rusting? open Q. (June 19)
19953. Cleaning stainless trowels for color plastering open Q. (June 10)
29312. Making a Silver Catalyst Bed open Q. (June 8)
30479. Copper corrosion and blue water in residential water system open Q. (June 1)
legend:
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| | = The inquiry has photos / graphics |
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