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plating, anodizing, & finishing Q&As since 1989
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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]
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Black spots/patches in acid zinc barrel plating
- August 21
• Platinum Plating with P-salt open Q. - August 20
• Black spots on welding cords after Zinc-Nickel plating
- August 18
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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]
4c. STRIPPING, REWORKS, ETC.
• 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
• 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 Inquirer 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• How to clean/restore C Jere metal sculpture
open Q. - September 9
• Corten sculpture/art & landscaping Q&A
open Q. - August 2
• 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 :-)
• Identifying rings/hallmarks
open Q. - September 18
• Why is this penny silver?
- September 16
• 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
• I have a 1998 penny that looks silver
open Q. - August 16
• Need info on Majestic No. 4 woodburning cooking stove
open Q. - August 8
• Rewiring a lamp with no access
- August 1
• 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
• Taking antique brass bed apart
open Q. - July 8
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