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  Click/tap ↓ to jump to a category, or just scroll on down --

 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. The HEAD TABLE topic: "Choosing a finish, corrosion"

• Want gold colored finishes without use of gold - October 26

61584i How to Achieve Zinc Rainbow Patina - October 15

• How to restore mirror finish on stainless steel - October 4

• What ferrous material is fully resistant to hydrochloric acid? - September 28

• 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

See more threads in this category



1. The PREPPERS' tables

1a. MECH PREPPERS' topics: "Grinding, polishing, vibratory finishing, buffing, honing"

• Repair brushed stainless finish open Q. - October 31

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

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1b. CHEM PREPPERS' topics: "Cleaning, pickling, etching, phosphatizing, activation"

• Pickling solutions for copper & brass - November 25

• How to determine whether component is zinc phosphated or manganese phosphated open Q. - November 5

• Zinc phosphate coating is black and peels off open Q. - November 5

• Oil Leaking on Hydraulic Pump after Pretreatment open Q. - October 24

• What chemical for matting or etching acrylic (poly methyl methacrylate) sheet? open Q. - October 14

• Manganese Phosphate coating problem on nitrided parts - October 14

• Pickling and bright dipping of copper open Q. - September 23

• 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

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1c. THE NAYSAYERS' topics: capping, plugging, masking, taping


adv. maskcoat banner 

61588-1i How to mask workpiece holes in black anodizing? - November 14

• Plating of stainless steel tube damages inside surface - October 27

• Masking/Stop off for anodizing on complex parts RFQ: Kentucky - October 24

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2. The HARD stuff: metallic & inorganic finishes

2a. STAINLESS, TITANIUM, CORROSION-RESISTANT METALS PROCESSING

lewes ferry terminal railings Can T316 stainless steel be used 400 feet away from the sea? - November 9

• SS420 Pickling and Passivation Problem - October 25

• Need consultant for AMS2488 Type II Anodizing of Titanium RFQ: Miami - October 19

• Passivation for type 420SS stainless - October 15

• Electropolishing and Chemical Etching Processes for Cobalt Chromium - October 13

• Citric Acid vs. Nitric Acid Passivation - October 3

• 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

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

36602-1i Black rubs off anodized parts - November 25

• Problems in Plating on Aluminum, including alloy selection - November 21

61610-1i Large Plate anodizing problems open Q. - November 21

61433-2i Defect in shiny anodized product - November 21

• Sealing Aluminum to prevent oxidation? - November 9

• Problems in cold sealing of anodized aluminum - November 9

6326-2i Problems achieving shiny/glossy anodized parts - October 31

• Snowflake corrosion on Duranodic anodized parts - October 25

• Dissolving aluminum with caustic soda - October 24

61581-1i Black anodize gets white stains only on large sheets - October 22

• Minimum time between chem-film and priming - October 22

• Re-anodizing Aluminum which has been previously anodized - October 19

• Trying to mild etch High Mg Al alloy open Q. - October 8

• Water quality / chloride contamination in anodizing open Q. - October 5

• De-smutting/De-Oxidizing of aluminum - October 3

• Teflon Coating on Aluminum open Q. - October 2

• Anodizing supplier is RoHS compliant but not RoHS certified? open Q. - September 29

• Looking to permanently whiten aluminum open Q. - September 23

• 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

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

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2c. ELECTROPLATING and ELECTROFORMING

• Zn25 vs ZnNi12 - Expected lifetime for marine indoors open Q. - November 27

50709-1i Acid Zinc Plating turns gray in 3 months - November 25

• Adhesion No Good for Nickel Plating on Neodymium open Q. - November 25

• Zinc-Nickel Plating and Chromating Problems & Solutions open Q. - November 21

• Carbon treating silver plating solution with activated carbon cartridges open Q. - November 21

• Zinc Plating has white & red rust without a cause open Q. - November 15

• Roughness in copper-nickel plating on zamak - November 13

• Tin Plated Parts are Turning Black open Q. - November 11

61563-3i Silver plating with Auxiliary Anodes open Q. - November 11

• Cadmium Cyanide adhesion issue open Q. - November 8

• Chrome plating and coefficient of expansion - November 8

• Want to find an alternative chrome plating process - November 1

• Zinc plating thickness vs. salt spray resistance - October 26

• Unusual behaviour of thief wire in chrome plating open Q. - October 25

• Chrome plated engine valves nodular and peeled in one area open Q. - October 23

• Brass plating is tarnishing and turning black open Q. - October 22

• Black Passivation and Black Trivalent Plating - October 22

• Black stain spots in satin chrome, plus burning open Q. - October 22

43916-2 Cyanide spots and stains in brass plating - October 15

• Facing issues with air locks! - October 14

9144-4i Chrome rods on hydraulic cylinders show lateral lines ... mechanically induced? - October 14

• Zinc-Nickel Plating very thin in some area of padbolts open Q. - October 14

• Alkaline zinc plating thickness - October 13

• It takes an hour to zinc barrel plate in ammonia chloride open Q. - October 11

0350-1i How to electroplate onto Tungsten-Carbide open Q. - October 11

• Do We Use DuNuöy Ring or Wilhelmy Plate Tensiometer for Chromic Acid? open Q. - October 8

49988-4i What are these crystals on cadmium plated parts? - October 7

• Nickel plating peeling problem - September 27

61579-1i 'Skip' problem when doing black passivation in stainless steel baskets open Q. - September 26

• 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

• Nickel adhesion to silicone open Q. - September 7

• Zinc plate rubs off on thumb - September 7

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

• Electroless copper plating onto wax - November 25

• Best Bright Chrome effect paint for polystyrene plastic open Q. - November 2 vipInquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help

• Random parts are not plating completely in electroless nickel open Q. - October 22

• Conductive paint for plating on plastic, flowers, glass, non-conductors open Q. - October 20

• RCA test for electroless nickel open Q. - September 27

• 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

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

• Ion nitriding problem: batch with white dot colorization open Q. - September 29

• PVD coating directly on hot dip galvanized steel - September 27

• 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

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2f. GALVANIZING, ALUMINIZING, HOT TIN DIPPING

• Hot-Dip Galvanizing Kettle: how to build or where to buy one - December 1

• Galvanizing surface area and weight gain don't match up - September 28

46671-2i How to dull (reduce shine of) galvanized sheets & roofs - September 26

• Heating a galvanizing kettle with lead jacket open Q. - September 23

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

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

• Blackening gold with iodine - June 17

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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

49385-1i Paint ooze out in CED process open Q. - November 21

• How to Increase DFT Paint Thickness in Cathodic Electrodeposition (CED) system? - November 11

• Rusty Anodes in CED (cathodic electrodeposition) / Troubleshooting Coating Process open Q. - November 10

53021-1i CED E-coat air pockets/air trapping - October 2

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

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3b. POWDER COATING

• Laser printing powder coated steel open Q. - November 20

• Is "pre heating" essential for powdercoating? open Q. - November 8

61576-1i Need 4 chrome wheels stripped & powder coated RFQ open to all, Pompton Lakes, NJ - October 13

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

• Cure time after lacquer process before salt spray test - September 27

• 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

• How many micron thickness reduction after rub test on painted panel? open Q. - October 25

• Plastisol & Solvent Ink Formulas & Improvements open Q. - October 15

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

• FBE Pipeline Coating Issues open Q. - September 12

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

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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

• Plating was stripped from 4340 steel parts; no etching/pitting at the time, only days later open Q. - November 21

• Remove dried plating salts that leaked into cavities open Q. - November 8

• How to strip hard chrome at home - November 8

• Remove/strip anodizing from aluminum - October 13

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5. SUPPORTING ISSUES

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

• Hydrogen Embrittlement Test Failure open Q. - November 21

• Noüy Ring vs. Withelmy Plate Tensiometer for Chrome Surface Tension open Q. - November 9

• Water immersion test for stainless steel passivation Q&A, Problems & Solutions - October 8

• How to perform Acid MEQ of CED Bath manually? - October 8

• Analysis of ammonium nitrate in stripping solution - October 2

• IGA/EGP testing to ASTM F2111 - September 18

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5b. WASTE & WASTEWATER TREATMENT, POLLUTION CONTROL

• Change Hexavalent to trivalent chrome? Chrome Reduction process - October 11

• 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

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

• Health issues in welding on galvanized steel - November 10

• Must silver plated parts be watched for cyanide? open Q. - September 27

• 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

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5d. PLANT & PROCESS ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION

17769-2i Long parts bend during barrel plating - November 21 vipInquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help

• Ampacity & sizing of Aluminium busbar - November 21

• Will the low conductivity of Titanium be a problem? - October 18

• Need 20 Liter divided electroplating tank with an Anion membrane RFQ open to all, Palm Springs, CA - October 16

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

• Chem supplier for small biz RFQ open to all, Alpine, CA - September 15

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

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

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

• Salt spray test: Organic thread coating makes plated fasteners rust open Q. - November 15

• Seeking MSDS and TDS for Novamax products - November 1

• Rectifier calibration open Q. - October 27 vipInquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help

• DFAR prohibits "hexavalent chromium in a concentration greater than 0.1 percent" - October 19

• What is the meaning of MFZn2-E open Q. - October 17

• Verifying a Bond Path Analysis equation? open Q. - September 26

• 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

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

• Converting "baumé" to Concentration - September 25

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5g. MOSTLY METALLURGY; Heat Treatment

• How to demagnetise stainless steel? - October 18

• 316L Stainless Steel is too springy open Q. - October 16

• 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

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5h. PRECIOUS METAL RECOVERY

43983-12i Is this rhodium sponge? - November 21

• Recovery of fine floating gold open Q. - November 9

• Can gold be reclaimed from old ceramic dishes with gold trim - October 17

• Acid testing for gold, silver & precious metals open Q. - October 8

• 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

• Electroforming with Brass - November 27

• How to Dull Bright WW2 German Dagger open Q. - November 25

• Silver tarnishing -- is body chemistry responsible? open Q. - November 20

44569-11i F.B. Rogers Silverplate Q&A's? - November 11

• Painting cast iron fountains / restoring rusty fountains open Q. - November 10

• Wearing gold rings & jewelry turns my skin black - November 8

• Pre-coating for sublimation transfers onto ceramic open Q. - November 1

• Brass is Pink not Yellow - October 27

• Can't color Zinc/Zamac/Pot Metal gun parts open Q. - October 24

• How to Rust corrugated steel open Q. - October 24

• Removing Silica Water Stains open Q. - October 24

• Remove rust with muriatic acid (HCl / hydrochloric acid) open Q. - October 21

31806-2i Cleaning copper roofs - October 15

• Metal Gaming Chair Finish open Q. - October 14

• Washing machine broken aluminum spider arm? What coating needed? open Q. - October 14

• Need Noxon 7 Metal Polish - October 14

0023-1i Not succeeding with ultra-black Ruthenium plating open Q. - October 12

• Plating leaded stained glass open Q. - October 11

• Damaged finish on copper table open Q. - October 3

• 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

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

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

61613-1i Electroplating on complex geometry, a microlattice structure - November 27

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

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

• To rust and trust -- school science experiments with rust - November 21

• 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

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7. DRIFTED OFF FINISHING, BUT INTERESTING :-)

• Need iron in diet -- will steel water bottles do it? - November 20

• What chemical would a master plumber use that would cause heat when in contact with water? open Q. - November 11

54890-7i Theda Sterling Silver Medals, Crosses, Jewelry Q&A - November 11

23897-11i How to identify and learn about antique wrought iron lamp? - November 11

• Paidar Barber Chair Restoration: Q&A's and Successes - November 9

28915-1i Antique icebox Q&A's, Problems & Solutions - November 9

61601-1i Maker's mark on Spanish gothic chandelier open Q. - November 9

33143-12i Stiffel lamp Q&A's - November 9

• Toxic effects of boric acid on feral cats open Q. - November 7

• Home Comfort Parts Needed RFQ: California - October 27

• Monarch Stove Parts Needed RFQ: Kentucky - October 27

• FB Rogers engraved silver plated pitcher open Q. - October 22

7278-1i Black Powder Cannons open Q. - October 17

29370-36 Identifying rings/hallmarks open Q. - October 15

• Boric acid, etc. for dog ear infections - October 14

• Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) attacking steel hull boat open Q. - October 7

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

• 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 open to all 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

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

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