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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
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for Metal Finishing 1989-2025
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Pickling before chrome plating
Can anyone advise me on Hard Chrome cleaning. Between sulfuric Acid 30% and Hydrochloric Acid 30% which does a better cleaning preparation (pickling) for hard chrome before plating ? Thank you so much.
MICHAEL TAN- Singapore
At room temperature HCl is far more aggressive.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
That is 6 of one and a half a dozen of another. It depends on what metal you are using it on and which one that you like the better. Most platers use a 25 % HCl. Cheaper, less hazardous to make up and I think that it is slightly faster. Drawback fumes-Things around it rust much worse. Sulfuric has far less fumes, is not as corrosive to most metals but generates a massive amount of heat when you dilute it and is an accident begging for a place to happen if someone adds a lot of water to the acid concentrate. The drum is a lot heavier which does not help.
PS, sulfuric is divalent, so for an even comparison, it is normally used at 1/2 the volume to volume makeup strength of the monovalent HCl.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
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