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Plating - How do you keep up with the call outs?

As the title says, I was wondering how people keep up with the call outs (i.e. MIL-C-26074) as the years go on and things are outdated, canceled, or just replaced? I've been tasked to update my company's call outs, however some of the call outs are canceled without replacement (MIL-C8507 and TT-P-662 come to mind) and others, such as MIL-P-6808 have been "canceled without replacement" yet I have been able to find a replacement with the same qualities. How do people in the industry deal with somebody ordering a canceled without replacement order?
Finally, a question that pertains more to plating, They are still using the call out QQ-Z-325 for zinc plating and I have found that ASTM B633 supersedes this specific call out, however I can not add it to my compiled folders of .pdf's of the other updated and canceled specs. How should I obtain a copy of this? (I don't have $24 to spend on a single .pdf)

Brennan A [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
Technical Intern - Redondo Beach, California
July 15, 2011

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July 15, 2011

Hi, Brennan.

I can't answer all of your questions but I can comment on some. Ordering to a spec that is cancelled without replacement isn't really a problem. Think of it this way: some companies have internal specs that nobody outside of the company is responsible for, and a cancelled spec is little different. The fact that a spec has been cancelled doesn't render it invalid, although it does mean that no one outside is watching over it anymore and fixing it as problems develop with it.

As for specs being constantly updated, you can subscribe (usually for free) to specification clearinghouses that will e-mail you each time a spec on your list is updated.

Military specs are free at assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch. American businesses are taxed to pay for this service which gives our offshore competitors this free leg up on us :-)

If you don't want to buy ASTM specs one at a time, they are "cheaper by the dozen". You can get books with compilations of groups of ASTM specs for something like $300 for the 100 or so specs in a group. Of course, if you only need a few in any group, they are not really less expensive this way. You can get specs in hardcopy as well as pdfs. As an intern you are not expected to pay for specs out of pocket; your company is supposed to buy them. I hope your company is not teaching an intern that they should try to circumvent copyright law :-(

Hopefully you'll get additional input from people in your position.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey