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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

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The authoritative public forumfor Metal Finishing 1989-2025

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Post a Question or RFQ
0. Choosing a finish, corrosion
15/27. Tin ceiling restoration 2000 square feet RFQ open to all: Chicago - 3/8/25
238/24. Mixing bright metal & bluing. Turning blued gun silver? - 3/7/25
617/67. Looking for the hardest, unscratchable finish for jewelry RFQ open to all: Idaho
- 2/2/25
172/59. Gold Plating a Kalash
- 1/7/25
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1. Preparation
1a. MECH PREP topics: "Grinding, polishing, vibratory finishing, buffing, honing"
618/01. Flattening aluminum panels warped by laser cutting
- 2/6/25
82/54. Blasting in lieu of cleaning & pickling
- 1/29/25
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1b. CHEM PREP topics: "Cleaning, pickling, etching, phosphatizing, activation"
517/72. TA/FA for Tri-cationic Zinc Phosphating? - 3/10/25
53/44. Electropolishing Cost - 2/22/25
09/60. Best way to blacken zinc phosphate - 12/30/24
340/52. Manganese phosphate coating: issues and answers - 12/29/24
617/76. Mixed metal pretreatment configuration - 12/9/24
14/04. Electropolishing of silver
- 12/3/24
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1c. Capping, plugging, masking, taping
611/91. Masking for Selective Silver Plating
- 3/8/25
618/07. Dual tone nickel + gold electroplating
- 2/19/25
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2. Metallic & inorganic finishes
2a. STAINLESS, TITANIUM, CORROSION-RESISTANT METALS PROCESSING
260/36. Passivate per MIL F 14072 E300 - 3/7/25
617/00. Titanium anodizing for multi-color sheets for kitchen cabinets
- 2/8/25
617/21. Can Titanium be Anodized in an Aluminum Anodizing Line?
Inquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help
- 1/29/25
90/61. Passivating Laser Cut Stainless Steel Problem - 1/22/25
12/53. Electrical Properties of Passivated Stainless Steel - 1/6/25
460/41. Electropolishing 4xx / 400 series stainless steel - 12/31/24
309/65. Can't remove old plastic protection film from stainless steel - 12/27/24
85/05. How to smoothly etch stainless steel materials - 12/26/24
214/37. "Rainbowing" and "Bluing" method for Stainless Steel - 12/14/24
315/41. Electropolishing stainless steel to a 'satin' finish
- 12/6/24
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2b. ANODIZING AND LIGHT METAL TREATMENTS (Aluminum, Magnesium)
405/35. Gold Spots when Hard Anodizing 7075 Aluminum
- 3/7/25
618/17. Carbon Anodizing Cathodes - 3/6/25
23/07. Color anodizing of die-cast aluminum - 3/6/25
618/15. Chem Film on Aluminum is Cloudy - 3/5/25
339/33. Masking/stripping when chromate conversion and anodizing on same part - 3/5/25
565/81. Rainbow effect / defect on anodized aluminum?
- 3/1/25
618/11. Black spots on one side of thread after Anodize and Dichromate Seal
- 2/26/25
612/99. White dots on an anodised finish
- 2/19/25
274/62. Ultrasonic rinsing after anodizing - 2/17/25
569/17. Alodine not sticking / rubbing off, but only at holes - 2/13/25
222/58. Chromic acid anodized test panels fail only if near bottom of rack
- 2/12/25
612/99. White dots on an anodised finish - 2/6/25
617/75. Aluminum in the 1930's: "Deplated Finish"
- 1/30/25
173/11. How to do copper plating on aluminum roller?
- 1/30/25
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2c. ELECTROPLATING and ELECTROFORMING
388/77. Surface Roughness in Alkaline Zinc Electroplating - 3/10/25
617/52. Cyanide copper plating on zinc diecast - 3/5/25
618/16. Detecting & Repairing Scratches in Ni Plated Al6061 - 3/5/25
10/06. Non-cyanide Copper Plating - 3/5/25
325/78. Need a tiny amount of Fumetrol 140 for research RFQ - 3/5/25
618/14. Black Chrome Plater with Large Tanks Needed RFQ open to all: Wisconsin - 3/4/25
327/83. Replating chrome onto existing chrome - 2/26/25
453/31. Chrome plating: microcracking & pits - 2/26/25
321/77. Blisters of sulphamate nickel plating after sintering - 2/26/25
618/09. Need Cad 1 finishing for Restorations RFQ: West Coast - 2/19/25
445/17. HRc hardness of hard chrome plating - 2/16/25
587/01. In electroplating, What is a 'Strike Solution'? - 2/13/25
61804. Need Gold electroplating of item for memorial plaque RFQ open to all: Mesa, AZ - 2/11/25
296/29. Silver plating Trumpets & Musical instruments - 2/11/25
402/43. Plating both outside AND inside of a tube - 2/9/25
618/02. Acid zinc plating: Non coverage problem
- 2/7/25
73/94. Surface Preparation of Molybdenum for Ni Plating - 2/7/25
448/04. Reddish discoloration in continuous brush gold plating of wire - 2/6/25
301/01. Sulfur embrittlement of Ni sulfamate platings: azodisulfonate, AUP, "magic stress reducer" - 2/1/25
617/34. Cleaning Porous Pot Cathodes - There's gotta be a better way!
Inquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help
- 1/26/25
53/01. Alkaline zinc plating rundown streaking - 1/24/25
144/61. Hard Chrome Plating on Inconel 625
- 1/21/25
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2d. ELECTROLESS PLATING, PLATING ON PLASTICS, IMMERSION PLATING, CHROME-LOOK SPRAYS, LIQUID METAL COATINGS
330/81. How to blacken electroless nickel - 3/4/25
617/24. Silver mirroring puddles on glass, oxidizes at the edges - 3/2/25
618/10. SLA plastics activation for electroless coating - 3/1/25
159/14. Skip plating on ABS-PC when ABS is fine - 2/4/25
168/97. Electroless nickel plating onto stainless steel - 12/12/24
584/27. "Water spots" on electroless nickel plated parts
- 11/25/24
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2e. PVD, CVD, ION IMPLANTATION, VACUUM PROCESSES
617/90. Need to TiN coat a circular blade, 90 mm dia x 2 mm thick - 200 pcs RFQ open to all: Murfreesboro, TN - 12/23/24
607/71. High Temperature PVD Coatings
- 12/14/24
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2f. GALVANIZING, ALUMINIZING, HOT TIN DIPPING
618/18. Trapped acid bleeds out from galvanizing - 3/7/25
185/61. Need Consultant for Galvanizing Plant RFQ: Australia - 2/2/25
492/71. Galvanizing flux: Ammonium chloride requirements and analysis - 1/22/25
617/98. Galvanizing: Product Quality Issue with Shipped Containers
- 1/22/25
449/78. Galvanizing kettle furnace and burner design - 1/22/25
616/98. Planning a small HDG plant - 1/6/25
568/67. Spotting, Staining, Blackening of Hot Dip Galvanized Finish
- 12/31/24
613/16. Hot-Dip Tinning Problems & Solutions: hard tin crystals
- 12/6/24
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2g. BLACK OXIDE, BLUING, COLORING, PATINAS
501/21. Patinas for pewter - 3/6/25
00/19. Prepping Stainless Steel for Blackening - 2/6/25
191/90. Need Wax for Ebonol C Blackening
- 2/1/25
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2h. OTHER INORGANIC FINISHING: Mechanical Plating, Nitriding & QPQ, Metal Spray, Zinc-rich Dip-Spin Coatings, Sherardizing, Rust Preventatives, etc.
286/21. Geomet 750 Hp galvanizing - August 6
553/66. Ferritic Nitrocarburizing has red color to it? - June 15
3. ORGANIC FINISHING [PAINT, POWDER COATING] . . .
3a. ELECTROPAINT PRIMING, AUTOPHORETIC COATINGS
456/18. E-coating over Zinc or Zinc Alloy Plating - 1/10/25
617/82. E-coat throwing power, coverage inside tubes
- 12/11/24
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3b. POWDER COATING
618/08. Emissivity of powder coated steel - 2/19/25
524/55. Actual costing of powder coating in India
- October 6
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3c. LACQUERS, CLEAR COATS, ELECTROPHORETIC TINTING, ANTI-TARNISH
226/74. Want anti-pit solvent for Electrophoretic Lacquer - 12/4/24
54/18. Clear Coating Black Oxided Stainless Steel?
- November 18
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3d. PAINTING, PRINTING, ADHESIVES AND OTHER ORGANIC COATINGS
18/62. White finish for Stainless Steel Dental Crowns - 3/6/25
617/94. Putting plastisol on zinc plated parts
- 12/29/24
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4. POST-TREATMENTS
4a. CHEMICAL POST-TREATMENTS [CHROMATE CONVERSION COATINGS, RUST PREVENTATIVES, PATINAS, COLORIZING]
618/03. Sealing over cured Zinc Plating + Chromate - 2/11/25
372/55. Restoring the yellow dichromate finish on automobile carburetors
- 1/19/25
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4b. BAKING AND NON-CHEMICAL POST-TREATMENTS [HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT AND DE-EMBRITTLEMENT, ANNEALING, WHISKERS, SOLDERING, REFLOWING]
07/96. Hydrogen embrittlement baking was interrupted - 2/6/25
13/97. Solder is de-wetting in hot oil bath - 2/3/25
415/78. Hydrogen Embrittlement Failure. Need Details for Chromium Plating Baking
- 1/30/25
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4c. STRIPPING, REWORKS, ETC.
297/78. Stripping chrome plating Q&A, Problems & Solutions - 12/23/24
617/54. Zinc Phosphate stripping for coating weight
- 11/25/24
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5. SUPPORTING ISSUES
5a. ANALYSIS, LAB TECHNIQUE, Q.A., SALT SPRAY TESTING
8904. Salt Spray Hours vs. real life exposure - 3/11/25
617/97. Need Lab Help with Stainless Product Development - 1/7/25
442/93. On line analysis of chrome concentration? Inquirer often helps others, so especially deserves our help
- 12/21/24
547/76. Caustic Etch Analysis -- aluminium anodizing - 12/18/24
328/38. Analyze Chrome Plating Bath; Determine sulphates - 12/9/24
45510. Analysis of potassium carbonate in cyanide plating bath
- 12/3/24
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5b. WASTE & WASTEWATER TREATMENT, POLLUTION CONTROL
617/85. Spot test for cyanide in waste water
- 1/26/25
617/46. Determining if WWT sludge is hazardous?
- October 9
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5c. SAFETY ISSUES, EMISSIONS, TOXICITY, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
208/58. Toxicity of stainless flatware - 2/26/25
110/17. Safety of Drinking D.I. Water - 12/18/24
617/83. Safety of "Chrome" Vinyl Wrap
- 12/15/24
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5d. PLANT & PROCESS ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION
51/49. Feed & Bleed System for HCl Tanks - 3/10/25
618/06. Bus Bar vs. Cable for 2-Step Electrolytic Coloring - 2/17/25
493/68. Making Dummy Cathodes for a Plating Bath - 2/17/25
219/57. Can we have a clean silver plating plant without acid? - 2/6/25
617/93. Learn more about automatic electroplating production lines
- 12/28/24
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5e. QUESTIONS ABOUT SOFTWARE, SPECS, BOOKS, EDUCATION, INDUSTRY STATS, HISTORY, ETC.
476/74. Does MIL-STD-186F require litmus test of trivalent chromated surfaces? - 2/27/25
461/40. Boeing Chloride Limits for Nickel Sulfamate Plating Bath? - 2/5/25
240/21. Nitric acid: Are the volume ratios in passivation specs based on 100% Nitric Acid? - 1/24/25
618/00. Meaning of "Zinc electrolyte plating + leaching"?
- 1/16/25
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5f. W...W...W...WORD OF THE WEEK
5g. MOSTLY METALLURGY; Heat Treatment
617/77. 3d printed Inconel 718 part turns blue in vacuum heat treatment
- November 16
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5h. METAL RECOVERY
418/91. Recover gold from gold plated stainless steel wire - 1/14/25
50/48. Extracting Gold from Computer Circuit Boards? - 1/5/25
319/63. Remove tin plating from copper pots, trays, cookware, etc.
- 12/15/24
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6. NON-INDUSTRIAL ISSUES
Hobbyists, DIY, Around Home
402/28. Electroplating onto glass like iPhone screens - 3/10/25
70/22. How to strip plated silver off of copper collectibles
- 3/7/25
336/17. Is headboard "brass" or what; how to clean and refinish? - 3/5/25
49/13. Do It Yourself Nickel and Copper Plating - 3/5/25
410/16. Electroless gold plating solution - 3/5/25
07/57. National Cash Registers: How to Restore & Refinish - 3/4/25
103/66. Dirigold/Dirilyte: How to Polish Bronze Flatware - 3/1/25
559/51. Home nickel plating with vinegar & salt - 2/16/25
497/79. Silver plated trays and silverware: What is the base metal? - 2/9/25
02/83. Finishing of Kenrick 19th century cast iron
- 1/24/25
565/54. Acid Zinc Plating Brightener Q&A - 1/18/25
268/45. Chip on Gloss Black Gas Stovetop - 1/15/25
611/46. Dumbbells have white corrosion on them
- 1/14/25
617/99. Hobbyist Copper Plating on 3D Plastics: Help Fine-Tuning It - 1/8/25
617/96. Electroplating bath plates Nickel or Copper depending on voltage - 12/30/24
617/95. Need food-safe pliers - 12/30/24
12/15. Lead-free Antiquing Wears Right Off - 12/28/24
209/88. Restore silver damaged by peroxide - 12/28/24
309/65. Can't remove old plastic protection film from stainless steel - 12/27/24
344/65. Pre-coating for sublimation transfers onto ceramic - 12/27/24
611/11. Brass Threshold Turned Silver from Polishing
- 12/12/24
236/53. Model railroading: Effect of oxidation of nickel silver on its conductivity
- 12/6/24
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6b. RESEARCH, THESIS TOPICS, UNIVERSITY & POST-GRAD STUDENTS
618/05. Need 20µ gold or silver coating on 50µ dia. spherical magnets RFQ open to all: Southampton, UK
- 2/17/25
00/98. Electroplating (Electrodeposition) of Niobium - 12/26/24
617/86. Adding Fe/Cu to Hard Chrome Plating Bath as DOE?
- 12/15/24
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6c. K-12 Science Projects, Grammar & High School Student Questions
6d. The Artists' Corner
65/07. Benzotriazole and substitutes for brass corrosion control
- November 16
617/50. Forcing a white patina on zinc for watch dials
- October 11
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7. DRIFTED OFF FINISHING, BUT INTERESTING :-)
238/97. How to identify old cast iron floor lamp? - 3/3/25
439/83. Is this ore/rock Platinum, Palladium & Rhodium? A meteorite? - 2/22/25
557/67. McClary Easy Polisher Scrubber Buffer Pads - 2/18/25
358/58. Extracting elemental titanium from Titanium Dioxide - 2/17/25
161/89. Restoring Comstock Castle cast iron stove - 2/9/25
548/90. Theda Sterling Silver Medals, Crosses, Jewelry Q&A
- 2/5/25
293/70. Identify "STN" Hallmark on Necklace
- 1/29/25
128/73a. Removing Silica Water Stains - 1/24/25
243/59. Barber Chair Restoration Q&A's and Successes - 1/24/25
190/39. Need Legs for Martin Wood Stove
- 1/15/25
258/52. Fixing scratched glass - 12/18/24
324/13. Need sweet spirits of nitre (the traditional folk medicine) - 12/4/24
190/39. Need Door for Kalamazoo Stove RFQ open to all: New Jersey, USA
- 12/3/24
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