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Originally Posted by piscator

DP, you really know your stuff! Thank-you!

I may have a container of sulphuric acid that I got from a plumbing supply house. The stuff I bought is kinda brownish and is used to un-clog drains. I'll see if I can find it.

Hydrochloric acid is, I think, muriatic acid, and that I do have. I have not been rinsing my part in anything but tap water before dunking it in the yellow chromate. And after the yellow chromate, I haven't been rinsing, at all.

My result, is as you describe -- "If you don't rinse after yellow chromate it will come out dark and uneven with runs.'

So I now know how to do it the wrong way! There's certainly room for improvement!

DP, if you have a moment, are there any special instructions on using black chromate? I ordered some with my zinc replacement chemistry and look forward to trying it.

Robert

Nerd alert!

Plumbing store sulpheric acid is full of impurities: Nile Red on you tube shows how to purify:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DUGRWjdNLI

Or Doug:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMOrK7cysqY

I like chemistry, hate the smells, so watching on youtube is an alternative, plus I dont have to handle/store toxic chemicals.

One of my favorite reactions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=legoRGAXNP8

The key to successful chemistry is purity of reagents. Using tap water for H2O is a common theme for failure, steam distilled water is a simple solution(no pun intended). Lab grade reagents is another.