AUGUST 2008 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7

WHY FILTER YOUR PLATING SOLUTION?

CONTENTS

By: Jack H. Berg are present in the plat- onto a filter surface, is
WHY FILTER? 1 President of Serfilco ing tank, or 300 to 450 not a filter aid. The

I
oz. per 100 sq. ft. in a diatomaceous earth is
surface filter. That is the filter aid and any
n an article I wrote
INDUSTRY 2 over 18# to 27#, powder, such as car-
EVENTS
awhile back for the P.F.
which goes to waste bon, is a solid which is
Directory based on ‘tell
treatment every time to a filter, a solid which
it like it is’ opinions, I
the filter is serviced, lowers solids holding
NEWS & 3 feel that I may have
NOTES sometimes once or capacity; hence fre-
missed a most impor-
twice a week, some- quent servicing. Not
tant fact in regards to
times less if cleaning is just because the flow
FROM THE 6 organic removal and
less frequent, plus so- rate has been lowered,
FORUM filtration. Other authors
lution loss. but because the car-
suggest 1½ oz. of filter
bon, acting like a filter,
aid plus up to 3 oz. of The fact, which may
FINISHING 9 plugs up and fails to
powdered carbon on be overlooked, is that
SPOTLIGHT adsorb the organic im-
their disc filters for filters remove insolu-
purities.
continuous organic re- ble solids - carbon ab-
THE LAST 15 moval and filtration. sorbs organics which During many of my
WORD That’s up to 3 – 4.5 oz are in solution. The talks around the world,
total solids to remove powdered carbon, I’ve opened with a re-
what solids or organics which is pre-coated mark indicating that

Inside This Issue: Continued on page 4

From the Forum: Finishing Spotlight: Seattle’s

Space Needle
2008 Southern Metal
and a
Plating Nickel Finishing Century of
over Nickel Conference Standards

(page 6) (page 9) (page 15)

Page 2
FINISHING TALK

INDUSTRY EVENTS 2008

August 18-19: September 7-9: September 15-16:

AESF Electroforming Course 12th Tech. Symposium of IHAA Powder Coating School
Rochester, NY Seville, Spain Charleston, SC
(202) 457-8401 www.ihanodizing.com surfacefinishingacademy.com
August 18-21: September 8-13: September 18:
Mega Rust 2008 IMTS '08 Overview of UV Coatings Tech.
Louisville, KY Chicago, IL Virtual Learning Conference
www.nstcenter.com www.imts.com www.coatingstech.org
August 19-21: September 10-11:
October 14-16:
Coatings for Africa Powder Coating Forum
FutureCoat! 2008
Drakensberg, South Africa Cleveland, OH
www.pcimag.com/pcforum Chicago, IL
www.coatingsforafrica.org.za
fsct@coatingstech.org
September 3-5: September 14-16:
Composites World Expo Southern Metal Finishing Have an upcoming event? Tell
Schaumburg, IL Charleston, SC us about it at
www.compositesworldexpo.com surfacefinishingacademy.com www.finishingtalk.com!

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7
Washington DC On July 1,
2008, the EPA published the final
regulation for plating and polishing
area sources in the Federal Regis-
ter (73 Fed. Reg. 37728). The final
rule, 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart
WWWWWW, is effective immedi-
ately for new affected sources
(i.e., those that begin operations
on or after July 1, 2008). Existing
plating and polishing operations
must comply with the new regula-
tory requirements by July 1, 2010.
The Clean Air Act mandates that
the EPA must promulgate stan-
dards to control the emissions of
hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)
from small or area sources. The
plating and polishing processes
that are subject to the plating and
polishing area source rule are
those “processes performed at an
affected plating and polishing facil-
ity that uses or has the potential to
emit” any compound of any of the
following metal HAPs: cadmium,
chromium, lead, manganese, and
nickel. This includes electrolytic
and non-electrolytic plating and
coating processes (e.g., electro-
plating, conversion coating, seal-
ing, and phosphating), electro-
forming, dry mechanical polishing,
and thermal spray at approxi-
mately 2,900 existing plating and
polishing facilities. A copy of the
final rule is available on the NASF
website at www.nasf.org. If you
have any questions or need addi-
tional information, please contact
Christian Richter of Jeff Hannapel:
crichter@thepolicygroup.com
jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com.
Worcester, MA The Cryogenic
Institute of New England, Inc. in-
troduces a new capability of utiliz-
ing liquid helium for cryogenic
treatment of materials to tempera-
tures as low as 4K /-268C/-451F.
The procedure involves the utiliza-
tion of a specially modified cryo-
genic chamber that was designed
and constructed in collaboration
with technology partner Applied
Cryogenics Inc. According to Robin
Rhodes, President of Cryogenic
Institute of New England, Inc., the
capability grew from the needs of
its aerospace customers who
sought extreme temperature cy-
cling for residual stress relief of
critical components. While the ma-
jority of applications have been
related to aerospace, the firm has
also offered the capability to re-
searchers and other industries,
including electronics. Cost for the
treatment varies, depending on
ramp and soak times, but Rhodes
estimates that his firm can offer a
near absolute zero treatment cycle
(to 4K) for less than 30% of the
cost of similar processing as of-
fered through governmental and
other research organizations. To
learn more visit
http://www.nitrofreeze.com.
Worldwide Henkel Corp. has
introduced an energy-saving, low-
temperature cleaner, Bonderite
Ridoline RT-153, designed to be
compatible with both phosphate
and phosphate-free conversion
coating technologies. Formulated
for use with phosphate-free
nanotechnologies such as Bonde-
rite NT-1 and Bonderite TecTali,
the new cleaner can also be used
on zinc, iron and magnesium phos-
phate metal pre-treatment proc-
esses. Water-based and solvent-
free, it is sprayed onto aluminum,
hot-dip galvanized steel or electro-
galvanized steel surfaces at room
Page 3
NEWS & NOTES
temperature, reducing energy re-
quirements during the pre-
treatment process.
Worldwide Dow and Rohm
and Haas have announced a de-
finitive agreement, under which
Dow will acquire all outstanding
shares of Rohm and Haas common
stock for $78 per share in
cash. The acquisition of Rohm and
Haas will make Dow the world’s
leading specialty chemicals and
advanced materials company. The
transaction marks a decisive move
in Dow’s transformation into an
earnings growth company with
reduced cyclicality. Last December,
Dow announced a joint venture
with Petrochemical Industries
Company of the State of Kuwait
(PIC). With the collective impact of
these two deals, performance
products and advanced materials
will represent 69 percent of Dow’s
total sales, on a 2007 pro forma
basis, compared with 51 percent.
Cincinnati, OH The Chemical
Coaters Association International
(CCAI)honored members for ser-
vice and dedication and installed
its 2008 – 2009 Officers and Na-
tional Board members during their
2008 Annual Meeting held in Clear-
water Beach, FL in late June. In
addition to awards for Chapter
User and Supplier of the Year, this
was the first year that two Lifetime
Achievement Awards were issued
at one time (those going to George
Bryant of Briggs & Stratton and
Larry Melgary of Northern Coating
& Chemicals). CCAI is a non-profit
technical and professional associa-
tion that provides information and
education on surface coating tech-
nologies worldwide. Visit CCAI on
the web at www.ccaiweb.com.
Page 4
WHY FILTER YOUR PLATING SOLUTION? CONT FROM PG 1...
you no longer have to filter your
plating solution. The reaction I
see is “Why does this speaker
tell us we no longer have to fil-
ter our plating solutions?” It is
simple – No dirt (solids) in, no
dirt out.
Another time, a special part to
be plated had to be done in a
solids free solution. So an in-
strument which monitors solids
was purchased to signal when
the part could enter the tank.
Of course, the instrument didn’t
assure the plater that during the
time of deposition the solution
stayed free of solids from the air
(or anodes, or migrated filter
media). I feel that the money
spent on the instrument should
have been used on a filter and
particle retention and flow rates
to assure the solution was free
of solids.
Many years ago, I authored an
article which Products Finishing
editor emeritus, Ezra Blount,
typed as I dictated, entitled The
Case for Coarse Filtration at
High Turnover Rates (PF 1964).
It was based on the Hydraulic
Handbook, which states that at
14 turnovers per hour, all of the
solution would have passed over
the filter at least once. It didn’t
recognize dead areas in a tank
of plating solution.
It also depended on no addi-
tional solids from entering the
plating tank while deposition
was taking place, (which condi-
tion would occur when plating
FINISHING TALK
sulfate nickel for record masters
in what looked like a simple
waffle iron.) This is an example
of being able to prevent solids
from entering the chamber if
filtration was done at 100% of
flow rate, and the filter media
was chosen to be non-migrating
and at a level of particle reten-
tion to match the desired result.
This brings us to explain the dif-
ference between nominal filter
media, which stops certain size
solids according to its density
which could offer 85 – 95% as-
surance that no particles larger
than the rated media would re-
tain, and absolute rating indicat-
ing a 100% of certain size parti-
cles were stopped. The use of
any filter media does not assure

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7
that the presence of different
size particles aren’t in the plat-
ing solution, but when media
and flow rate (turnover) are put
together, than a predictable de-
gree of clarity can be accom-
plished.
The plating of memory drums
for electronic applications some-
times employs 40 – 50 turn-
overs per hour at .1 micron ab-
solute particle retention from
non-migrating membrane me-
dia. Compare the above to 1-2
turnovers per hour at even 5
micron retention from a media
which migrates, and you see
why your plating may some-
times have rough areas of de-
posit.
Frankly, I have always favored
some type of cartridge which,
after a first flush, is no longer
allowing fibers to migrate. I also
favor cartridges because they
are available for use on slimy
alkaline solutions with coarse
windings. (Platers of alkaline
zinc used them because their
cleaning was inadequate and
the coarse filter held more solids
– sometimes 6-8 wks. between
services.) Other solutions which
crystallize, such as acid zinc or
nickel, would usually use 5 to 15
micron, but even certain nickel
applications may find that a 50
micron at high turnover rates
will provide good results.
Now, what about ‘no filter on
the plating tank’ - why not? Be-
cause the filter media needs
neutralizing of the plating solu-
tion, all steps should be taken to
minimize the amount of media
and solids to be disposed of.
Previous articles have empha-
sized the choice to “Work Back-
wards.” This reduces the solids,
which may reach the plating so-
lution. Therefore, the final rinse
before plating is a good oppor-
tunity to stop particulates, which
from surface tension have trav-
eled from the cleaner to the
etch and finally arriving at the
plating station.
Attention to prevention could
eliminate 80-90% of such solids,
and when a separate chamber
containing granular carbon is
used to recirculate on the
etchant and pre-rinse, another
problem is avoided. This leaves
the organic breakdown products
as the only other need for car-
bon on the plating solution.
This in turn can be reduced by
switching from air for agitation
to pumps with eductors to cre-
ate the necessary movement of
the ions for faster plating with-
out causing breakdown of the
brightener chemical.
One recent report indicated that
a plater could plate up to 33%
faster at higher amps without
burning. It made it possible for
his company to bring in more
parts from his customer without
the need to increase his need
for another automatic machine.
A further benefit of controlling
the amount of solids in the plat-
ing rank and the level of organic
impurities is that captured plat-
ing solutions dripping from parts
in a 'dry sump' may be added
back to the plating tank without
the fear that you are building up
the level of organic impurities.
Page 5
With the use of filters, coa-
lescers, and carbon on solutions
from the soak to the plating
tank, the plater may expect to
have eliminated up to 90% of
solids from entering the plating
solution. This could make it pos-
sible for his plating filter to last
ten times longer between servic-
ing. Did we completely eliminate
the filter on the plating solution?
No, but with the steps of pre-
vention in place, we have
greatly reduced the need.
You now have a system of filtra-
tion and separate purification in
place which will pay dividends
from less solution contamina-
tion, less solids to hazardous
waste, less labor for servicing
and, as we’ve said before,
“unattended filtration” and puri-
fication, from day-to-day and
month-to-month. Talk to your
chemical supplier; he knows the
value of getting rid of solid or
organic contamination, as it ap-
plies to service requirements.
Talk to your customer as well;
he knows the value of more uni-
form deposits with improved
ductility. And finally, talk to your
production staff; they know the
value of less rejects.
Article reprinted, courtesy of:
Jack H. Berg
President
SERFILCO, Ltd.
2900 MacArthur Dr.
Northbrook, IL 60062
Ph: 847-509-2900
Fax: 847-559-1995
sales@serfilco.com
www.serfilco.com
 Page 6
FROM THE FORUM: PLATING NICKEL OVER NICKEL
Posted on October 11, 2006
Our August installment of From the Forum is a
discussion between members William S, Cap-
tain Tripz, Dedalus, Labrat, Skelton, and
DustinGebhardt on the topic of nickel plating
over an item that has already been nickel plated.
Feel free to add your thoughts to their ongoing
discussion by visiting the forums at
www.finishingtalk.com/community and choosing
the “Decorative Plating” forum. For more ‘From
the Forum’ discussions, check out our internet
television show, Finishing Talk Live, where hosts
Paul Fisher and Paul Skelton bring the boards to
life!
www.finishingtalklive.com
William S
I am looking for a process that you can plate
bright nickel over bright nickel, without peeling
problems. Any help would be great. Thanks.
Captain Tripz
You could use a cyanide activator. Same prin-
ciple as when dummying a bright nickel tank
with previously used dummies. Activate with
cyanide activator to keep chunks from slough-
ing off the dummies into the solution. Just
make sure you are equipped to deal with the
cyanide waste treatment.
Dedalus
From a waste treatment perspective, nickel
cyanide is one of the hardest cyanide wastes
to treat. Ni(CN)42- is just barely amenable to
chlorination. To treat wastes like this, I'd have
to maintain a chlorine residual in the batch for
FINISHING TALK
24 hours or more. I'm certainly no plater, but
could a Woods strike be used instead?
Labrat
The most successful nickel reactivation process
I have used is the cyanide activation process.
Used cathodically, the make up is 8 opg Potas-
sium Cyanide, 8 opg Potassium Hydroxide
(Caustic Potash) and water to operating level.
I normally reactivate for 5 minutes, cyanide
copper flash (no rinse between), rinse well,
then into bright nickel.
I have heard of other methods that worked
well that you may want to experiment with:
cathodic activation in 30% hydrochloric acid;
Woods nickel strike (Nickel Chloride, Hydro-
chloric Acid, water) for 1-2 minutes, very quick
rinse, and into bright nickel.
Skelton
I can speak from experience that its part "how
you hold your mouth" and the rest following
process procedure. Plating over a passive
nickel coating can be much compared to that
of plating over stainless steel, which is a me-
thodical process, but simple all in the same.
You have one of two choices and can incorpo-
rate one into the other’s process if it makes
sense for the other processes you are per-
forming.
1) Degrease/Soak Cleaner
2) Electroclean (Direct (1 min.), Reverse (1
min.), Direct (10 sec.)), 20 asf
3) Rinse
4) Muriatice Acid (min. 50% v/v) or Acid Salt

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7
(1 1/2 lb. per gal.), 1 - 2 min.
5) No rinse. Woods Nickel Strike, 1 min. no
current, 1 - 2 min. strike @ 10 - 20 asf.*
6) Rinse.
7) Bright Nickel Plate.
*After a good acid salt, an activated part can
go into a Nickel Plating process. However, the
Woods Nickel Strike offers somewhat of an in-
surance package and you can test this by do-
ing an adhesion test after the Woods Nickel
Strike (although, I have seen the process work
without the strike). Contact your local chemis-
try supplier for details regarding a good acid
salt. I am only attesting to experience and
without reservation will say that it is not 100%
successful. Good luck in your trials.
Page 7
DustinGebhardt
I'll second what Paul has already written. In
my personal experience, passing current
through the acid (cathodically) can also help
remove the stubborn nickel oxides on the sur-
face of the part. Also, an acid salt with some
fluoride included tends to give me better re-
sults. As the piece gets older, it becomes more
difficult to reactivate, generally. Also, try to
117 Westerly Hills Dr.
Forest City,
NC, 28043
Ph: (828) 245-1115
Fax: (828) 245-1216
Carolina Process Control provides the metal finishing industry
with a single source solution for all their industrial waste
water treatment system and component needs. We design,
build and install turn-key waste treatment systems for pH
neutralization, heavy metal removal, water recycling, zero dis-
charge and other chemical processing applications.
www.carolinaprocesscontrol.com
Page 8
FINISHING TALK

NEED HELP PLATING NICKEL OVER NICKEL (CONT…)

avoid long times with a reverse current elec-

trocleaner, as this will tend to form oxides as
well. Paul's electrocleaning process of di-
rect, reverse, direct should do well. In any
case, I've never had this work 100% of the
time. On new material, I was lucky to get
75%. 50% yield was more common. In
the end, I stopped doing it. I wasn't fully
comfortable with the thought of the parts
failing in the field some time down the road.

Do you have something to add? Log on

to the Finishing Talk forums today to
join in on this discussion – or start a
discussion of your own!

www.finishingtalk.com/community

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7
FINISHING SPOTLIGHT:
T his month, we have decided
to shine the spotlight on a
yearly conference that has been
developing a pretty devoted fol-
lowing of metal finishers over
the last 5 years. Held annually
in the late summer/early fall in
the iconic and historical town of
Charleston, SC, the Southern
Metal Finishing Conference is a
must attend, particularly for
plating and powder coating job
shop owners, sales personnel,
purchasing supervisors, plant/
line management and key op-
erators in the South Eastern re-
gion of the U.S.
Though the title suggests an
atmosphere catered strictly to
southern Platers, there are in
fact exhibitors and attendees
from all across the country.
SOUTHERN METAL FINISHING
The Conference prides itself on
being a casual event, where at-
tendees are free to mingle and
meet with exhibitors on a one
on one basis - and it is just the
right size that this is actually
possible! A combination of pro-
fessional events and the ‘just for
fun’ element provide a variety of
entertaining and educational
opportunities for everyone in
attendance. Whether you
choose to go for the great line
up of workshops (including con-
centrations in Powder Coating,
Electroplating, and Surface
Cleaning, all taught by re-
spected and experienced indus-
try professionals) to exhibit, or
to catch up with old friends and
make new contacts, there is
plenty to keep you interested.
Page 9
Though the conference has
been held consecutively in
Charleston since its first year
(2004), it has already been
hosted in several different ven-
ues. The first annual Southern
Metal Finishing Conference was
held at the Doubletree Guest
Suites, centered in Charleston’
historic district. The subsequent
three years were held at the
Embassy Suites Hotel, a reno-
vated historic landmark (it was
once the original Citadel Military
College). This year, keeping
with it’s theme of historically
significant conference locations,
Southern Metal Finishing’s host
hotel will be the Francis Marion,
which was named for General
Francis Marion (the “Swamp
Fox”) of the American Revolu-
Continued on next page...
Page 10
tion. It was also the largest
and grandest hotel in the Caro-
linas when it opened in 1924
(and it’s still pretty grand to-
day!).
Playing on the “Swamp Fox”
theme, the conference holds
an annual “Swamp Fox Scram-
ble” golf tournament as part of
its yearly line up of conference
events. This tournament is held
at the Patriot’s Point Links golf
course, which overlooks
Charleston Harbor. Patriot’s
Point is yet another historical
attraction in this endlessly in-
triguing city. Home to a Naval
& Maritime Museum, you can
find four decommissioned ships
dating back to World War II, in
addition to a nuclear merchant
vessel and a variety of other
fascinating exhibits. The best
part is it’s on the way to the
golf course, so you could
choose to make a pretty ex-
ceptional day for yourself if you
so desired.
Another event that is very
unique to the conference is the
annual Pub Crawl Scavenger
Hunt. This year will mark the
3rd pub crawl, spreading
teams throughout downtown
Charleston in search of various
objects and answers to local
history based questions, while
stopping for drinks along the
way. It has become one of the
most anticipated social events
of the conference, and contin-
ues to gain participants every
year.
The Surface Finishing Academy
is also proud to present their
keynote speaker for the Mon-
day afternoon luncheon, Mr.
FINISHING TALK
John Flatley, Executive Director
of the NASF and Managing
Principal of Association Man-
agement Strategies (AMS), a
full-service association man-
agement company located in
Washington, DC. He will be
speaking on priority issues im-
pacting the metal finishing in-
dustry and the role the NASF is
taking to address them. He
will also discuss the value and
advantages that belonging to a
trade association can provide
for individual finishers.
Be sure to check out this gem
of the south east if you have
the chance. Registration is cur-
rently open on their website:
surfacefinishingacademy.com.
You will find all the info you
need about conference events,
costs, hotel arrangements and
more. See you in September!
 CONFERENCE ITINERARY

Sunday, September 14, 2008

8:30am: Annual Swamp Fox Scramble Golf Tournament at Patriot's Point Registration
9:30am: Golf Tournament Tee Time
6:00pm: Optional early set up for exhibitors in Exhibit Hall
7:00pm: Opening Reception (a ‘meet and greet' cocktail hour) in the Exhibit Hall.
8:00pm: Finishing Talk Live filming during Opening Reception

Monday, September 15, 2008

6:30am: Exhibit Set up
7:30am: Registration and Exhibit Hall open
8:00am: Classes Begin
12:00pm: Keynote Luncheon - featuring speaker John Flatley
1:30pm: Classes Resume
5:00pm: Classes End
6:00pm: Exhibit Hall Closes - exhibit dismantling
6:30pm: Pub Crawl Registration
7:00pm: Pub Crawl Starts
10:00pm: Pub Crawl Culminates at the Rooftop Bar

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The 2008 SMF Conference will
7:00am: Registration be held at the Francis Marion
8:00am: Classes Begin Hotel in downtown Charleston.
12:00pm: Awards Ceremony and Luncheon Our discounted room rate is
(open to all registered attendees) only valid until August 14!!!
1:30pm: Classes Resume
(visit our website for details)
5:00pm: Classes end (may vary by class)
 FINISHING TALK
Southern Metal Finishing Conference - September 14-16, 2008
 Page 13
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7

ANOPLATE HAS THE ‘SCOOP’ ON MARS

Syracuse, NY

W hen NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander started

sampling the surface of Mars in early June, the first
thing to contact the icy soil was a protective coat-
ing provided by Anoplate Corporation of Syracuse,
NY. The aluminum sampling scoop, referred to as
the ISAD (icy soil acquisition device), at the end of
the Phoenix Mars Lander’s robotic arm incorporated
Anoplate’s hardcoat anodize to maximize abrasion
resistance and prevent soil samples from becoming
contaminated from the otherwise bare, unprotected
aluminum. The robotic arm used the ISAD to dig a
trench deep enough to access layers of potentially
water-ice bearing soil. This icy soil was obtained
using a high speed rasp device housed within the
ISAD scoop. The soil was then transferred to the
Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer instrument on- This image, released by NASA June 6, 2008,
board the spacecraft for chemical analysis.
was taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's
When Honeybee Robotics of New York, NY, ap- Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 11 (June 5,
proached Anoplate about anodizing a one-of-a-kind 2008), the eleventh day after landing. It
robot component late in 2006, Anoplate engineers shows the Robotic Arm scoop containing a
had little idea where their discussions would lead.
The initial inquiry included an exotic assortment of soil sample poised over the partially open
finishes and colors that while pretty were not real- door of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Ana-
istic. After consulting with Anoplate engineers, a lyzer's number four cell, or oven. Light-
workable solution was arrived at featuring exten-
sive use of Anoplate’s hardcoat anodize. This type colored clods of material visible toward the
of anodize electrochemically coverts aluminum sur- scoop's lower edge may be part of the
faces into a ceramic-hard, aluminum oxide. Similar crusted surface material seen previously
hardcoat anodize coatings are used on rollers in
near the foot of the lander. Photo credit:
copying machines, automotive pistons, aircraft
landing gear, and aluminum pots and pans. NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/
Texas A&M
Since 1960 Anoplate Corporation has provided sur-
face engineering solutions to industrial manufactur- Contact: Milton Stevenson
ers worldwide to overcome the rigors of corrosion,
friction and wear. As an ISO 9001/14001 registered Jr. Chief Technology Officer
and Nadcap accredited firm, Anoplate is committed Anoplate Corporation
to serving its customers, employees and commu-
nity with quality electroplating and anodizing ser- 459 Pulaski Street / Syracuse, NY 13204
vices performed in an environmentally responsible
manner. Contact Anoplate for engineered solutions Phone: 315.471.6143 / Fax 315.474.1091
to your product’s surface requirements in the medi-
cal, defense, aerospace, computer, electronics or http://www.anoplate.com.
mass transit industry.
Page 14
FINISHING TALK

Charleston, SC…….September 15-16

5-6
San Diego, CA………. November 5-6

THE LAST WORD
SEATTLE’S SPACE NEEDLE & A CENTURY OF STANDARDS
I recently participated in a week
long leadership training program
in Seattle, Washington – home of
rainy days, a gargantuan volcano
named (appropriately enough)
Mt. Rainier, and of course, that
world famous architectural nov-
elty, the Space Needle. I had very
little time to go sightseeing during
my trip; nevertheless, I did have
the opportunity to see the struc-
ture I’ve come to know only at a
distance through shows like Fra-
sier and the Austin Powers mov-
ies. I know it’s a bit cliché – I
guess the inner tourist in me just
couldn’t be mollified until I took
the 60 story elevator ride up to
the observation deck.
After my trip, I decided to do a bit
of research into the design and
construction of the structure, and
I found quite a bit of fascinating
information about the tower. It
turns out that it was built to be a
focal point at the 1962 World’s
Fair in Seattle, and the final ele-
vator car was installed only a day
before the grand opening. During
the Fair (which ran from April 21
to October 21) 20,000 people per
day traveled up to the observa-
tion deck. And if safety was ever
a concern to those early visitors,
they would probably be relieved
to know that the structure was
built to withstand Category 5 hur-
ricane-force winds (around 200
mph), and earthquakes up to a
9.5 magnitude. It also has 25
lightning rods, for those of you
who are scared of death by light-
ning (which is pretty rare, actu-
ally; statistics say that in the U.S.
there is only a 1 out of 700,000
chance of being struck by light-
ning in a given year. To put that
in perspective, you are more
likely to be legally executed (1 in
60,000) than be hit by a lightning
bolt).
While I was educating myself on
the fascinating history of the
Space Needle, I came across a
reference to a very familiar or-
ganization. The ASTM (American
Society for Testing and Materials)
mentions in its 1998 publication A
Century of Progress, the impact
that its structural steel specifica-
tions had on “some of the most
prestigious and demanding con-
struction projects of the postwar
era” – including the legendary
Space Needle. An excerpt from
the section entitled ASTM in the
Postwar Economy, reads:
“Seattle’s Space Needle, a soaring
600-foot steel tower that was
built for the 1962 World’s Fair,
featured three sets of tapered
steel legs made according to
Standard A 36. The standard de-
scribed a new type of hardened
carbon steel that could handle
extreme design stresses. An
ASTM publication reported that
the Space Needle had “less than
3-inch maximum sway at the top;
it is designed for heavy seismic
loads and wind gusts. The greater
strength of A 36 steel permitted
higher design stresses, welded
fabrication, and cost savings.”
I wonder if the Space Needle
would have been there for me to
visit if the standards for the hard-
ened carbon steel had not been in
place? What else has been stan-
dardized by the ASTM?
Presently, the ASTM develops
standards for many industries,
including the metals industry,
with which it has a long history. It
turns out that the ASTM is the
oldest and most dominant stan-
dard organization in the United
States, and to date is the proud
Page 15
BY ANNA LEVITSKY
parent and caretaker of over
12,000 standards. It was origi-
nally formed in 1898 by a group
of scientists and engineers seek-
ing to standardize the steel used
in rail road track fabrication – ap-
parently there were a lot of rail
breaks in those days. As time
went on, it developed the Com-
mittee A01 which oversees stan-
dards for Steel, Stainless Steel
and Related Alloys and has a
membership of 800 industry pro-
fessionals and experts. Today,
ASTM standards cover both fer-
rous and nonferrous metals, in-
cluding steel, copper, aluminum
and many others.
The organization is also active in
the standardization of metal fin-
ishes. In fact, it is a focus of the
ASTM Committee A05 on Metallic-
Coated Iron and Steel Products.
Over the past hundred years, the
committee has developed “over
70 specifications and test meth-
ods that help protect iron and
steel products against corrosion
by the use of metallic coatings, as
well non-metallic coatings” (ASTM
& the Metals Industry: Partners in
Long Term Success).
Over the years, I come to see
more and more just how inter-
connected everything is in this
world. Odd how a trip to the
Space Needle can connect you to
over a century of history—even
though the structure itself is less
than 50 years old.
 PRST/STD
US Postage Paid
Rutherfordton, NC
Permit # 154

PO Box 349
Rutherfordton, NC 28139
Please deliver this informative newsletter to the
following valued Finishing Talk reader:
August 2008

Anna Levitsky, Editor

Phone: 704-995-2263
anna@finishingtalk.com

www.FinishingTalk.com