Is there a Metallurgist in the house?

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MarkIII
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Is there a Metallurgist in the house?

Post by MarkIII »

My '70 Continental (the big car) has some die-cast body trim pieces on the front end, and in the interior. All of them have a grown corrosion on them.

Lately, I was destroying the atmosphere by evaporating some bad gas using my galvanized oil drain pan. It sat outside for weeks on grassy weeds. When all that was going to evaporate finally did, I noticed that the outside bottom of the pan, that faced the ground, was grown white, just like the Continentals pieces. Got me thinking, hmm, Galvanizing is a coating of Zinc, and many "pot metals" used in die casting are zinc or zinc rich. So I must be seeing an oxide of Zinc.

So here is the question: is there a chemical way to reverse the oxidation (reduction?) of Zinc back to the Zinc metal form?
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Dan Szwarc
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Is there a Metallurgist in the house?

Post by Dan Szwarc »

While you're at it, you might try converting this pile of lead to gold. [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

The process of reversing an oxidation-reduction reaction (I forget what it is called) I think is technically possible, but what happens in the rusting/corrosion phase has a lot to do with the transfer of electrons.

I think it is possible to reverse the reaction with an electric charge and a bath of some electrolytic solution. However, the pits won't fill in. [img]images/smiles/icon_mad.gif[/img]

The other thing to remember that zinc is usually used as a "sacrificial" metal in rust protection. Instead of the steel rusting, the zinc goes first, turning to a white powder.

Some pitting in pot metal (typical of Lincoln trim) is actually caused by impurities under the plating working their way out. It is hastened by temperature and sunlight and water, but even the best pampered piece of trim may show a pit or two eventually.

If you haven't tried polishing it, I don't know what else you can do. Besides, I'm not a metallugist, just a EE.
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Dan Szwarc
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Is there a Metallurgist in the house?

Post by Dan Szwarc »

I know how hard it is to find parts. i have a '70 Mercury Marquis convertible. So far, the best place has been ebay. Careful bidding and knowing your limit will keep you from paying too much. Hard to find also means little demand. You may be the only one who bids on an item.

I have purchased two items so far and have a bid on a third. One I got for the minimum and the third is at the minimum with only 7 hours left.

I think an NOS piece of chrome for $6 is a far price. It's just the shipping that kinda sucks sometimes.

Check them out. Be sure to search ebaymotors and not all of ebay or you'll end up with thousands of pennies to weed through.

Always check feedback on a seller before bidding. Sellers with little feedback are risky. Some sellers are basically businesses that sell on ebay exclusively and they can be trusted as much as any unfamiliar business.

Good luck!
MarkIII
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Is there a Metallurgist in the house?

Post by MarkIII »

Thanks Dan,
I knew I was hoping for too much [img]images/smiles/icon_sad.gif[/img] . Some of the die-cast pieces are pretty well shot. The pieces on the headlight covers I believe are unique to '70, as the '71 style there is different. Looking for parts unique to one year will be a long search.
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