Is this Cadmium Coated or Something Else?

[Corndoggeh]

I picked up this Hinsdale double box wrench. I'm having a hard time determining if this is cadmium coated because the finish doesnt look like all the other cadmium plated tools I own. This one has a powdery dull finish look to it like it was oxidized silver paint (other cadmium plated tools I have dont have that same finish look to them). I've looked at reference pictures of cadmium plated tools and none looked similar to this wrench.

I have a smaller Hinsdale wrench with the same finish and I put it to a wire wheel really quick to see how easily it came off and it comes off like paint to reveal plain steel vs a plating (yes I know cadmium is bad with a wire wheel).

So thoughts? Is this cadmium? Zinc? Silver paint?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I always assumed cadmium on the hinsdale stuff, but paint is possible. Never tried to clean any of them off. Some of mine look more silver, some gray.

 

[Corndoggeh]

See yours without a doubt I would say cadmium. But referencing this wrench to those it just doesnt appear to be cadmium to me. Did Hinsdale paint their tools with some kind of zinc/silver paint?

 

[d42jeep]

I would treat it as cad plated. Cad plated tools can look quite different, one to another. I cleaned these S-K sockets this morning and they look different from one another.
-Don

 

[930dreamer]

The AA site doesn't mention Cadmium but Hinsdale Vanadium?

 

[Oldtuleguy]

Try a little paint thinner on it. If it wipes off its paint.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Vanadium is the composition, not the finish.

I agree with Don. Cadmium looks different depending on how thickly it was plated or coated and how well it ages. That looks like thin cad to me. Always hard to tell from a distance, though.

 

[Corndoggeh]

Try a little paint thinner on it. If it wipes off its paint.

I used some lacquer thinner. Its paint. Why didnt I think of trying thinner to see if its paint

So Hinsdale must have been painting their wrenches at the factory, likely during wartime to save on chrome and nickel because this is the 3rd time Ive seen hinsdale with this type of finish on these DBE. Paint is likely using zinc for the silver tone.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Plombob]

If you put Cad plated tools in Evaporust a yellow film will appear.

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I used some lacquer thinner. Its paint. Why didnt I think of trying thinner to see if its paint

So Hinsdale must have been painting their wrenches at the factory, likely during wartime to save on chrome and nickel because this is the 3rd time Ive seen hinsdale with this type of finish on these DBE. Paint is likely using zinc for the silver tone.

Thanks for the help!

Anytime

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Hinsdale wrench I grabbed for a couple of pictures which I believe is cad plated but I’ll double check with some lacquer thinner tomorrow.
-Don

 

[Oldtuleguy]

I am curious how common the paint is.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I have collected seven or eight of the same Hinsdale round shank DBE wrenches and they all appear to be a plain steel finish, possible cadmium on a few, except one, which is nickel plated.

EDIT: Adding pics below. As you can see from the markings, the wrenches in this "set" (see Pic 1, removed the dupes) are from slightly different production eras. The smallest size wrench (see Pics 2 thru 5) kinda sorta looks like your finish, Corny. But, it won't come off with paint stripper and a rag. If I rub it hard with an abrasive, it will come off. I think it's cad.

 

[Corndoggeh]

I was looking through the alloy artifacts Hinsdale page and they mention on the flare wrench "...is chrome-plated, but these wrenches are more commonly found with a plain or industrial finish."

This is the only mention of the "industrial finish" which I assume is either a black oxide or this silver paint.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I added some pics to my post.

 

[bonneyman]

If you put Cad plated tools in Evaporust a yellow film will appear.

Really? Tell me (us) more. The tool turns yellow or the solution? And how long does the change take?
Been looking for a cheap and easy cad test and evaporust would fill the bill.

 

[d42jeep]

I haven’t experienced that yellow with cad plating although I’ve noticed a golden tint on some plain steel tools. My Hinsdale DOE was cad. The thinner only removed a bid of residual grease.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Me neither.

 

[Plombob]

If you put Cad plated tools in Evaporust a yellow film will appear.

Really? Tell me (us) more. The tool turns yellow or the solution? And how long does the change take?
Been looking for a cheap and easy cad test and evaporust would fill the bill.

I'm not sure you want to "test" with it. It's a one-way street. The Evaporust lifts the Cad plating off and you'll see a yellow film on both the tool and the Evaporust. It takes a few days. I throw out the Evaporust after it encounters Cad tools. I'm sure there are better ways to identify Cad plating.

 

[d42jeep]

That hasn’t been my experience at all and I deal with quite a few cad plated tools. I never leave them in the Evaporust longer than overnight, however. The 1/4” drive S-K sockets I posted upthread went through the Evaporust treatment as did this Indestro u-joint.
-Don

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Yes, very odd. Neither Evaporust or Metal Rescue has removed cadmium plating in my experience. The reason these solutions will remove a black oxide or a zinc oxide finish is because they are oxides, and, like rust, literally have iron in them. Those finishes do leave a weird yellowish foamy slick on the tool and the solution. I don't think that's the case with cadmium. I have never treated my cadmium plated tools any different than chrome plated tools. I may have to do some reading.

 

[Jacobs976]

From what I know, not alot but a decent amount from when I did plating, cad is like a very soft chrome chemically as far as chem resistance. Think a cyanide based solution is the only way to break it down but it might be a different base. Yellow would most likely be rust particles but could come from cad plated if the finish has been rubbed off and the steel exposed. Only have one cad socket and it sat in rust removing solution for a few days, maybe a week, due to the inside being rubbed down to steel from usage and a bit of rust had built up from sitting for decades. Had it in with some horribly rusted chrome sockets but the cad wasn't affected nor the chrome of course. Using a brass brush might've stripped it off real quick though but the grade of steel used back then didn't get rusty as easy as more modern stuff so it cleaned up with a soft steel pick directly on the rust.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

For anyone interested, I started an experiment, linked here.

 

[Jacobs976]

For anyone interested, I started an experiment, linked here.

I'll watch it but not betting on anything. Something I noticed though is the sodium cyanide and sodium hydroxide in the cad plating. That would be the liquid solution. Sodium cyanide breaks down during plating releasing cyanide gas. And sodium hydroxide is lye, most likely a preservative to limit decomp of cyanide through dropping the pH of the solution. Cad Oxide should, should being I haven't used cad but it's similar processes with other metals, deposit the cad on the metals surface and release O2 in breakdown. As for the other stuff I don't know other than nickel may be a mild alloy type additive to limit the softness of the plating but it seems like a very low quantity for that. Nickel should break down too regardless since it'll be pulled into the plating too.

With some mild research it appears Triethanolamine(TEA) is a buffer solution, stabilizes the pH. So Lye drops it and TEA would maintain it.

Looked around some more and "pure" (trace of nickel in the solution you found) cad is deposited on the metal, same process as nickel, chrome, and gold. Nickel typically uses a sulfate, chrome a trioxide, gold a cyanide although there's different mixes that may use something else. Seems oxide is the simplest for cad although there's some mention of it taking on the cyanide and creating o2 and lye so technically it would be a cad cyanide solution but it's more suggested than concrete.

 

[Plombob]

For anyone interested, I started an experiment, linked here.

Good job, Lugnutz!

I've been known to leave tools in ER for two or three weeks, clean them up and soak them again until I felt they were clean enough.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I've been known to leave tools in ER for two or three weeks, clean them up and soak them again until I felt they were clean enough.

Oh, I'm constantly pulling tools out, cleaning them, checking them, and putting them back in. I don't think I've ever had a tool so bad that I had to leave it in longer than a week, though, and if I did, it was probably so bad (pitted and/or deeply cancerous) that I gave up on it. Most of my tools are overnighters, some just several hours, and a few 2 or 3 days.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Guys,

For anyone not following along in 'The Lugzsonian: A Virtual Tour' thread, I terminated the Cad-Evapo experiment after 2 weeks and 4 days. Link to results here, and scroll down to posts #328 and #329.