New ASTM A967/A967M 2013 Edition on Chemical Passivation Treatments for Stainless Steel Parts

ASTM A967/A967M 2013 Edition has just been released and is available from Document Center Inc. in either paper or pdf format.  Titled “Standard Specification for Chemical Passivation Treatments for Stainless Steel Parts,” the new revision is one of our go-to documents for chemical passivation.  It includes recommendations and precautions for descaling, cleaning, and passivation of stainless steel parts.

Included are the following tests:

  1. Practice AWater Immersion Test,
  2. Practice BHigh Humidity Test,
  3. Practice CSalt Spray Test,
  4. Practice DCopper Sulfate Test,
  5. Practice EPotassium Ferricyanide–Nitric Acid Test, and
  6. Practice FDamp Cloth Test.

This practice references QQ-P-35 (later renumbered AMS-QQ-P-35 and then withdrawn in favor of AMS-2700), another major passivation document.  The ASTM A967/A967-13 replaces ASTM A967/A967M-05 which is now obsolete.

Changes to the new 2013 Edition of A967/A967M can be found in the following areas:  Section 1.5 (changed to combined Metric/US units), Revised Section 4.1 and added Section 4.3, Added Notes 2 and 3 to Sections 6 and 7, Revised Section 13.3, Combined Sections 14 through 19 into a new Section 14, Revised Section 22.1 (Now numbered 17.1) and added Section 17.2, and Added Sections X1.3.2-X1.3.4 and X1.12 to the Appendix.

For more plating and coating specifications, see Document Center’s listing Popular Specifications for Plating.

All current and many obsolete ASTM Standards are available from the Document Center webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We have been selling ASTM Standards under license agreement since the 1980’s and have the expertise to assist you with your questions and conformance requirements for these documents.

Whatever happened to QQ-P-35, Passivation Treatments for Corrosion Resistant Steel?

QQ-P-35, “Passivation Treatments for Corrosion Resistant Steel,” is another government document that was cancelled due to the implementation of the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act in the mid-1990’s.  The public law, known as NTTAA, directs Federal Agencies to use technical standards “that are developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies.”  Since QQ-P-35 was a Federal Specification it was an obvious candidate for replacement with a U.S. industry standard.

QQ-P-35 was originally issued in July 1963.  Revision C from 1988 was withdrawn by Cancellation Notice 3 on 9/11/1998.  The Cancellation Notice specifies that QQ-P-35 can be replaced by both ASTM A967 and AMS QQ-P-35.  This shows the use of two types of replacement documents:  1) a pre-existing standard (ASTM A967) and 2) a standard that is a republication of the withdrawn government to migrate the caretaking of the standard from a government organization to an industry one (AMS QQ-P-35).

The other interesting point about this particular superseding history is that seven years after the AMS republication of the specification, the document (AMS QQ-P-35) was itself cancelled in favor of another AMS standard, AMS 2700.  This actually was possible because of government participation in the committee that writes the AMS 2700 standard.  With the publication of Revision B in February 2004, issues in the previous edition of the document that made it unsuitable for government usage were resolved.  Thus the final migration to an industry standard was made possible.

So now, the current replacements for QQ-P-35 are the ASTM A967, “Standard Specification for Chemical Passivation Treatments for Stainless Steel Parts,” and AMS 2700, “Passivation of Corrosion Resistant Steels.”

In actuality, the number of government documents that were republished in this way in order to facilitate migration to industry-sponsored standards is relatively small.  It was certainly made possible because the federal level government documentation is not covered by copyright.  And by this time, many of those republications have been revised or withdrawn as well.

Should you have an obsolete document and need to know what it was replaced by, contact Document Center staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’ve been keeping records on standards since 1982 and for many items, our history information goes back much further.

All current Federal Specifications can be purchased at our website, www.document-center.com.  Many obsolete revisions are available, along with the documents that have replaced them.

The Plating Spec Poster – A handy tool for plating and coating specialists

Techplate’s Plating and Anodizing Specifications Chart is a handy wall chart developed to summarize a variety of frequently referenced plating specs.

The 2006 Edition covers a wide variety of metals and coatings.  Various classes are covered, along with thicknesses, and applications.  It’s 18 inches wide by 24 inches high, so it’s easy to post and reference.

Here is a list of some of the coatings covered and specs that apply:

Anodic Coatings MIL-A-8625
Black Chromium Plating MIL-DTL-14538
Black Oxide Coating MIL-DTL-13924 and AMS-2485
Cadmium Plating AMS-2700 and ASTM-B766
Chemical Conversion Coatings MIL-DTL-5541
Chromium Plating AMS-2460
Chemical Finish Black MIL-F-495
Copper AMS-2418
Electroless Nickel Coatings AMS-2404 and AMS-C-26074
Electropolish ASTM-B912
Gold Plating ASTM-B488 and AMS-2422
Lubricant, Solid Film MIL-PRF-46010
Magnesium Anodic Treatment AMS-M-45202 and ASTM-D1732
Magnesium Chromic Treatment AMS-M-3171
Nickel Coatings AMS-QQ-N-290 and AMS-2403
Passivation Treatments AMS-2700
Light Phosphate Coating TT-C-490
Heavy Phosphate Coating MIL-DTL-16232
Salt Bath Nitride AMS-2753
Silver Plating ASTM-B700
Sulfamate Nickel MIL-P-27418
Tin Coatings ASTM-B545
Tin Lead Plating AMS-P-81728
Vacuum Cadmium Plating AMS-C-8837
Zinc ASTM-B633
Zinc Alloy Plating ASTM-B840 and ASTM-B841