[Boatanchors] White Powder?

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Phil,

John is almost certainly correct.  And as cadmium plating produces or at 
least sometimes produces a yellow powder, I'd guess zinc.  What I do first is to 
put a new plastic trash bag in a trash can, don a pair of disposible gloves and 
using my HazMat brush (just a cheap 1" natural bristle paint brush so marked 
so I don't accidentally use it for anything else), brush as much of the powder 
as I can off into the bag.  Use relatively slow strokes with the brush.  You 
don't want to generate airborne dust.  Sounds like your unit has more powder 
that I usually encounter.  You might want to use one of the paper nose and 
mouth masks.  They're cheap.

Then light oil (usually WD-40) soaked paper towels, which also go into the 
bag.  Finally the gloves go into the bag, and I seal the bag for disposal.  
Finish by washing hands with soap and water because some of the powder will 
invariable get on the outside of the bag.  If I were doing something like a bracket 
with no electrical parts, I'd probably try the dip.

In a message dated 3/9/2005 1:12:26 PM Central Standard Time, jfor at quik.com 
writes: 
> It's likely some Zinc or Cadmium  compound. The steel parts were likely 
> plated
> and exposure to the atmosphere has degraded the coating over the years. I 
> would
> wash my hands after handling it and before eating.
> 
> I've had some luck using a dip silver cleaner (containing acidified 
> thiourea) to
> clean it off, BUT you must rinse it well with plenty of water. Also, you 
> might
> try wiping the surface with a light oil soaked rag, letting it sit for a few
> minutes , and then wiping it dry.
> 

73
Robert Downs - Houston
<http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
MVPA 9480
<wa5cab at cs.com> (Primary email)
<wa5cab at houston.rr.com> (Backup email)