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Plating of brass to make it food-safe

Need vintage espresso machine's brass boiler replated food-safe

RFQ: I am refurbishing for my personal use a vintage espresso machine from the 1970s. It has a brass boiler (about 7" x 6" -- smaller than a gallon paint can) whose interior nickel plating is gone. I would like to have the boiler replated with food-safe plating, so lead won't leach out of the brass into the hot water.

Tim H

[last name deleted for privacy by Editor]

hobbyist - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is outdated so private contact is no longer available, but public technical replies are still welcome! No public brand/source suggestions please ( huh? why?)

Is chrome plating of brass food-safe?

Q. Hi,
This is Lalitha, Product design student. I would like to know if chrome plating on brass serving bowls is food safe. Is chromium plating the best option?

I'm working on my final year project - designing tableware products.

Sreelalitha kk

- Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India

A. Hi, Lalitha,

Depending on what you are trying to do, silver plating might be best -- silver has been used for food & drink surfaces for millennia. Nickel plating is a traditional finish. And tin plating of copper cookware has been a rural tradition for over a century (see letter 25553, "Historical hand re-tinning of copper cooking utensils?").

I'm not sure that the colloquial term "food safe" is defined rigidly enough to give you a clear answer, but chrome plating has been used around the kitchen for many decades, and I have a chrome plated knife, chrome plated juicer, and several other things including a couple of pieces from an old copper-nickel-chrome plated steel flatware set. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney

, P.E.

Striving to live Aloha

finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

Coatings for brass for potable water use

Q. I need to prevent potable water coming in contact with a brass insert that will be over moulded. Chrome or nickel plating are not options. I only want to coat or plate the inside surface of the brass insert as the outside is covered after over moulding.

Neil Macintosh

Technical Consultant - Sydney, Australia

A. Hi Neil. You haven't said why nickel plating is not an option; so, whatever is excluding it may exclude my other suggestions, but tin plating and silver plating are additional food-safe coatings. Teflon coating or porcelain coating may be other options.

Note that leaded brass may not be permissible even with a plating or coating. Best of luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney

, P.E.

Striving to live Aloha

finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Electroless nickel should be acceptable for this application.

Lyle Kirman

consultant - Cleveland Heights, Ohio