# Military Plating Specifications (MIL Specs)



## AuMINIMayhem (Jan 28, 2011)

Wasn't sure if anyone had posted this on here before, but I work int he industry and thought this would come in handy. (Especially for the "pins" guys and those who like to do the yield data calculations *cough* GSP *cough* :mrgreen: )

http://www.cenmet.com/Mil_Spec.htm


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## goldenchild (Jan 28, 2011)

On ebay everything is MIL SPEC.


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## AuMINIMayhem (Jan 28, 2011)

Unless it has certs. I would be cautious. 

Just because it says it's "Milspec", doesn't mean it is. In fact, chances are, if it is on Ebay, it didn't meet Military Specifications and is a "reject". 

If it IS truly Milspec, then you can use that chart to figure out your approximate yields based on surface area, etc. 8)

Plus you should note (since this is the GRF, we're talking about gold, specifically) there are varying tyupes of plating and classes.. so just because it's "gold plated to Military Spec" doesn't mean much.. :!:


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## AuMINIMayhem (Jan 28, 2011)

Type I 99.7% gpld min 
Type II 99.0% gold min 
Type III 99.9% gold min 
Class 00 .00002" min Grade A 90 Knoop max 
Class 0 .00003" min Grade B 91-129 Knoop 
Class 1 .00005" min Grade C 130-200 Knoop 
Class 2 .00010" min Grade D 201 Knoop and over 
Class 3 .00020" min 
Class 4 .00030" min Type I (Grade A, B, or C) 
Class 5 .00050" min Type II (Grade B, C, or D) 
Class 6 .00150" min Type III (Grade A only) 


So the generic term, Milspec can be misleading.. 8)


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## goldsilverpro (Jan 28, 2011)

To me, the term mil-spec is confusing. It's simply a way of specifying the purity, hardness, and thickness of the gold plating. The ASTM B 488, which is used mainly for commercial products, is identical to the Mil G 45204 schedule. In other words, the term "Mil-spec" doesn't mean the parts are plated thicker than a commercial product.

http://www.nu-metal.com/dynamicdata/goldplating.aspx


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## AuMINIMayhem (Jan 28, 2011)

precisely... 8) 

Milspec's don't determine "thickness" of the plating per se' unless it is called out by a class number, but even then the "spirit" in which milspecs are designed is to have a benchmark for uniformity, etc. etc. 

Just like ASTM, Milspec is a _quantifiable standard_ that's really the only benefit. However, like I said, if it's on FleaBay, it's probably a reject which means it deviates from that spec. (could be in our favor, as in over-plating.. could be less.)



> NOTES: The ASTM Specification was originally issued with a logical assignment of Type Number to Purity; unfortunately, this caused mass confusion and in 2001 the Specification was updated (ASTM B 488-01) to align with the older Mil spec. We still see drawings with incorrect Type call out dating back to the earlier ASTM specs. As with the Mil spec, the purity and hardness cannot be specified independently: Type III gold must be Grade A because the purity specification precludes addition of other metals to harden the deposit. Type II gold can only be Grade B, C or D. Type I gold can only be Grade A, B or C. Nu-Metal offers this process with or without CoC.



CoC at the end stands for "Certificate of Conformancy"


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## goldenchild (Jan 28, 2011)

Yes. My comment was a poor attempt at humor. I was trying to make the point that everyone on ebay has mil spec gold plated scrap because it makes it sound like the scrap has thicker plating. And as AuMINIMayhem and GSP have said, MIL SPEC simply means it has to meet a certain specification. Not that it has a thicker plating. I've called people out on ebay asking them how they knew their scrap was MIL SPEC and have gotten nothing but cockamamy answers.


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## AuMINIMayhem (Feb 4, 2011)

LOL!... I've done the same thing.. I've even gone as far as to ask them if the items they had were NAS certified parts, etc... always funny to see the replies when you can tell they're squirming a bit. :twisted:


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