Seen & Solved by Hubbard-Hall

About Seen & Solved by Hubbard-Hall

“Seen and Solved” is a podcast brought to you by Hubbard-Hall which focuses on the stories from the front line of the metal finishing industry. Listeners will hear from our experts as they get candid about the popular and not-so popular problems we have come across in the field. Listen to learn how to improve your process and reduce cost and chemical consumption.

Publisher

Seen and Solved by Hubbard-Hall

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jun 2022

Latest episode

2 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

94 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Sept 2026

   S04 E19 - Mike Lindemann - Reducing Acid Pickling Costs While Improving Cleaning Performance

   How can metal finishers extend acid pickle bath life, improve cleaning performance and reduce the cost of frequent bath changes? In this episode of Seen & Solved, metal finishing expert Mike Lindemann shares practical insight into one of the most important—and often overlooked—steps in surface finishing: acid pickling. Mike explains how iron buildup, carbon scale, oil contamination and difficult surface conditions can impactpickling performance, bath life and downstream finishing. He also discusses how the right combination of chemistry, equipment and process control can help manufacturers get parts clean and properly activated before plating, black oxide, painting or other finishing operations. You'll learn: ·      Why iron buildup shortens acid pickle bath life ·      How oil contamination can travel through pretreatment and create problems downstream ·      Why carbon scale and oxidation can be difficult to remove within fixed processing times ·      How acid additives can improve cleaning while helping control fumes and contamination ·      How inhibitors can reduce unnecessary attack on the base metal and extend bath life ·      Why pickling performance can directly affect zinc plating and black oxide quality ·      How chemistry and equipment work together to optimize a metal finishing process Mike also highlights Ambienol® C, a concentrated detergent acid additive with a built-in inhibitor. Used at low concentrations, it helps emulsify oils, improve carbon scale removal, reduce acid fumes and minimize iron buildup—helping extend acid bath life while improving overall pickling performance. He also shares a real-world example from a rack zinc plating line where short pretreatment and pickling cycles created cleaning challenges—and explains how modifying the acid pickle helped prevent oil carryover and improve the process. If you're dealing with frequent acid bath changes, high iron levels, difficult scale, oil contamination, uneven black oxide, plating rejects or limited pretreatment time, this episode offers practical ways to evaluate what may be happening in your process.

2. 

   5 Aug 2026

   S04 E18 - Dave Govoni - Mass Finishing Masterclass | Vibratory Finishing, Deburring & Surface Finishing Explained

   What is mass finishing, and how do media, chemistry, and process control affect part quality? In this episode of Seen & Solved, Dave Govoni, Senior Chemist at Hubbard-Hall, explains how manufacturers improve deburring, polishing, burnishing, and surface preparation through better massfinishing processes. Mass finishing plays a critical role in producing consistentsurface finishes and preparing parts for plating, coating, painting, and assembly. But media selection, finishing compounds, equipment setup, water quality, and process control all influence the final result. In this episode, Dave shares practical lessons from decadesof helping manufacturers optimize vibratory and centrifugal finishing operations. You'll learn: What mass finishing is and when to use it How to choose the right media for different metals and part geometries The differences between vibratory and centrifugal finishing equipment How finishing compounds improve cleaning and finish quality Why flow rates, concentration, and water quality matter Common causes of staining, sludge, foam, and inconsistent finishes Practical troubleshooting techniques to reduce rework and improve consistency Dave also shares a fascinating case study from the U.S. Mint, where specially formulated chemistry helped remove oxide from coin blanks before the surface could become permanently burnished. Whether you work in metal finishing, deburring, burnishing,plating, precision machining, aerospace, medical device manufacturing, or automotive manufacturing, this episode offers practical guidance for improving finishing performance, increasing process consistency, and producinghigher-quality parts.

3. 

   8 Jul 2026

   S04 E17 - Jason Potts & Shane Moore - Reducing Rejects Without Slowing Production

   Inconsistent coating performance, plating defects, and costly rework often start long before parts ever reach the plating bath. In this episode of Seen & Solved, experts from Hubbard-Hall and Pavco discuss the upstream causes of rejects in metal finishing operations — and how manufacturers can improve quality and consistency without sacrificing throughput. Many shops struggle with process drift, contamination, poor rinsing practices, changing oils, bath imbalance, inadequate cleaning, and rushed production speeds that quietly create downstream quality issues. Drawing from decades of field experience, the conversation explores practical ways to troubleshoot plating lines, stabilize production, and reduce scrap across both automated and manual finishing operations. The conversation covers: ·      Process drift and reject reduction ·      Plating bath troubleshooting ·      Cleaning and pretreatment performance ·      Rinsing, contamination, and bath control ·      Hull cell testing and diagnostics ·      Production speed vs. coating quality ·      Root causes of plating defects and roughness Jason Potts (Hubbard-Hall) and Shane Moore (Pavco) also share practical examples from the field, including troubleshooting zinc contamination, paraffin wax issues, improper bath temperatures, inadequate activation, and common “quick fixes” that often create even larger downstream problems. Whether you work in electroplating, decorative plating, retreatment, industrial cleaning, or surface finishing, this episode provides practical insights into improving consistency, stabilizing production, and reducing costly rework without adding unnecessary complexity. Learn more about Hubbard-Hall’s cleaning, pretreatment, plating, and wastewater chemistry at https://www.hubbardhall.com (https://www.hubbardhall.com)

Who has been a guest on Seen & Solved by Hubbard-Hall

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Hubbard-Hall Customer Experience Team
• Erik Surland
• Kevin O'Brien

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

86,546

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 57 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

60

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

60

Contact Seen & Solved by Hubbard-Hall

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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