@dkdkrd posted:"In the end"...? I'm afraid zinc rot, zinc pest, ...whatever name you choose...will never "end". At least not as long as the products are made far, far away, without metallurgical analysis/control/concern, in a land of dynamic labor and sourcing. It's not a guaranteed certainty, but it is so widespread among manufacturers in that environment that the odds are sometimes rather dismal that you'll just be lucky in your purchase to have avoided it...sooner or later.
"How many products were produced with this issue"??...If it's die cast from that land far, far away, it could easily find its way into your whatever treasure...rolling stock, freight or passenger, locomotives (diesel, steam, electric), accessories, ...you name it.
Zinc pest, as it's commonly called, was the bane of some Pre-War Lionel in-house production until the metallurgical anomaly was identified and corrected. Dad's 1835E tender, ca mid-1930's, got bit...badly. (I've shown the photos in prior threads.) Lionel stepped up and provided a pest-free replacement wiki-wiki. Then 'the pest' seemed to disappear as an issue in this hobby...until we became obsessed with having our choo-choos made in that land far, far away. No experience, no knowledge(?), no control,...no care..., pretty certain what happened thereafter. The other exciting characteristic is that sometimes it manifests itself within the warranty period, but sometimes not until long after. Oh joy.
Want more on this issue as it affects us all?.....search the Forum on "Zinc Pest". Keep the aspirin and vino handy, pal.
Prewar Flyer 3/16ths O gauge diecast items suffer from zinc pest, Dorfan was probably the earliest victim (I've dubbed zinc pest Dorfan's Disease in their honor), Lionel also had their share of zinc pest problems, but it appears they weren't zapped as badly as Flyer and Dorfan were. Postwar Lionel and Flyer seem to be pretty clear of the problem (I assume both arrived at the need for high purity zinc/not reusing miscast or scrap from sprues/discards from clean-up of floors or work areas where scrap could accrue either just before/during/just after WW II ended).
