Wastewater compliance can feel overwhelming for metal finishers, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this episode of Seen & Solved, the conversation focuses on what wastewater inspections really involve, what regulators are looking for, and how facilities can stay prepared year-round. The discussion covers how inspections are conducted, common issues that lead to notices of violation, and why housekeeping, labeling, and recordkeeping play a critical role in maintaining compliance.

The episode also explores how system maintenance impacts performance, including tank cleanliness, sludge buildup, and dwell time, as well as how improper conditions can affect discharge results. Listeners will gain insight into how regulators approach fines and follow-up, what’s expected when corrective action is required, and how wastewater treatment systems are properly sized based on real operational demands.

Additional topics include operator licensing requirements, how they vary by state, and why ongoing education is essential as regulations and technologies continue to evolve. Emerging trends such as PFAS, advances in treatment methods, and the balance between regulatory expectations and economic feasibility are also addressed.

Pretreatment isn’t guesswork—it’s a discipline built on decisions made long before parts reach the finish line.

In this episode of Seen & Solved, Gary Raihl, Business Development Manager at Hubbard-Hall, shares how pretreatment systems should be evaluated from the ground up—looking beyond individual products to the full process. Drawing on decades of experience in powder coating and chemical processing, Gary explains why equipment design, chemistry selection, and operator ownership must all work together to deliver consistent results.

This episode covers:

• Assessing existing pretreatment systems based on stage count, process flow, and equipment condition

• Why tank materials, heat placement, and system design matter more than most realize

• Setting realistic performance goals and approval requirements before changes are made

• Balancing time, temperature, and concentration when real-world constraints exist

• Avoiding common mistakes that shorten equipment life and create downstream issues

• Training operators and using process control logs to maintain consistency and accountability

• Validating performance through testing and documentation—not assumptions

• The communication gaps between equipment, chemistry, and finishing partners that lead to the most expensive failures

Whether you’re bringing a new line online or working to improve control on an existing process, this episode takes a practical look at pretreatment as a system—not a single product choice—and what it takes to build a process that holds up in daily production.

As the year winds down, we’re taking a look back at the moments and stories that brought real wins on the shop floor!  From wastewater breakthroughs… to black oxide consistency… and semiconductor purity, we’ll revisit the ‘best of 2025’… with all our guests who delivered practical takeaways you can use right away!  It’s the best of the year 2025 – on Seen & Solved by Hubbard-Hall!

In this episode of Seen & Solved, Tim Pennington talks with Bukola Adeyemi about why effective cleaning and pretreatment determine whether a finish succeeds or fails. Bukola brings practical insight from the field—what she sees in shops every week, what causes adhesion breakdown, and why most plating problems start long before metal meets metal.

They get into what really matters: controlling the cleaning bath, maintaining consistent rinsing, managing water quality, and knowing when a process has drifted out of spec. Bukola explains how rushing steps, ignoring contaminants, or treating pretreatment as an afterthought leads to rejects, downtime, and unnecessary chemistry costs. She also discusses the industry’s shift toward automation and sustainable chemistries—how smarter systems, better bath monitoring, and cleaner formulations are reshaping how shops approach pretreatment.

If you want a realistic look at what actually drives plating performance—beyond the nickel or copper bath—this episode makes it clear how much hinges on the basics. Clean parts, controlled baths, trained operators, and evolving technologies that make it all more efficient.

In this episode of Seen and Solved, host Tim Pennington talks with Travis Hilton, Operations Manager and former Application Specialist at Hubbard-Hall, about one of the most overlooked steps in electroless nickel plating—tank preparation.

From cleaning and stripping to passivation and verification, they break down the exact process that ensures a stable, high-performing EN bath. Learn why nitric contamination, residual buildup, and improper rinsing can drastically shorten bath life or cause defects, and how proper operator training and chemistry verification can make all the difference.

If you’re looking to improve nickel deposit quality, reduce rejects, and extend bath life, this episode offers practical insights straight from the plating floor.

In this episode of Seen and Solved, host Tim Pennington welcomes Bill Blanchet and Tyler Thomas from Seacole and Connor Callais from Hubbard-Hall to address the technical challenges of achieving consistent black oxide finishes in the firearms and tooling industries.

The discussion highlights how reject rates as high as 40% can be reduced to near zero by properly engineering black oxide lines, pairing the right chemistry with the right equipment, and ensuring operators are trained to maintain process control.

Key topics include the impact of tank sizing, burner capacity, automatic water feed systems, and temperature stability on process consistency; the role of surface preparation and pretreatment in producing uniform coatings; and how Hubbard-Hall’s Super Seep Free hot oil eliminates salt creepage from blind holes and recessed geometries.

The episode also explores how moving blackening operations in-house provides manufacturers with tighter quality control, shorter lead times, and reduced costs. With decades of combined experience in surface finishing, equipment design, and chemical process optimization, the guests share proven methods for solving black oxide challenges while adapting to industry changes such as PFAS regulatory pressures.

This conversation is essential listening for metal finishing engineers, production managers, and quality professionals who need repeatable, cost-effective black oxide results. Whether you’re running a metal finishing shop, managing an in-house firearms blackening line, or looking for surface finishing best practices, this episode delivers actionable takeaways on reducing rejects, improving consistency, and achieving better results with less chemistry.

In this special, out-of-studio episode of Seen and Solved, we join Jeff Davis – SVP of Business Development and Distribution - and Shelley Lusas – Director of Marketing - at D’Amelio’s Restaurant in Waterbury, Connecticut for a conversation that is as much about celebration as it is reflection. Designed to be a fun, relaxed setting, this episode captures the spirit of what Jeff himself coined as “socializing with intent”—sharing stories, wisdom, and laughter while reflecting on a remarkable career.

Jeff is retiring after 42 years at Hubbard-Hall, where he experienced nearly every facet of the company – from manufacturing and sales to marketing, purchasing, and leadership roles. In this candid conversation, he shares lessons learned, industry insights, the evolution of metal finishing and industrial chemistry, and the relationships that have defined his career. Along the way, his stories are full of humor, nostalgia, and the kind of mentorship that leaves a lasting impact.

This episode is a heartfelt celebration of Jeff’s extraordinary contributions, the people he’s influenced, and the company culture he helped shape. Whether you’re in manufacturing, metal finishing, industrial chemistry, or leadership, Jeff’s reflections offer inspiration, insight, and a reminder that success is built on patience, preparation, and connection.

Part 2 of the series on Cleaning, Coating, Compliance in Seen & Solved takes a deeper look at immersion applications, focusing on chemical control and post-treatment in conversion coatings. Host Tim Pennington continues his discussion with Connor Callais, Product Manager at Hubbard-Hall, shifting the focus to why monitoring time, temperature, and concentration is essential for proper bath control.

Connor explains how titrations and boiling points are used to guide chemical maintenance in phosphate and black oxide baths, the risks when operators let parameters drift, and the challenges shops face when post-treatments are overlooked or mismanaged. The discussion also highlights practical ways to extend corrosion protection and preserve surface finish quality with the right sealants, oils, and water-based coatings.

For manufacturers, applicators, and finishing shops working with immersion lines, this episode emphasizes why chemical control is critical to consistency, why bath audits prevent costly failures, and why post-treatment decisions directly affect coating performance, corrosion resistance, and part longevity.

With insights on avoiding drift, maintaining line efficiency, and improving long-term quality, Part 2 shows why the final stages of cleaning, coating, and compliance are just as important as the first steps in surface preparation.

What makes or breaks a successful immersion application? In this episode of Seen & Solved, host Tim Pennington sits down with Connor Callais, Product Manager at Hubbard-Hall, to walk through the keys to achieving consistent, high-quality conversion coatings.

In Part 1 of this conversation, Connor shares insights on:

• Common mistakes in immersion processes and how to avoid them

• Why racking and surface prep are critical to results

• The role of cleaning, rinsing, and acid steps in performance

• How post-treatment decisions impact corrosion protection and finish quality

Whether you’re working with zinc or manganese phosphate, black oxide, or decorative coatings, this conversation highlights practical ways to improve line efficiency and part performance.

Listen in, and learn how attention to the details—surface prep, chemistry, and process control—can make all the difference.

On this episode of Seen & Solved, host Tim Pennington is joined by Jason Potts — better known as the Finishing Fixer — to break down a real-world challenge inside a powder coating operation. The customer was running a line at twice the normal speed, stuck with a cleaner that only worked with constant boosters, and dealing with lead times that dragged on for months.

Jason explains how he and the Hubbard-Hall team dug into the process, checked the line setup, and used their pilot line and lab to test every option. The result was the development of AquaEase PL 930, a one-and-done cleaner that kept the line running fast, eliminated boosters, shortened lead times, and won the confidence of the customer.