Plated steel in WW II

[J. Forster]

Does anyone know what plating materials were used on steel in WW II, especially
on things such as mounts for radios, brackets, and antennas?. I am trying to
restore some equipment and the plating is bad in places, which has left the
underlying steel exposed, leading to some surface rust. The items are rare.

Basically, many items formed from sheet steel  were subsequently plated with a
bright greyish coating, not shiney but matte. Over time, the coating turns dull
grey when exposed to air. Sometimes black blotches appear, and sometimes there
are black fingerprints. The plating can be cleaned up some, but where rusted,
needs to be redone. Does anyone know if it's Zinc, Cadmuim, or something else?
How can you tell? Are there any simple chemical tests?

The equipment includes the following:  No 19 MK II and MK III carrier, control
box bases, 6 & 12 pt connector shells, and handles (MK II was radio used in some
Shermans) and the AN/APN-2 'Rebecca' antennas, among other things.

Also, does anyone know of someone who can duplicate this plating?

TIA,
John

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