Salt bath for electrolytic cleaning of metals

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A NON-REDUCING MOLTEN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE-BASED SALT BATH FOR THE ELETROLTYTIC CLEANING OF METALS, WHICH BATH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF AT LEAST 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE, AND A MINOR AMOUNT OF A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP OF ALKALI METAL AND ALKALINE EARTH PHOSPHATES, CHLORIDES, CARBONATES, FLUORIDES, SILICATES, ALUMINATES, STANNATES, BORATES, SULFATES, SULFITES, MOLYBDATES, FLUOSILICATES, FLUOBORATES, AND MIXTURES THEREOF; THE IMPROVEMENT FFOR PRIMING SAID SALT BATH WHICH COMPRISES ADDING THERETO A PRIMING AMOUNT OF AT LEAST 0.05 PERCENT OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ELEMENTAL PHOSPHOROUS, FINELY DIVIDED ELEMENTAL IRON, A PHOSPHIDE, A PHOSPHITE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF.