Method for manufacturing and applying a protective coating

The method involves applying an electrically conductive protective layer on an area of a finished partial component surface (12) abutting a working surface (14) to be processed, where the protective layer includes a metal, and another electrically conductive material having an electrochemical erosion behavior with a known relation to an electrochemical erosion behavior of a metal component. The working surface and the protective layer are electrochemically processed, where the protective layer is completely eroded in a predetermined region. The electrochemical process is pulsed electrochemical sinking process, non-pulsed electrochemical sinking process or drilling process. The protective layer has a thickness range of about 1 micrometer (mue m) to 2 millimeters (mm). Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a process for manufacturing and repairing a metal component of a rotating machine (2) a component of a rotating machine has a section repaired by joining.