Home Anodizing

[andy_con]

i thought i made a post about this before but cant find it for love nor money so maybe i didnt.

i know there is one thread relating to it

http://www.photonlexicon.com/forums/...ight=anodizing


anodizing is something thats been on my mind for a few years now, so i did some google searching for anodizing kits. one site sells there kits on ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2609349876...84.m1423.l2649

not cheap for what you actually get but it does save me going out and trying to sourcing everything myself.

what are peoples thoughts?

[Doc]

Yeah I've done a bit, so long as you're comfortable working with large quantities of acids (sulphuric for the process and nitric for de smutting) all is good.

Edit: You will also need desmutting acid and of course an adjustable DC PSU with sufficient current for the size of the items you're treating (up to about 200mA/square inch).

[andy_con]

im assuming that auction comes with everything i need though right? i know its not a lot but i want to start small

subject to the psu which i have

[Doc]

It depends what you're anodising; if you were re retreating cast components then yes, but if you are going to use this to process your own creations you will need to buy some nitric acid as most stock aluminium contains copper. After you pickle the ally in hydroxide it ends up covered in black copper 'smut' this needs to be disolved with nitric before you anodise in sulphuric.

Anodising covers the surface of the ally with microscopic hollow hexagonal tubes, these tubes are what hold the dye (if you want to add colour), then you need to boil in nickel acetate to seal the tubes and lock in the colour (or just polish with lanolin to block the pores if you're not adding colour).

So while the main things are included to actually anodise, you also need nitric acid de smutter, colour dye and nickel acetate sealer.

http://www.alu.dk/videnbaser/modul/A00300.htm

[dsli_jon]

..everything i need though right?...i want to start small

Don't forget to add-in for a fume-hood / extractor, (which you can easily diy..) or at least good whole-shop ventilaton-fan, eh?

cheers..
j

[mixedgas]

Off topic, but worth mentioning if you cannot anodize.

I often use the poor man's frosted finish instead of anodizing. You scrub the aluminum with a damp towel filled with a abrasive cleanser made into a paste, this results in a uniform gray matte finish. You flood it with water periodically to clean away the grit, Then you boil it in the sealer. You can't dye this, but it makes a neat finish for one offs.

We used Comet Brand cleanser. Ajax worked as well.

You have to avoid finger prints or oily machining fluids until you seal it.

Something active in the home cleaning product changed the surface and produced a uniform oxide.

This was taught to me by a master machinist, and it served me well in the research lab.

Steve

[steve-o]

We "powder-coated" some large aluminum plates one time. I remember the finish was good and rock solid. It was done in a machine with a vent-hood, spray nozzle and did require a clamp and wire to be attached to the plates, so I guess it was electrical. I think I saw a home-kit for powder coating on an automotive show once. I don't know if it's better or worse than anodizing, quality-wise, just another option maybe ..

[andy_con]

It depends what you're anodising; if you were re retreating cast components then yes, but if you are going to use this to process your own creations you will need to buy some nitric acid as most stock aluminium contains copper. After you pickle the ally in hydroxide it ends up covered in black copper 'smut' this needs to be disolved with nitric before you anodise in sulphuric.

Anodising covers the surface of the ally with microscopic hollow hexagonal tubes, these tubes are what hold the dye (if you want to add colour), then you need to boil in nickel acetate to seal the tubes and lock in the colour (or just polish with lanolin to block the pores if you're not adding colour).

So while the main things are included to actually anodise, you also need nitric acid de smutter, colour dye and nickel acetate sealer.

http://www.alu.dk/videnbaser/modul/A00300.htm

um ok, im happy to go it alone and not buy this kit, but i will need help to souce the right parts.

i want to anodize my own alum parts

[andy_con]

We "powder-coated" some large aluminum plates one time. I remember the finish was good and rock solid. It was done in a machine with a vent-hood, spray nozzle and did require a clamp and wire to be attached to the plates, so I guess it was electrical. I think I saw a home-kit for powder coating on an automotive show once. I don't know if it's better or worse than anodizing, quality-wise, just another option maybe ..

http://www.electrostaticmagic.co.uk/pages/systems