DIY anodizing
 

I was reading Harold's thread about painting/powdercoating aluminum because I also have an aluminum part I would like to change the color of. Afterward I started to do some reading about DIY anodizing. Does anyone here have any experience with this? From what I have been able to gather the process is not terribly complex. The main issue is that you are dealing with sulfuric (battery) acid, and a few other chemicals which can obviously pose a safety hazard.

I am thinking of trying this out myself (of course, only after doing more thorough research on the process and safety procedures involved). I don't like the idea of dealing with the acid, but the part (motor mount) is relatively small, so it's not like I would be dealing with a huge vat filled with gallons of acid.

Here are the two articles I have read so far. Seems DIY anodizing is very common for paintball hobbyists.

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/anodize.shtml

http://www.bryanpryor.com/anodizing.php

EDIT: If anyone else decides to look into actually doing this please be sure you ABSOLUTELY know what you are doing before attempting. I plan to do A LOT of research before I even consider trying this, and even then I may decide not to do it. I only mean for this thread to be for discussion and education about the process.

there are some good diy anodizing vids on youtube as well. It doesn't seem terribly complex. It's not rocket surgery:lol:

Why would you want to ano yourself? Shinny pecker? Just use a Merkin. Rick Astley uses one! Click here for pics!

noooooooooooooooooooooooo,.....


he's back:rules:



note to everyone: always check linc's links before clicking....





I was just thinking of trying my own ano. too, my kyosho USCR needs green alloy parts to set it apart from the 10 others:diablo:

At least you could just close the window. The old gag I used to do would not let you close it, you had to shut down the browser!!!

why couldn't I have read this thread before checking my PM's?????

I thought Linc had matured. But noooo:no:

Different link, do you really think I would post what I sent you on a public forum? I am not that bad, yet.

This is just a link to the video of my boy Rick singing his heart out...

Oh yeah, i figured that much. Had I read this though, I would have figured it was a Rick Roll and would have been more cautious.

Now I know definitively not to drop the soap when we shower together.:gasp:

I've been looking into home ano for a while,just never got around to getting all the materials and such,and I doubt my parents would he very happy with sulfuric acid in the house. And I'm glad linc and Harold state don topic,as usual. Good job guys!

wait,........what?

I was looking into this also for my Savage project. It seems quite easy to do, but the big hurdle was the cost of the materials, namely the dye, as well as the pita of working out a power supply. Caswell Plating is a good site for supplies, as well as some good info and tutorials.

Even a small amt of dye, enough for 2 gal of solution, is still $32 + shipping, tho some other colors are much sheaper (ie red for $10/2gal.) I called some ano shops previously and they were quoting me $80-$120 for a batch of parts. A 2nd batch of a different color was a minimal charge extra, like $10.

You will also need plastic buckets, alu wire, as well as a regulated power supply suitible for your part/batch size.

The sulphuric acid can be found in auto parts stores for lead-acid batts. You may be able to find acid neutralizer there as well, otherwise baking soda will work to neutralize if you use it properly. (think of the baking soda-vinegar volacanos you made in elementary school, its an acid neutralization reaction, altho designed for overkill and effect) Once neutralized, the soln can just go down the drain.

That also includes all the stripping and preping of the material prior to finishing. IIRC 6061 is easy to ano. 7075 is not possible by homebrew setups bc of the other elements in the alloy. So really depends on what you are doing and how often if its worth going thru the trouble and expense of setting this up and perfecting it vs just paying pros.