DIY anodizing

[smashinator]

I swiped this from a motorcycle tech forum.  The author swiped it from another forum.  Presumably the author THERE swiped it from somewhere else.  So, I didn't come up with this, but I don't know who to attribute it to.

Note that I haven't tried this, and if you do, it's at your own risk!!

Anyway here goes (I've removed some of the swearing...):

Nevertheless I'll try to translate the manual in very brief form for you all's benefit. You may blame any incorrect statements on my lack of english or the sucker who wrote it in the first place. Or just blame it on the  Germans in general.

What can be anodized?
Aluminium-silicium compositions are not good but aluminium-magnesium compositions are great. The more pure aluminium there is in the composition the better it responds to the anodizing process. But even in silicium compositions, like mostly used for motorcycles, the final outcome will look better than painted or untreated parts. Professionals wouldn't even touch lots of the parts but they have a much higher demand about quality.

Here in the original follows a brief description about what's happening throughout the process of anodization. I'm gonna leave that out, it's boring.

Now let's get on with it:

1. CLEANING
Most critical for a successful anodization is a workpiece that is absolutely free from fat and dust. Every piece of crap on the surface gets in the way of anodization. The workpiece has to be prepared in the best way, anodization will not get rid of scratches and stuff. Use a sandpaper 800 grain or polish it.
For cleansing we use the sodium hydroxide (NaOH). You may also use brake-cleaner. Careful with silicium compositions, they tend to oxidate and become black. Don't leave the workpiece for too long in the solution, it is extremely aggressive and wears off the aluminium!
Careful with the sodium acid, your skin does not respond well to it. ;o) Wash off very thoroughly with distilled water.

2. ANODIZATION
Anodization will happen in the sulphuric acid 15-20%, the exact concentration is not very important. You may also use battery acid. Mix it 1:1 with distilled water.
Careful! Never spill the water into the acid to avoid steam and splatter. Do it the other way round: Acid into water, very slow and carefully! In any case wear a protective goggle, gloves and old clothes. This acid too doesn't play nice with your skin and eyes.
The workpiece should hang in the solution since only parts will be anodized that are in contact with the acid. Use the aluminium wire for that. Since the electricity is going through the wire, the contact should be steady and cover a huge surface. Wind the wire around the workpiece a few times. Important: Use only aluminium wire for that!
Our workpiece is the anode, so we're connecting it with the positive pole of our electricity source.
The lead-plate is the cathode, we're connecting it to the negative pole.
Care for a consistent density of electric supply by proper alignment of workpiece and lead-plate to avoid short-circuit!
The neccessary amount of charging: 1 ampere/minute for 1 square-centimeter (900 ampere/minute for 1 square foot)

For example a dice with border lenght of 10 cm and a source of 5 ampere:
10*10*10cm = 6 sides = 600 sqcm
needed electricity is 600A for 1 minute (600*60 = 36000As)
36000As/5A = 7200 seconds = 2 hours

It's very important to calculate every piece of surface to reach an exact time.
Some compositions are turning into a light yellow, others become beautifully light grey. In any way the workpiece will become a bit more dull than it was in the beginning. The purer the aluminium the shinier the shine.

3. COLORING
Rinse off the workpiece with lots of water to get rid of all acid and put it directly in the warm paint solution. Like always don't touch to avoid fingerprints. Not much to say about the concentration of the dye, it all depends on the used coloring. Test with small pieces first. If you're not satisfied you can just put the workpiece back into the sulphuric acid. It will dissolve the dye.
Should you use textile dye, don't use the fixator or salt but just the dye.

4. CONSOLIDATION (?)
This is the most important step to accomplish a really hard and heavy duty surface, yet it is the most easy to do! Just put the workpiece for 30 odd minutes in boiling water (min. 98 centigrade! For you non-metric folk: 100 degrees = boiling) - FINISHED!!!

The needed chemicals can be purchased quite cheap in a pharmacy or car spares shop.

Some volunteers?

[smashinator]

Well, that post piqued my interested, so I googled anodizing, and found a much more usable guide (it's at the bottom under all the "buy my anodizing kits" stuff.

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html

[ninoman123]

Woah man cool stuff   Some of those colors would look wicked cool on a pedal  :twisted:

[boogielicious]

This is freaky.  I googled anodizing today and looked at the same link.  I does look cool, but the chemicals are a bit nasty.  I'm a chemical engineer.  If you are going to do it, you need an area with good ventilation that you can lock up.  The acids and etchant are very corrosive and the fumes can eat steel.  Also, it's tough to get rid of the waste.

I'm trying to find a local guy myself.

Scott

[Fret Wire]

A more environmentally friendly, home type kit:
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/aluminum.htm

[Dragonfly]

thats cool...i was looking the other day in the yellow pages for someone who did anodizing...i thought it'd look cool with silkscreen on top....

andy

[Hailstorm350]

My cousin used to do anodizing.  He quit cuz he wasn't very good at it.  I believe it is possible for me to get access to the stuff he still has for it.  He's got the battery acid, led plate, battery charger, dyes and ... etc...

I have been considering doing that for quite some time.  just strip down the aluminum enclosure then dye away.  add decals, clear coat, and you're done VOILA!!!

I almost did it to my RealMcHum, but I decided to just get it working first.

needs a new enclosure anyways,  I'll tell you guys if I actually anodize anything.
Later,
Ken

[triskadecaepyon]

Anodizing is freaking awesome if you get it right.  Our high school is super strong versions of H2S04 (sulfuric acid)  around 12 molar, enough to burn through most peoples skin!  Our chem teacher showed us how anodizing is done that way, but she said some people have been killed trying to anodize because the current is more than enough to do so.  If you are doing it, make sure you get a kit the first time around; you don't want to be the one electricuting yourself

[bwanasonic]

I'm trying to find a local guy myself.

Please PM me if you find something in this area.

Kerry M