Posted: 9/29/2011 1:59:37 PM EDT
how, when, where and why did you learn to anodize at home? is it hard or just a time consuming process? are kits available for sale and if so where? i make dog training equipment on the side and i have been asked for anodized equipment... any help would be appreciated!
|
| Wow! Anodizing at home. Do you know what all that entails? You'll need some special permits for the chemicals, and a total catch spill area in case you have an accident. I am sure it can be done, but would it be worth it? not to mention what are you going to do with the waste water you generate? Plus the permits you will have to get. I used to work in that industry years ago. |
|
www.roderuscustom.tzo.co
google Caswell plating Caswell sells a POWER SUPPLY - which you really need since car battery chargers have the WRONG CIRCUITRY for anodizing. And, Caswell's tech manual was written by a form contributor from the Roderus site (who has since passed away). You will easily achieve Type II anodizing. You really do not need Type III or mil spec cold anodizing at all; do NOT get hung up on that. MOST ar lowers don't have it anyway & they are just fine. |
|
It's amazingly simple to get started doing your own anodizing. What you need: A suitably large plastic bucket. An aluminum plating anode (a big piece of plate aluminum) A suitable 12 volt power supply. An inexpensive used 25 amp Astron is quite sufficient for something the size of a lower receiver. Bonus if it has variable current limiting. Suitable cables for connecting the anode and part to be anodized to the power supply. (Note, only aluminum wire is to be used in the bath. NO COPPER WIRE IN THE BATH.) A jug of sulfuric acid (available as battery acid from your local auto parts store) Deionized water (Tap water will work but deionized water has less contaminants in it) Several gallon jugs are usually sufficient. A big box of baking soda to neutralize spills and kill the bath when you're done with it The part to be anodized Full strength Castrol Super Clean for cleaning and pre-etching of the part. (Note...this will also strip anodizing off an anodized part.) A stove and a big pot of water to boil into steam Anodizing dyes (RIT will do but colorfast anodizing dyes are better) if you want to color anodize (including black) That's pretty much the full list. Spills (and the bath, when you're done) are neutralized with the baking soda. The neutralized water can be poured down the drain safely. |
|
Quoted: Wow! Anodizing at home. Do you know what all that entails? You'll need some special permits for the chemicals, and a total catch spill area in case you have an accident. I am sure it can be done, but would it be worth it? not to mention what are you going to do with the waste water you generate? Plus the permits you will have to get. I used to work in that industry years ago. I know several people with small home anodizing setups, as far as I know there aren't any legal or licensing issues. They actually seem pretty straight forward and relatively easy. I'm speaking on the home and hobby end of things, not on an industrial scale. That, on the other hand, probably does come with some hoops to jump through. |
|
Quoted:
www.roderuscustom.tzo.co google Caswell plating Caswell sells a POWER SUPPLY - which you really need since car battery chargers have the WRONG CIRCUITRY for anodizing. And, Caswell's tech manual was written by a form contributor from the Roderus site (who has since passed away). You will easily achieve Type II anodizing. You really do not need Type III or mil spec cold anodizing at all; do NOT get hung up on that. MOST ar lowers don't have it anyway & they are just fine. You forgot the 'm' in com  www.roderuscustom.tzo.com or go direct to their forums at www.homegunsmith.com
RIP Fibergeek! |
|
Quoted:
TAG for photos All these were home anodized using the Low Current Discharge (LCD) method of anodizing. Tannery Shop (Cast AL-356) Lower after anodizing and before applying CLP The CLP cleans up the appearance quite a bit. This was one of the first lowers Fibergeek and I anodized to make sure that the process worked with cast aluminum lowers. 
Aluminum Magazine re-anodized (the things you did during the AWB..LOL) 
(2) KT Ordnance Lowers (Billet AL-7051) that a Neighbor completed and brought over for me to anodize. 
|
|
Quoted:
Wow! Anodizing at home. Do you know what all that entails? You'll need some special permits for the chemicals, and a total catch spill area in case you have an accident. I am sure it can be done, but would it be worth it? not to mention what are you going to do with the waste water you generate? Plus the permits you will have to get. I used to work in that industry years ago. No special permits or licensing required. The LCD process that Fibergeek and I developed uses an electrolyte of 5% sulfuric acid (diluted battery acid) and low amperage DC current, usually 6-12 amps per sq ft of material at 12-20 volts. Much...much less dangerous than what you used in the industry. Low current, low acid concentration makes if easy to use. Worth it? Probably not. If you have nothing, then it would probably cost you about $200 to set up and get initial chemicals/supplies. If you are only going to anodize once, then it isn't worth it. It would be cheaper (probably about $75) to bring your lower to your neighborhood Plating/Chrome shop, who in most cases also anodize. Or ship it out to USAnodizing for about $75-100. |
|
Quoted: cool Quoted: TAG for photos All these were home anodized using the Low Current Discharge (LCD) method of anodizing. Tannery Shop (Cast AL-356) Lower after anodizing and before applying CLP The CLP cleans up the appearance quite a bit. This was one of the first lowers Fibergeek and I anodized to make sure that the process worked with cast aluminum lowers. http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p310/neilfj/AR15%20Anodize%20Photos/Cast-356-Lower-No-CLP.jpg Aluminum Magazine re-anodized (the things you did during the AWB..LOL) http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p310/neilfj/AR15%20Anodize%20Photos/1050-Anodize-Mag.jpg (2) KT Ordnance Lowers (Billet AL-7051) that a Neighbor completed and brought over for me to anodize. http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p310/neilfj/AR15%20Anodize%20Photos/CompletedARLower2.jpg |
|
Quoted: Wow! Anodizing at home. Do you know what all that entails? You'll need some special permits for the chemicals, and a total catch spill area in case you have an accident. I am sure it can be done, but would it be worth it? not to mention what are you going to do with the waste water you generate? Plus the permits you will have to get. I used to work in that industry years ago. Simply not true unless he wants to do it as a business. Individuals are exempt from RCRA and all the other EPA bullshit. If he does it as a business, lots of regs to follow. As a private citizen I could dump 300 gallons of hex chrome down the sewer. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
TAG for photos All these were home anodized using the Low Current Discharge (LCD) method of anodizing. Tannery Shop (Cast AL-356) Lower after anodizing and before applying CLP The CLP cleans up the appearance quite a bit. This was one of the first lowers Fibergeek and I anodized to make sure that the process worked with cast aluminum lowers. http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p310/neilfj/AR15%20Anodize%20Photos/Cast-356-Lower-No-CLP.jpg Aluminum Magazine re-anodized (the things you did during the AWB..LOL) http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p310/neilfj/AR15%20Anodize%20Photos/1050-Anodize-Mag.jpg (2) KT Ordnance Lowers (Billet AL-7051) that a Neighbor completed and brought over for me to anodize. http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p310/neilfj/AR15%20Anodize%20Photos/CompletedARLower2.jpg nice |
|
Quoted:
It's amazingly simple to get started doing your own anodizing. What you need: A suitably large plastic bucket. An aluminum plating anode (a big piece of plate aluminum) A suitable 12 volt power supply. An inexpensive used 25 amp Astron is quite sufficient for something the size of a lower receiver. Bonus if it has variable current limiting. Suitable cables for connecting the anode and part to be anodized to the power supply. (Note, only aluminum wire is to be used in the bath. NO COPPER WIRE IN THE BATH.) A jug of sulfuric acid (available as battery acid from your local auto parts store) Deionized water (Tap water will work but deionized water has less contaminants in it) Several gallon jugs are usually sufficient. A big box of baking soda to neutralize spills and kill the bath when you're done with it The part to be anodized Full strength Castrol Super Clean for cleaning and pre-etching of the part. (Note...this will also strip anodizing off an anodized part.) A stove and a big pot of water to boil into steam Anodizing dyes (RIT will do but colorfast anodizing dyes are better) if you want to color anodize (including black) That's pretty much the full list. Spills (and the bath, when you're done) are neutralized with the baking soda. The neutralized water can be poured down the drain safely. Yup. Pretty easy to do type II anodizing on small parts. ETA: Aside from Rit dye, most common food colorings work very well for coloring. Blue #2 (indigo) comes out really nicely, as does whatever yellow dye is fluorescene based (I forget which number). |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
www.roderuscustom.tzo.co google Caswell plating Caswell sells a POWER SUPPLY - which you really need since car battery chargers have the WRONG CIRCUITRY for anodizing. And, Caswell's tech manual was written by a form contributor from the Roderus site (who has since passed away). You will easily achieve Type II anodizing. You really do not need Type III or mil spec cold anodizing at all; do NOT get hung up on that. MOST ar lowers don't have it anyway & they are just fine. You forgot the 'm' in com www.roderuscustom.tzo.com or go direct to their forums at www.homegunsmith.com
RIP Fibergeek! Awesome! Yes - Fibergeek was a huge asset to home anodizers everywhere and he is sorely missed. I still remember how many times he leveled the acrimonious charge: "gunpainter!" at people who thought anodizing or parkerizing was too difficult (it is not difficult). If I was just getting into it fresh, there are TWO items I would spend the $$ to buy from reputable sources: 1) a power supply and 2) Negrosin (sp??) black dye from Caswells. A little goes a long way! |
|
Quoted:
I still remember how many times he leveled the acrimonious charge: "gunpainter!" at people who thought anodizing or parkerizing was too difficult (it is not difficult). Yes, I remember those too! He managed to derail many-a-thread, turning them into a circus. He was pretty passionate about it. LOL |
|
Quoted:
It's easy to do at home...but soooooo much easier to have someone else do it.  Very true. Much like milling your own lower, you can buy it already done much cheaper than you can buy and complete a 0% or 80% in your basement. But where is the challenge of buying it already complete or having someone do it for you? It's not for everyone, but for those who do it, and it won't save you any money, but it is a very satisfying project. |
|
Quoted:
I have done it before and it worked fine. used a battery charger and some battery acid. I tried to boil it in rit dye afterwords and that didn't work very well. To begin with, RIT dye is kinda hit-or-miss. I tried it a few times and sometimes it worked, other times, not so much. But in your case, one reason is because you don't boil the aluminum in the dye. You heat the dye to no more than 140F and let the anodized aluminum 'steep' in the warm dye solution. Boiling the anodized aluminum causes the pores to seal and they will never take a dye of any kind, either RIT or Caswell Anodizing Dyes. Boiling the anodized aluminum for 5 minutes is done after dyeing to seal the pores and lock in the dye color. What you did was seal the pores before the dye could be absorbed. |
|
Quoted:
I've done it on a bunch of gun stuff, but in one big batch. I was pretty pissed when I realized the 5gal bucket I was using for my black dye had a pinhole leak in it.  Luckily my parents' garage had an epoxy coating on it so it didn't absorb the dye.
Kharn That could tend to ruin your day. |
