My latest anodizing

I want to make clear that I am not doing this for a business or anything else. I am disabled and my day to day condition varies which makes me extremely unreliable to do a business.
Ed

I just wanted to show off my latest anodizing being I just started fooling with it to help my son advance his business.

My apologies for thinking this was going to turn into a business for your son as the quote above from your first post threw me off. In any event, you're doing beautiful work! :))

Dave
 
This will be my last statement about "business" and is no way meant to upset or offend anyone.
I think we all, in our hobby, find times when someone comes to you and says how much to make me a thing-um-a-bob.
You now say no, ok I'll do it free or to keep the loop closed you say ok 20 bucks.
This if seen and desirable to others and you pursue it then you can grow a business.
Boy would I love to grow a business. I know my son has all the smarts for it in every aspect.
With my condition I can't support it.
Anyway I think we all or most have fiddled around with a little "business". It is the American way.
I apologize if I offended anyway by my previous post or miss lead anyone.

On the subject of anodizing. It is a hobby but I have, in many peoples opinion, gotten it down pretty well.
It was a definite adventure and I learned a lot.
I am most willing to share my findings and explain my process and one day soon, after finish helping relay out the shop, I will write up s simple how to on anodizng from my view point.

Thanks!

Everyone have a great day!

Ed
 
Just putting up some other pictures of work and the bench in the garage where I anodize.

Ed
 
Hi JT,

What are you using for your acid in the anodizing tank?

Ed
 
Hi JT,

What are you using for your acid in the anodizing tank?

Ed

H2SO4 + dist.water (car battery mix)
do not remember the beaume( think it is 115 ) but if you got one from an autoshop i add dist.water
so it sits just the red part out of the mix
 
Hi JT,

I use sodium bisulfate NaHSO[SUB]4[/SUB] with distilled water. It is what you would use to decrease the ph level in your swimming pool or spa. It is much more safe all around. I don't ge them nasty holes eaten in stuff, bad fumes (even though you will always get hydrogen gas off of anodizing) and it is much more easier to dispose of.
It can be tested in the anodizing tank just like the sulfuric acid by using the hydrometer used for batteries. The mix would be made so the bulb is in the red for specific gravity just like the sulfuric mix.
It is definitely a safer way to go but is still an acid. Caution still must be taken. But back to the original question or thought and that is I don't have as bad a fumes so as much ventilation is not needed.

I've seen the balls you are referring to and there is an addittive to decrease the bubbling that causes that acid splashing around. I have seen the larger bulbs coming up and causing little splashes but luckly I have nothing close enough that it appears, at this time, to be getting on. You can see a little white poweder on the black plastic I have down directly around the bucket but I don't see it anywhere else.
I keep a half a dozen 1 pound boxes of baking soda sitting close by so incase of spill I have something to throw on it.

There is a spot in my garage floor directly under my tractor where some battery acid slopped and it did start to eat the concrete. So anytime I accidently drip this particular solution on the concrete I take no chances and put some baking soda on it.

My wife parks her van in the other half of garage and is so worried about the whole anodizing process. I keep it spotless so you would see if any type of mist was carrying that far an it does not. The van is a darker color and it would show up as a white dust.

Anyone has any questions or thoughts on anodizing I will try and help.
Remember I am not an expert but a hobbyist.
I am still planning on doing a writeup with pics on my anodizing process once shop is totally back in running order. Please bare with me those that asked.

Have a great day!

Ed
 
DIY Home Aluminum Anodizing by eac67gt
I was always curious about anodizing and finally after some research dove in and after trial and error finally came up with some good results. Though I haven’t used much technical calculations in my anodizing there are calculations to get the process exact. I have learned by watching current, voltage, tank action and color change of the part being anodized when to call the part anodized and ready for dye.
I will step through the process from beginning to end as I performed it. I am not a chemist or professional anodizing expert I am just a hobbyist.

For this write up I re-anodized a flashlight for my sister. Though it was in fine shape she wanted it green.
Before-
View attachment 48320
After –
View attachment 48334
Anodizing is an electrochemical process that creates an oxide layer on the surface of the aluminum. This layer resembles a honeycomb that dye fills and then is sealed in boiling water.

First thing I must stress is SAFETY!
All chemicals used can be dangerous.
Acid is used in the anodizing process and a strong alkali isused in the prep process. THESE DO NOT MIX! Acids and alkalis are very unfriendly to each other. Keep them in two different areas when using them.
When mixing acid and water you always add acid to water not water to acid. This is what they call the three AAAs. Always Add Acid! Pouring water on acid can give a very severe reaction.
You need to protect yourself with gloves, eye protection, respirator and apron.
Ventilation is important in this process due to fumes which can damage your respiratory system and the anodizing process gives off hydrogen gas which is explosive if it builds up.
The process of using chemicals can be very dangerous but do not be afraid just be careful. Safety is always important but if you are careful and take your time the process is simple and safe. Most anodizing processes use sulfuric acid (battery acid) but the process I will explain uses sodium bisulfate which is a much less dangerous acid that is a byproduct of sulfuric acid and is actually what you use to decrease the PH level in your pool or spa.

Materials needed: (as I did it)
· Distilled water – I started with a case of 6 gallons
· Sodium bisulfate – 5 pound of swimming pool/spa PH negative
· 2 gallon plastic bucket for anodizing tank
· Power source – 12v car battery charger with minimum 10 amp output and no auto shutoff
· Volt meter and amp meter optional here but I prefer to monitor the process. If charger has an amp meter you can monitor the current draw with that
· Aluminum to make cathode. I used 6061 which for aluminum works the best.
· Aluminum to make frame to hang parts for anode connection.
· Stainless steel screws.
· Anode material – You will need some sort of aluminum to connect to your parts being anodized. It must be aluminum or titanium. This can be a wire or thin flat stock. It is best if aluminum is used to try and use the same alloy as is being anodized. (Note- if aluminum welding wire is used it is important to insure that there are no fluxes in the wire or it will contaminate the anodizing tank.)
· 2 electric hot plates
· 2 sauce pans 2 to 4 qt (whatever will fit your parts)
· 1 pack or container of RIT clothes dye. What ever color you want.
· Thermometer of some sort like a candy thermometer
· Stirring sticks – I used wood dowel rod cut to length
· Rack to hang parts in dye and boil sealing
· Plastic sheeting to protect bench
· Spray bottle for distilled water to rinse parts
· Misc. plastic containers to help with cleaning your parts
· Dish soap or degreaser
· Etch solution (metal brightener) I used Pro-power Acid Cleaner C-24. Contains sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrofluoric acid. It is highly concentrated and gets diluted 10 to 1.
· Baking soda in case of acid spill
· (optional) Lye or greased lightning sodium hydroxide NaOH (caustic soda) if stripping anodizing off already anodized parts

1) Make a rack to hang your parts from for the anode connection. You will need some sort of aluminum rack to hang your parts from over the anodizing tank. I made one from 6061 aluminum and tapped holes in it then threaded stainless steel screws into it. All parts of your rack if screwed together should have tight connections for good current flow.
View attachment 48324

2) Make cathode for in anodizing tank. The cathode can be aluminum or lead. I recommend aluminum because it is easier to work with. The cathode needs to be fashioned that it comes out of the acid solution so that your electrical connection can be hooked to it. The cathode does need to be a specific minimum size per calculations that are to be done based on what you are anodizing. I made mine big enough that no matter what I fit into my 2 gallon bucket the cathode will be big enough.
View attachment 48322View attachment 48323

3) Mix anodizing solution. I mixed 5 pound sodium bisulfate (pool ph negative/decreaser) to 2 gallons of distilled water. Remember anytime mixing acid and water it is ALWAYS ADD ACID. Adding water to acid can give bad reaction so you always add the acid to the water. Mix well. I used a wooden dowel rod that I kept just for this purpose. Mixture will be cloudy at first but after a while will settle out and become clear.

4) Prepare your electrical connections. A regular car battery charger works great. It must have a 10 amp minimum output for heavier loads but a smaller one may work for you. I monitor current and voltage in my process. I have setup a volt/amp meter I bought for $16 on eBay. It keeps the more expensive meters away from this process.
View attachment 48321

5) Setup your hot plates and pans. Two hot plates are needed because one is used for boiling water after dying and the other is used to keep dye at optimum temperature of 140 degrees. This temperature is what worked best for dye to take without temperature being high enough to start closing/sealing the aluminum.
View attachment 48325

6) Prepare your dye. I used one container, 8oz. of dye, to 3 quart of water. The dye can be used over and over again and water can be added as the water evaporates. Dye can be stored for long periods. I saved water jugs to pour the cooled dye back into when done.

7) Make or prepare your anode hangers for connection to your parts, but do not connect them at this time. This can be aluminum or titanium. If aluminum it is best to use the same alloy. This connection/hanger needs to be able to fasten to your part in an area on the part where it is not important to be finished. The connection can be through spring pressure, screw (aluminum only), weld or wire wrapped. Remember the connection through this hanger is where current will flow through so if it is poor the process will not work correctly. If you use aluminum MIG welding wire it must not have flux in it or it will contaminate the process.
View attachment 48327View attachment 48328View attachment 48329View attachment 48326

8) Prep your part to be anodized. The part to be anodized must be prepared to what ever degree you want your finish to be. Other words every little scratch or mark will show after anodized. Anodizing is not like painting where it hides small imperfections. Also if you want a shiny anodized finish the part must be polished. A flat/brushed finish will give you exactly that in anodizing. I have found that to get the part perfect for a flat finish I polish it first and then dull it with a lye mix. After preparing your part it must be cleaned thoroughly. Any grease or dirt will ruin the finish and or contaminate your anodizing tank. I first clean with a mix of dish soap and a little Purple Power (degreaser). Scrub the part very good with this mix and make sure the polishing compound is all cleaned off.

9) Connect your hangers to your parts to be anodized.

10) Next I dip it into an acid solution. I use etch solution/metal brightener. Specifically I use Pro-power Acid Cleaner C-24. It contains sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and hydrofluoric acid. It is highly concentrated and gets diluted 10 to 1 with distilled water. I dip it in this mix for 2 to 5 minutes. It will fizz and carry on but that is correct. This will etch the surface slightly and remove any oxidization that might be present. Once removed rinse thoroughly with distilled water. Only use distilled water because of contaminating the part with tap water.

11) Fasten the hangers with parts to your anode rack. Always keep your parts rinsed down with distilled water. Also do not touch the parts with bare hands. Skin oil will contaminate the finish.
View attachment 48330

12) Place parts into anodizing tank and make connections. The anode is the positive connection and the cathode is the negative.
View attachment 48331

13) At this point I look at the current and voltage readings to make sure things are connected correctly. Small parts or small amount of parts will draw less current than larger parts. There is a whole calculation process to go through for time in anodizing tank. It is based on surface area of the parts. Personally, due to reasons out of my control, I shoot from the hip. Through trial and error I have learned that about 2 hours will do the job for me. The part will get a slight amber color to it. This is evidence of the crystal buildup on the surface. If you have a lot of parts in the tank it will start to heatup. This is bad. The process will not work correctly because it starts to seal the surface as it creates it. I try and keep the tank under 100F. The best way to avoid this is not to overload the tank.

14) Whilethe anodizing process is running, start warming up your dye solution. No higher than 140F. If dye has been stored for a while it needs to be heated to the 140F and stirred good to dissolve the clumped together dye. Also get the distilled water in the sealing pan ready and heating up.

15) Once the anodizing process is complete and ready for dye, rinse the part thoroughly with COLD tap water. Then rinse it good with distilled water.

16) At this point hang the parts in the dye. I remove the parts from the rack I used in the anodizing tank but leave them on their hangers. I have found it easier to inspect each part while dyeing.
View attachment 48332

17) Monitor your dyeing process. The dyeing can be stopped at whatever point you desire. I periodically pull a part out and check the shade. The longer in the dye the darker the color.

18) When the dye satisfies you remove parts and thoroughly rinse under tap water.

19) Next hang your parts in the boiling distilled water for 30 minutes. This will seal the surface and lock the dye in.
View attachment 48333

20) Once sealing is done polish your part up with clean dry cloth and you are done.


I want to point out again I am in no way an expert in this process. I am a hobbyist. There are calculations to the process which can be found at some of the sites listed below.
There are companies, on the internet, that sell kits to do this process and may make it easier for you but I figured I would do some testing before diving in too deep.

Here are links to sites for anodizing. They may explain more than I do and explain it in a different way. It is probably best to research the process a little to get more comfortable with it. Honestly it is not hard to do.
http://www.observationsblog.com/4/post/2011/10/anodizing-and-dying-aluminum-without-battery-acid.html
http://www.thefintels.com/aer/homealuminumanodizing.htm
http://www.mikesenese.com/DOIT/2010/07/anodize-aluminum-at-home-with-everyday-materials/
http://forum.caswellplating.com
http://www.caswellplating.com/
http://astro.neutral.org/anodise5.shtml
http://www.shadowguarddev.com/alex/anodizing/
http://www.artmetal.com/project/TOC/finishes/anodize.html
http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html
 
good idea regarding the acid i will try that one deff.(i got a pool/spa shop arround the corner )
i copied your post and saved it on my pc it is great stuff

i used to use the same dye but the wife was not so happy with the die residue in her pots
now i use special dye that is usable without heating so i just have one pot left to boil my parts
some other thing i notised that when i used the clothes dye the results on some sorts of aluminium
where far from good
 
Hey J.T.

Just out of curiosity were you heating the cloths dyd at all?

And when you were using it did you use the whole container or pack?

I never used the dye you refer to that is a coold process because all the stuff I read lead me to using this type.

The only time the dye did not work correctly is when the anodizing tank was getting to warm due to heavy load in tank?
I learned to keep tank below 100F. The problem was it seemed to seal the surface as it creates it and the dye wouldn't take.
I now have thermal couples in all three, the tank and two pans. The thermal couples go to digital recorders I picked up and it just makes it easy to look down the line and see the temps.
You can see in the first two pics the thermal couples I made for the application. The third pic shows the three temperature controlers in order of my process. The green numbers are just the probe readings at room temp right now (no process going on) and the yellow I just have set for reminders of the max temperature I should hit. They might be a little much but just playin.
View attachment 48386View attachment 48387View attachment 48385

Have a great day!

Ed
 
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