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Has anyone tried home anodising? I have a load of aluminium parts I would like to anodise and will continue to need to do this so I was thinking of doing it at home then if nothing else I am in charge of the process and delivery times. I was thinking mostly black.

Is there a worthwhile alternative to anodising? It would need to be a very thin finish so paint is not an option.

Suncorite?

dromia wrote:Suncorite?

Good stuff but it is still going to be too thick a coat, this needs to be very thin and quite hard as it will be used on parts that move against each other albeit slowly and infrequently.

ovenpaa wrote:

dromia wrote:Suncorite?

Good stuff but it is still going to be too thick a coat, this needs to be very thin and quite hard as it will be used on parts that move against each other albeit slowly and infrequently.

Ovenpaa,

This is in theory possible, you need a source of DC low voltage...

The problem are use of chemicals and bath renewals. What are the norms in UK, use and disposal?

Decorative anodisation is easy, coloration and passivation too. Decorative anodisation is characterised by the oxyded coat thickness (5 to 15 microns). This is only as the name implies just a surface improvement.

If you need to add to this mechanical properties, then, the hard anoodising is 'de rigueur", and this is an other story.

Documentation I may have are in french ( book edited by Pechiney Aluminium), but same certainly exist in english. I remeember having read comprehensive and realistic articles on the suubject in gun reviews in the past,detailing the process quite well.

R.G.C

ovenpaa wrote:Has anyone tried home anodising? I have a load of aluminium parts I would like to anodise and will continue to need to do this so I was thinking of doing it at home then if nothing else I am in charge of the process and delivery times. I was thinking mostly black.

Is there a worthwhile alternative to anodising? It would need to be a very thin finish so paint is not an option.

There are plenty of finishing shops around that will process small jobs and batches. I looked into having a stock anodised recently and there was no shortage of possibilities. Having spent a lot of time in anodising plants I'd definitely sub the work out, particularly for colour processing (I used to write software to control anodising processes, from aircraft wings to lipstick tubes).

..

Is it cost effective? You must be able to find a local company who will do small one offs at reasonable prices, provided you do not mind waiting a few extra days. The type of job that can be slotted into the 15 minutes before lunch or late afternoon.