Category Archives: Anodizing/Plating

Dyed End Plates

Posted on May 9, 2012 by dave49

Having dyed some scrap metal parts (this blog, 23 April 2012), I moved on to some machined reel parts. On my first attempt, the result was not satisfactory. There were small but obvious flaws, like this spot on the rear … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating, End Plate, My Reels | 3 Comments

Anodize Dye Samples

Posted on April 23, 2012 by dave49

I finally got around to trying some anodize dyes. Dyeing is an extra step in between anodizing and sealing. First, I did a normal anodization to obtain a 0.001 inch thick coating. Conditions to achieve this are discussed in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating | 1 Comment

Technical Data on Anodizing

Posted on March 3, 2012 by dave49

When I first started anodizing (this blog, 4 May 2010) I followed instructions from DIY web sites, and felt that I had satisfactory results. Recently I borrowed a technical reference book set that covers anodizing, dyeing, and sealing. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating | 3 Comments

Sherlock Holmes, Metallurgist

Posted on December 15, 2011 by dave49

Recently I anodized two reels. All end plates and pillars (6061 aluminum) look right. The feet (7075 aluminum) look right. Of the 20 screws (all 7075 aluminum), 14 look right but 6 of them are dark and dingy. What happened? … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating, Materials | 5 Comments

New Anodizing Cell

Posted on August 1, 2011 by dave49

My first anodizing setup was reported in this blog (4 May, 2010). It used a small polypropylene jar with several fitted lids having different electrodes to secure the various parts. Since then, I have realized that anodizing an entire assembly … Continue reading →

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Anodizing Problem

Posted on March 6, 2011 by dave49

I have machined and sanded all the aluminum parts for 5 reels, but have been putting off the anodize process. It’s boring, 1 hour per part, 7 parts per reel. Today I finally started. The first part, an S-crank, came … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating | 4 Comments

Small Scale Anodizing

Posted on May 4, 2010 by dave49

My first reel design required several aluminum parts, and to protect these I wanted to anodize. But anodizing requires a hazardous (though readily available) chemical, sulfuric acid. To dispose of old acid, you must first neutralize it with baking soda. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anodizing/Plating | Tagged , , | 3 Comments