Anodizing
- Thread starter helicanic
- Start date
AEROSHELDON
70cc twin V2
Can't wait to see it. Post up the spinner pic too!
stangflyer
I like 'em "BIG"!
I am looking forward to the results. I may try anodizing an aluminum spinner for the Sukhoi.
helicanic
50cc
Was going to post this last night but admin was busy adding more Awesome to this site so I went ahead and anodized the muffler and posting continues tonight.
Picking up where I left off.... Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.....
As you can tell the muffler was used. (flyin4fun mentions this above.) It is obvious if the muffler was new it may be slightly easier to clean, however even if the muffler is brand new, something as small as a fingerprint will show up in the final product so no cleaning steps should be omitted.
I started by cleaning the part with aluminum brightener then soap and water. I wanted to be sure no oil residue, dirt, fingerprints, etc.. was on the part. Next I soaked the part in a de-smut bath for 10 minutes mixed as per instructions (8:1 raito).
After my 1st part I started using the de-Smut and really liked the results.
I wanted to point out something, In the pictures you will see I took some closeups of the part prior to placing in the anodizing bath. Notice the dark spots around all the weld joints in the muffler? Anodizing mostly works on aluminum and titanium. What ever welding medium used to join the muffler together contained metal other than aluminum or titanium, (It is pretty common for welding rods to contain a mixture of other metals.) which you will see later this area did not anodize. I knew this would be the case however most of the muffler is hidden by the cowling so it was no concern to me.
Also the finish of the muffler was what I would consider very rough, what ever finish is on the part (polished, fine machined, matte, or rough) will be the finish of the anodizing when complete.
Moving on... While the part was in the De-Smut bath I began setting up the anodizing tank. The tank consist of a plastic tupperware container, 2 pieces of aluminum sheet (cathode), aluminum wire and a 3:1 raito Water/sulfuric acid. (Battery Acid) The acid is some nasty stuff. The safest way to mix this bath is to add Acid to the water not Water to Acid. I let the bath sit for about 30 minutes then stirred it up a bit to make sure it was a solution.
For power supply I purchased a chinkinizze unit for 70 bucks off amazon. It works great so far however it maxes out at 5 amps, as long as I am not anodizing anything larger than 60-70 sq. inches in surface area it will work fine. (You will see picks of the power supply in the latter steps.)
Picking up where I left off.... Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.....
As you can tell the muffler was used. (flyin4fun mentions this above.) It is obvious if the muffler was new it may be slightly easier to clean, however even if the muffler is brand new, something as small as a fingerprint will show up in the final product so no cleaning steps should be omitted.
I started by cleaning the part with aluminum brightener then soap and water. I wanted to be sure no oil residue, dirt, fingerprints, etc.. was on the part. Next I soaked the part in a de-smut bath for 10 minutes mixed as per instructions (8:1 raito).
After my 1st part I started using the de-Smut and really liked the results.
I wanted to point out something, In the pictures you will see I took some closeups of the part prior to placing in the anodizing bath. Notice the dark spots around all the weld joints in the muffler? Anodizing mostly works on aluminum and titanium. What ever welding medium used to join the muffler together contained metal other than aluminum or titanium, (It is pretty common for welding rods to contain a mixture of other metals.) which you will see later this area did not anodize. I knew this would be the case however most of the muffler is hidden by the cowling so it was no concern to me.
Also the finish of the muffler was what I would consider very rough, what ever finish is on the part (polished, fine machined, matte, or rough) will be the finish of the anodizing when complete.
Moving on... While the part was in the De-Smut bath I began setting up the anodizing tank. The tank consist of a plastic tupperware container, 2 pieces of aluminum sheet (cathode), aluminum wire and a 3:1 raito Water/sulfuric acid. (Battery Acid) The acid is some nasty stuff. The safest way to mix this bath is to add Acid to the water not Water to Acid. I let the bath sit for about 30 minutes then stirred it up a bit to make sure it was a solution.
For power supply I purchased a chinkinizze unit for 70 bucks off amazon. It works great so far however it maxes out at 5 amps, as long as I am not anodizing anything larger than 60-70 sq. inches in surface area it will work fine. (You will see picks of the power supply in the latter steps.)
helicanic
50cc
Ok, if your still reading thank you. My hope is I am doing a decent job at keeping this going and the subject matter interesting.
I wanted to take a bit of time to explain my anodizing tank setup. The two aluminum sheets are 100% pure aluminum I picked up at a box store. I bent them to fit my tank and then connected a piece of aluminum wire from one to the other. This assembly creates the cathode of the electrical circuit. Only two metals work for the cathode, lead or aluminum. ( titanium too but it would be very expensive with no added value.) The cathode should always be larger than the part being anodized. (surface area in the fluid)
The dielectric solution (fluid in the tank) has to efficiently conduct electricity which is the reason for adding the battery acid. The acid water mix is a 3 to 1 ratio. 3 parts water 1 part acid or 33.333 % acid. Water should be de-ionized water or distilled water.
Next is the Math part... Going to keep this very simple where I can understand it.
Ok so their is many ways and recommendations on how much current to pass through a part and for how long. The one I am using is 12amps per sq. ft for 60 minutes.
If the part is 60 sq. inches then it will run for 60 minutes at 5 amps.
60sq.in/144sq.in.=.42 sq ft. (144 sq.in. per sq.ft.)
.42x12=5amps.
There are some good calculators out there to use for calculating the surface area of cones and other shapes. I prefer this versus doing the math the old fashion way to save time. I have to remember that when I calculate a part to be sure to double the sum as anodizing the inside and outside of the part is being done.
Ok, I have to create an anode to complete the circuit. The anode is the part it's self. Connecting the anode to the positive side of the power supply while submerged in acid is tricky. Any where the part comes in contact with the positive lead on the power supply will not be anodized, and the leads on my power supply are chrome/steel (or something) so it cannot get into the liquid. I decided to get some service wire 100% aluminum and use that to complete the circuit. I had to be careful not to allow the wire touch any area that I wanted anodized. Once that was done the part was ready to anodize. (PS> wiring the part just before the de-smut process prevents finger prints and etc.. from making their way on the part after it's cleaned.)
I set up the part for 1 hour @5 amps. During the anodizing the bath lets off some really bad acid vapor. This is very bad to breathe so I set up a fan to evacuate the area area and made sure people and my fur babies (dogs) were away for the duration. Also I took extra care not to let the anode and cathode touch at any time. This would have caused a short and bad things would have happened...
The pics where the water is cloudy is when the current is applied. It was cool to see the bubbles moving from the cathodes to the anode when I applied the power. PS> i know the amp read out says 3.99... I slowly increased the amps to 5 to ease the load on the cheap power supply... Also a house fly flew into the acid bath about the time I was ready for the part. he didn't make it out....
I wanted to take a bit of time to explain my anodizing tank setup. The two aluminum sheets are 100% pure aluminum I picked up at a box store. I bent them to fit my tank and then connected a piece of aluminum wire from one to the other. This assembly creates the cathode of the electrical circuit. Only two metals work for the cathode, lead or aluminum. ( titanium too but it would be very expensive with no added value.) The cathode should always be larger than the part being anodized. (surface area in the fluid)
The dielectric solution (fluid in the tank) has to efficiently conduct electricity which is the reason for adding the battery acid. The acid water mix is a 3 to 1 ratio. 3 parts water 1 part acid or 33.333 % acid. Water should be de-ionized water or distilled water.
Next is the Math part... Going to keep this very simple where I can understand it.
Ok so their is many ways and recommendations on how much current to pass through a part and for how long. The one I am using is 12amps per sq. ft for 60 minutes.
If the part is 60 sq. inches then it will run for 60 minutes at 5 amps.
60sq.in/144sq.in.=.42 sq ft. (144 sq.in. per sq.ft.)
.42x12=5amps.
There are some good calculators out there to use for calculating the surface area of cones and other shapes. I prefer this versus doing the math the old fashion way to save time. I have to remember that when I calculate a part to be sure to double the sum as anodizing the inside and outside of the part is being done.
Ok, I have to create an anode to complete the circuit. The anode is the part it's self. Connecting the anode to the positive side of the power supply while submerged in acid is tricky. Any where the part comes in contact with the positive lead on the power supply will not be anodized, and the leads on my power supply are chrome/steel (or something) so it cannot get into the liquid. I decided to get some service wire 100% aluminum and use that to complete the circuit. I had to be careful not to allow the wire touch any area that I wanted anodized. Once that was done the part was ready to anodize. (PS> wiring the part just before the de-smut process prevents finger prints and etc.. from making their way on the part after it's cleaned.)
I set up the part for 1 hour @5 amps. During the anodizing the bath lets off some really bad acid vapor. This is very bad to breathe so I set up a fan to evacuate the area area and made sure people and my fur babies (dogs) were away for the duration. Also I took extra care not to let the anode and cathode touch at any time. This would have caused a short and bad things would have happened...
The pics where the water is cloudy is when the current is applied. It was cool to see the bubbles moving from the cathodes to the anode when I applied the power. PS> i know the amp read out says 3.99... I slowly increased the amps to 5 to ease the load on the cheap power supply... Also a house fly flew into the acid bath about the time I was ready for the part. he didn't make it out....
helicanic
50cc
Alright now for the finishing steps.
After the part anodized for 60 minutes, I removed it from the anodizing tank and quickly rinsed it in a clean bucket of clean distilled water. I then sprayed clean distilled water over the entire part to rinse any acid away.
Next step is color. While the part was in the anodizing bath I heated the tank of Dye up to 140 Degrees F. on a little stove I purchased for 14 bucks. The Dye is mixed as per instructions on the bottle. I have found a good selection from caswell supply.
I achieved the color I was looking for by dipping the part in the dye. The longer it stayed in the dye the darker it got. Each photo is in order by duration.
I was careful not to allow the hot part to dry to quickly as it leaves streaks in the part. I found that removing the part from the dye tank then quickly spraying it down with cool clean water to rinse it prevents the streaks and will remove any streaks too. I rinse the part a few times then off to the sealer.
To seal the part I used boiling distilled water. I boiled the part for 15 minutes. There is also a sealer that can be added to the final boil however I have not used it yet. I think the next part I do I may give it a shot.
After the part anodized for 60 minutes, I removed it from the anodizing tank and quickly rinsed it in a clean bucket of clean distilled water. I then sprayed clean distilled water over the entire part to rinse any acid away.
Next step is color. While the part was in the anodizing bath I heated the tank of Dye up to 140 Degrees F. on a little stove I purchased for 14 bucks. The Dye is mixed as per instructions on the bottle. I have found a good selection from caswell supply.
I achieved the color I was looking for by dipping the part in the dye. The longer it stayed in the dye the darker it got. Each photo is in order by duration.
I was careful not to allow the hot part to dry to quickly as it leaves streaks in the part. I found that removing the part from the dye tank then quickly spraying it down with cool clean water to rinse it prevents the streaks and will remove any streaks too. I rinse the part a few times then off to the sealer.
To seal the part I used boiling distilled water. I boiled the part for 15 minutes. There is also a sealer that can be added to the final boil however I have not used it yet. I think the next part I do I may give it a shot.
Terryscustom
640cc Uber Pimp
Very cool!!!