Good process...Thanks for sharing!

Thanks man.... Very nice descriptions. Any links to the products you mention? Temp controllers, heaters etc?

Super informative! Thanks for sharing deeper than your instagram!

Where did you buy the red containers/buckets and the Lead Plate please? Can you share it in the description box?

Thanks for sharing your setup. What ratio are you using for the sodium bisulfate per gallon of Di water? I have some battery acid here but I'd prefer to try the sodium bisulfate first. Also which heaters did you go with? Nice setup.

@Teklectic

2 жыл бұрын

The ratio of sodium bisulfate to water I use is .25g/1mL.

Great Video

Thanks for the video. You have the closest setup to what I am building. As far as the anodizing bath, do you remove the cathode and aquarium bubbles when you are done or do you leave them in the acid solution? No one seems to talk about that.

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

I remove the lead cathode and spray it down with distilled water, let it hang to dry. Then I clean it before use again. I do not remove the bubbler, since it is plastic.

Hi, I want to ask a question about the method and the ingredients, where can I get the following information?

Hi, i once had a anodized bar of aluminum which had a black color tint from factory, with a sodium hydroxide and water bath solution it took about 15 minutes to release the black color and leave the aluminum color. The more time i left it on the solution the aluminum started to turn more and more WHITE . After doing that i spent several minutes with a kitchen sponge and cream with micro particules (normally used to remove stains in the toilet) to rub the surface of the aluminum for about 20 minutes, which started to release a grey paste. As i rubbed more and more i was able to get a "kind of anodized" finish. and if i kept rubbing more and more i was able to reach the more shiny aluminum finish. As cosmetics go, i never understood why for cosmetic purposes, this process left the color of aluminum more like a anodized mate look. Maybe i managed to get a nice result without using acid and electricity? of course im talking about no color, just real aluminum color.

Nice set up. However, you will have an incredibly dangerous situation if there is a spill. You never want basic, nor alkaline materials in close proximity to acids. (YIKES!)

@IronForestKnives

5 ай бұрын

I have to have all of them, and they can’t be far apart or else I’m dripping acid all the way to the neutralizing tank. I have two different acids, simple green and baking soda water. No other bases around.

Where did you find instructions?

I’m interested in anodizing aluminum hardware. How would you go about connecting the electricity to each screw?

@IronForestKnives

3 ай бұрын

Tricky, you either have to hold each one individually or I think companies use a basket of some kind.

I have so many questions

Not sure how the sodium bisulfite reacts, but from my experience, the tiny popping hydrogen bubbles from a sulfuric bath may speed up corrosion/rust on nearby metals, if exposed

@Henrik.Yngvesson

2 жыл бұрын

It will corrode metal, maybe not as harsh as HCl but rust will form on steel rods hanging above the container for example.

does using a different acid affect the hardness of the anodized layer? can this be used for hard anodizing?

@IronForestKnives

Жыл бұрын

Not that I’m aware of. But I don’t know much. I did switch to sulfuric, but my results are about the same. This is type 2 anodizing, which can be just about any color. Type 3 is “hard” is a thicker coating and requires more equipment to do. I think it can only be black or clear. Type 2 is still durable, much more so than Ceracote etc..

@lawabidingcitizen5153

Жыл бұрын

The resulting layer is just aluminum oxide so it should be the same

is there a commersil version of what you have set-up?

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, check out Caswell Plating

@ysph

Жыл бұрын

@@IronForestKnives lol right? a commercial product that shorts out electricity to a bucket of acid? lol no. maybe in the 50's. you can get a bunch of buckets and the other stuff he mentioned all gathered together, but there's probably not an easy-bake oven version that you can just plug in to your usb port :P i shouldn't say that. i'm probably wrong. lol i'm curious about why you didn't use the little 20 dollar bucket heaters with the thermostat. it seems like either those aren't adequate to maintain temps properly or something? seems like it would have been so much less expensive minus the power supplies/temperature sensors etc. bucket heaters don't cut it??

I tried this and it failed, I got corroding pits all over it and it turned dark grey and took no color at all. Any guess what's wrong? It was pure unalloyed aluminium sheet metal hanging from a AlMg5 welding rod, I didn't etch it before but sanded the surface and cleaned it.

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Very strange... I don't know much and I haven't had this problem before. BUT I did find this very extensive guide on identifying problems in the anodizing process. Here's a link. www.fot.de/uploads/docs/fehlermoeglichkeiten.pdf

@Henrik.Yngvesson

2 жыл бұрын

@@IronForestKnives Thanks! Looks a bit like the picture of chloride contamination. May not have been distilled water I used, I'll have to try with a new bath and see how it goes.

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

@@Henrik.Yngvesson If you’re using a lot of distilled, I use a Zero water filter pitcher. Cheaper than buying gallons, works great!

I am looking at anodizing archery bow risers, the largest of which are 2 feet long. Any advise on how to because of the size?

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

You'll just need to find plastic containers that will fit the part... if you're only doing a few, I'd farm it out. Then again a lot of people that try anodizing find it's not worth the trouble of doing it yourself.

@TwistedSisterHaratiofales

2 жыл бұрын

@@IronForestKnives lol, yea im looking into Duracote now as i have painted for years so iknow more of what to expect, kzread.info/dash/bejne/mHV6pbGkj9fKhNo.html

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

@@TwistedSisterHaratiofales Definitely a good option, simply have to have a large enough oven. Plenty durable for a bow! Powder coat is probably tougher, but slightly more difficult I would think. Eastwood makes kits that are inexpensive.

@Gowaduv

2 жыл бұрын

Most bladesmiths use pvc or abs pipe for their ferric chloride baths. Cap on the bottom, screw top, be sure to get the correct cement for your plastic of choice. Any length you want, and I've see diameters of 6 inches for axe heads.

@ysph

Жыл бұрын

do it in a shallow tray laying down unless you're rich.

Are you in Arizona?

@IronForestKnives

3 ай бұрын

Nope, Oklahoma lol

why not a submersible bucket heater with thermostate though? lol

@IronForestKnives

Жыл бұрын

You need the electrical current to anodize. The part is the anode and the lead the cathode. It's how basically any aluminum product is given a tough surface. Think Macbooks and iphones. You can learn more here. caswellplating.com/

What is the sodium bisulfate mixing rate?

@IronForestKnives

Жыл бұрын

5lbs of sodium bisulfate to 4 gallons of water is what I use. You can get it at Walmart for about $9. Clorox pH down is what I use.

@jasko346

Жыл бұрын

@@IronForestKnives Thanks for reply!! I see your electronics are sitting above the ano bath, are there no fumes coming out of the bath?

@IronForestKnives

Жыл бұрын

@@jasko346 I’m going to do another video updating on what I’ve learned but I’ll summarize real quick. 1. Fume extractor taking the air outside. Hydrogen is a little explosive and the fumes from etching are no joke. Mine is a 4” hose and 195 CFM in line fan (make sure it’s got no brushes in the motor or it could ignite the hydrogen) 2. GET AN RO system with pressure tank and make a little sprayer. About $150. This has made the largest difference in the quality so far. It’s a constant spray of clean water. 3. Put bubblers in your dye tanks to agitate and even out the temperature. 4. Keep tight Ph control on your dye.

@jasko346

Жыл бұрын

@@IronForestKnives My biggest worry is the fumes, I don't like them. I wear a fume respirator, but shop is in my garage and there are other people around. I do have a "fume extractor" just something I put together with a fan.. my anodizing is great quality, the process is flawless, I am just looking into alternatives for battery acid. I just do my etching outside at this point.

One question: pot metal can be anodized?

@IronForestKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Just aluminum!

@ysph

Жыл бұрын

aluminum alloys too. titanium, magnesium, other alloys made from those. many things. process will change though, maybe drastically in the case of something as resistant to corrosion as titanium can be. basically aluminum and it seems like all the glass-likes metals will take it from what i've been reading.

@ysph

Жыл бұрын

what's pot metal? galvenized or something? seems like it might work, like that shit off the bottom of a matchbox car? lol. that might be magnesium or something. galv'd though. i dunno if galvanized metal can be anodized, but i think pot metal might be zinc or magnesium, huh?

@ysph

Жыл бұрын

oh pot metal might fall apart in acid or something. isn't that cold cast super soft stuff? if it's cold cast, it might not be dense enough to put in some acid.

@Frambhueee

Жыл бұрын

@@ysph Pot metal its an alloy of zinc, aluminum, magnesium and copper

i was confused- there was too much jumping around, it seemed too ad hoc of an explanation, but great set up though.

wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much talking