RunRyder - Anodize at Home

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After Market Accessories > Anodize at Home

jerrythercpilot
Veteran
Location: --South Florida --

Hey all, if your like me and you purchased a load of upgrades either to replace broken parts or just like parting with money, the problem you run into is you end up with a multi color heli. Being a Coating Engineer I set up an Anodize line in the garage out of some Tupperware only to find out that there are a few suppliers (Caswell for one) actually sell everything you need.

Color anodize is much easier thinks one thinks. All one needs is battery charger (automoitve), sulfuric acid, some Drano (AKA Sodium Hydroxide, Lye or equivalent) and some aluminum wire.

I strip the old Anodize with the lye, form the new coating with the battery charger and the sulfuric acid, dye the anodize and seal. The main trick is to keep the solution cool during the coating process (preferably below about 80F- a bag of ice in a zip-lock does just fine)

If theres any interest on how to anodize at home, I'll dig up the links I found and post that will help get people started.

07-13-2003 Over year old.

Airman98
Key Veteran
Location: Southern Illinois

I would be interested!! Sounds like fun.
Tim

07-13-2003 Over year old.

Naomi
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario, Canada

Fun.. but beware of the danger involved in it..

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize99.html

Nice to make your own eye candy heli metal parts.

Naomi

07-13-2003 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

Al Magaloff
rrMaster
Location: 12,199 Posts- Enough Time Wasted. See Ya!

My buddy Juan Rodriguez wrote a very good technical article published in MHT a while back. He has done some beautiful work with his system, including stripping one color, to go to another. Check the archives. Maybe Juan can give us the issue# and date?

07-13-2003 Over year old.

MikeDD
Senior Heliman
Location: Elkhart, IN

These guys have anodizing and plating supplies.
Caswell

......

Michiana R/C Choppers

07-13-2003 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

jerrythercpilot
Veteran
Location: --South Florida --

Heli Gal already posted one of the best links out there and MikeDD has the link to Caswell as I metioned. That should be enough to get people going.

I can't stress enough how important it is to keep the solution Cool during the coating process. The anodize will self seal if its not and will not accept the dye late on. Keeping the amperage low will help.

One can seal the anodize by placing in boiling water but this process does not work as well as using the actual seeling agent that companies like Caswell sell. (Don't want to get into the science here unless someone is interested.)

One word of caution. Most castings (engine part etc) have copper as part of the alloying elements and do not anodize very well. Don'tt bother trying, all you 'll end up with is a dark smut. Aloys such as 6061 or similar, (a lot of the components ) work great

Jerry

Light travels faster than sound, thats why some people appear so bright UNTIL you hear them speak.

07-13-2003 Over year old.

JuanRodriguez
Elite Veteran
Location: Rochester, New York

MHT Issue # and Date.....

Hey Al,

# 28, Oct-Nov-Dec, 2000...........

07-14-2003 Over year old.

cforcht
Key Veteran
Location: Chelsea in BFE Iowa

heres a link to a site for anodizing at home he pretty much walks you through the process and i actually tried it in 5 gal bucket and im here to tell ya its ultra simple all you need is a battery charger, some dead car batteries willing to donate their acid, some rit dye and a stove top that your wife wont mind you getting dirty when you get careless and some time. also another noteworthy factoid if you want to remove anodizing easy off oven cleaner does an excellent job as long as you keep the surface wet and rinse it off as soon as its cut through it. enjoy

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize99.html

12-31-2003 Over year old.

Naomi
Elite Veteran
Location: Ontario, Canada

Isn't that looks familiar.. the link i posted few months ago?

Naomi

12-31-2003 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

COOLDOG50
Heliman
Location: Greenville, SC

hey guys is there anyway to just dye a part that is already anodized? Thanks alot! LATER DAYS TYLER

02-11-2004 Over year old.

sbalder
Senior Heliman
Location: Westland, Michigan

I've done anodizing on heli parts that I've machined with a very simple setup- about $15 worth of materials (see my gallery) I typically put the set up in the driveway outside so ventillation isn't an issue.

I'm actually thinking about getting away from doing anodizing for a few reasons- it has some dangers, the finish can be inconsistent, and it messes with bearing tolerances. I think that powder coating may offer an alternative to me and allow for masking of bearing surfaces and a slight fill of surface imperfections. Powder coating leaves a nice tough glossy finish and there are a ton of colors that you can't get in anodizing.

You don't see a lot of CNC parts done in powder coat because anodization is a more efficient process for manufactured items. I've seen powder coated tailbooms before, and Miniature Aircaft used to offer powder coated white frames.

-Steven Balder

02-11-2004 Over year old.

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Ted Toth
Elite Veteran
Location: Myrtle Beach S.C.

does powder cote add much weight?
anyway to be a problem

You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stopped laughing.

02-11-2004 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

sbalder
Senior Heliman
Location: Westland, Michigan

Ted-

What's a few extra grams of weight when you can show up at the field with a blinged-out rotor head in the same flourescent green as your canopy paint job?

Seriously, I've been clear-coating some of my anodized parts, so they are already getting a little extra weight from the paint.

-Steven Balder

02-11-2004 Over year old.

HOMEPAGE

Ted Toth
Elite Veteran
Location: Myrtle Beach S.C.

thanks Steve
ps i still owe you about your shop
my wife saw it and said why doesn't ours look
like that thank's alot

You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stopped laughing.

02-11-2004 Over year old.

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COOLDOG50
Heliman
Location: Greenville, SC

what does using this power stuff involve what kind of procces do you do? Where would I get info on how to do this and supplies? Thanks alot

02-12-2004 Over year old.

sbalder
Senior Heliman
Location: Westland, Michigan

Having not done powder coating yet, I can explain the process but not comment on the results. You can buy a powder coat gun from Ebay or a few other tool companies on the Internet. Essentially the part you are painting is electrically charged by the powder coat gun. The gun then sprays powder onto the charged part and the paint "sticks". You then bake the part in an oven for a specified period of time depending on the type of paint, and the powder melts and forms a tough coating.

You don't want to be doing this in your kitchen stove; it needs a dedicated oven. I figure that I will buy a cheap toaster oven for about $20 and the gun for less than a hundred. With paint I should be good to go for about $150. I've just gotten busy with other projects this winter and haven't tried this yet.

-Steven Balder

02-13-2004 Over year old.

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rkelder
Senior Heliman
Location: Portland, Oregon

http://www.warpig.com/paintball/tec...s/anodize.shtml