[Milsurplus] Satin finishing aluminum

Sun, 27 Oct 2002 19:32:51 -0800

The gold finish is called 'Irridite'. No idea where to find it in small
quantities. All sheetmetal fabricators have it in-house.
    Can anyone provide us with a copy of the May, 1950 QST article on
anodizing and coloring aluminum?  Jim

Al Klase wrote:

> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > The yellowish aluminum seen in a lot of military stuff is the result
> > of a "chromate conversion coating" but I don't know any more about it.
> >
>
> Yes, sodium hydroxide will get you a satin finish, but
> that's the easy part.  For long life some kind of protective
> finish is required.  Most commercial stuff gets a
> "conversion coating" of some sort.  I was involve with this
> years ago.  After the etch and rinse the work is dunked in a
> second solution and rinsed again. This prevents corrosion
> and finget printing etc.  There are clear ones as well as
> the yellow mentioned above.  Two trade names I know of are
> "Alodyne" and "Clear Coat."
> The $64 question is where to get the chemicals in small
> quantities.
>
> Regards,
> Al
>
> --
> Al Klase - N3FRQ
> [email protected]
> Flemington, NJ 08822
> Web Page:  http://www.webex.net/~skywaves/home.htm
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