[R-390] Black Anodizing?

[Craig C. Heaton]

Good Morning All,

	I'd like to add $0.02 to this tread. Nitric acid must be handled with
extreme caution! This acid loves protein, toss a house fly into nitric acid
and the fly will disappear quicker than you can blink your eyes. Anyone who
has spent time in a chem lab might of tried this experiment. In other words,
don't get none on you! A rubber apron and eye protection are a must. Should
nitric acid splash on your skin, I doubt it can be washed off quick enough.

nuf said.....

Regards,
wd8kdg
Craig

-----Original Message-----
From: r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Bruce MacLellan
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2005 7:02 AM
To: n4buq at aol.com
Cc: R-390 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [R-390] Black Anodizing?


Hi All,
        I copied this from the internet a few years ago as something that
might be usefull.   Well, that hasn't happened with me yet but someone on
this list might want to try it.   Looks simple enough.   Good luck.

        Oh yes, the usual disclaimer that I have no intrest etc.

Bruce




Anodizing at Home
by Jim Bowes


Based on the number of companies selling, and people looking for,
anodizing
services for their gun's aluminum bodies and parts, I wanted to provide
this
info to the paintballing community. I first came across the process in
Super
Chevy magazine, in an article about anodizing your own parts and
brackets, for a
custom touch on your hot rod. (* Original article by Bruce Hampson.)
Often
anodizing is considered and/or presented as a difficult and expensive
procedure.
As it turns out, it really isn't that hard or that pricey.
Supplies Needed:
The first thing to do is to get the following things together: First on
the list
is the most expensive item: a 6 to 12 volt battery charger. This item is
what
might make this too expensive for some paintballers. I (and most other
hot
rodders) already have one, for my car. If you don-t, then you will need
to pick
one up. They run from $45.00 to $110.00 depending on model, functions,
etc.
While it may seem like a lot, it does have other uses. (You could charge
a
battery, for example.) =) The next item, though not that expensive, will
take
some effort to find: battery electrolyte, a.k.a. sulfuric acid. This
should be
available at a battery wholesaler for about $2.00/gal. To make the
negative
ground, you will need some aluminum ground wire and aluminum-foil. The
wire can
be found at an electronics store for about $35/spool, and you should have
the
foil in the kitchen. If you happen to be out of foil, you can pick up
some more
at the store when you go to buy the last item for this project.
No super-special chemicals or solutions necessary to make the colors;
just
plain-old fabric dye. (Something like Rit dye, for about $5.00.) Rit
offers
something like 30-40 different colors, so you have quite a number of
choices for
what color you want your parts to be. An optional item is nitric acid:
about
$25.00/2.5 L. (This is used to clean parts prior to anodizing, but there
are
some cheaper alternatives. See end notes.) This is available at chemical
supply
stores. Should you not be able to find any, you can try to get on the
good side
of the high school science teacher. He may help you out since you only
need a
few ounces.
Safety Precautions:
There are a few precautions I want to go over to help keep you from
blowing up
the house or trashing the garage. First of all, do not mix or store your
anodizing solution in a glass container. Something could happen to make
it
break, and most households are not equipped to deal with that kind of
spill. You
also don't want to knock over the container, so a stable, rubber bucket
makes a
good choice. You will also need to be certain that the part you want to
color
will fit in the container without sticking out of the solution, and
without
touching the negative ground in the bottom of the container. Any acid
that you
don't use, keep in what it came in, or an old plastic bottle, like a
bleach
bottle. You can also store your used solution this way for doing more
parts
later. (Make sure that there is absolutely no bleach left in the bottle.
Acid
and bleach make chlorine gas. Very bad. Don't breath. Poisonous.) Safety
also
applies to the nitric acid, but in a different way. It is imperative that
you
label and keep track of this stuff, as it is a stronger acid than
sulfuric, and
more dangerous. The breakage/spill problem is not as likely since you
won't have
that much around. (Unless you bought more than a few ounces from the chem

store.) The last note about the acids is to mix properly when adding acid
and
water. Always pour acid into water, never the other way, and do so
slowly, being
sure to mix in well. There is a reaction taking place and it releases a
lot of
energy. During the anodizing process, you will be running electricity
through a
weak acid solution. This creates hydrogen (just like charging a battery)
which
is very flammable. This stuff burns at the speed of thought when ignited,
so do
be careful. (Read as Remember the Hindenburg?) Make certain that there is
some
way to ventilate the project area, and DO NOT let any sources of ignition
near
the project area. Other precautions you should take include safety
glasses,
rubber gloves, and maybe some sort of drop sheet under the area.
(Editor's Note:  While Mr. Bowes recommends not using a glass container,
we
highly recommend use of glass within a plastic container to help keep the
acid
from eating through plastic, but keeping the glass less breakable in the
event
the container falls over.)
Preparations:
One of the most essential things you need to do in order to get even
color over
the whole part is to be sure that the part is absolutely clean. You want
it free
of all contaminates, from dirt to the oils in your skin. This is where
the
nitric acid and some rubber gloves will help. A solution of 1-2 ounces of
nitric
acid in a gallon of distilled water will allow you to clean the surface
in
preparation for the anodizing. Aluminum oxidizes very quickly when
exposed to
air, so the easiest way to keep it clean is to clean it just before you
are
ready to start working on the piece. (You should rinse the part with
distilled
water before you put it in the next acid solution.) Other options are
carburetor
or brakes cleaners, or other similar degreasers. Soap and water will work
also,
or cleaners like Simple Green. These are cheaper, a nitric acid wash is
the
best. (You decide, it's your money.) =) Make your negative ground with
the
aluminum wire and foil. Shape the end of the wire into a paddle shape and
cover
the round part with the foil. What you want to do is create a flat, round
shape
to sit on the bottom of the bucket, with a lead that comes up out of the
bucket.
You will clip the battery charger's negative lead to the wire that comes
out of
the bucket. When you are ready to start, you will want to mix up your
immersion
solution. In your rubber bucket, combine the sulfuric acid and water to
come up
with a solution that is about 30% water. (1 part water to 2 parts acid.)
Place
the paddle in the bucket and attach the negative lead. Then attach the
positive
lead to the part, making it an anode, and immerse it in the solution.
(Remember
that the two leads the paddle (cathode), and the part (anode) should not
touch.)
This is the best time to turn on the charger: once the part begins to
fizz,
leave it in there for about 10-15 minutes. After about this time the part
should
no longer conduct electricity. (You can also use an ohmmeter to check
conductivity, but this is not needed.) Turn off and disconnect
everything, and
rinse the part in cold water. DonÀ Àt use hot water! YouÀ Àll find out
why in
the next section.
 A couple of notes:
I have read some other procedures that say it is important that the
copper lead
from the charger does not enter the acid solution. The article says
nothing
about this, and shows a picture with the lead right in there. It may take
some
trial and error to find out if this is a problem. It wouldn't be a bad
idea to
get some scrap aluminum and play with it before you start anodizing your
paintgunÀ Às parts. You can check out the above, as well as pick the
colors you
like best. If you test out some colors, youÀ Àll also learn just how long
or
short you need to work with the color solution.
 Color:
So now it doesn't conduct electricity, and is ready for color. It's been
rinsed
and waits eagerly to change to a new look. Don't wait too long to do the
color,
due to that oxidizing thing again. You want to mix up a strong solution
of dye
and water, in a container that can be heated. The solution needs to be at
low
heat, such as on the stove, so bread and cake pans work well. Again, you
need
something that will fit the whole part, but it's okay if it touches the
bottom
this time. I would recommend turning parts every few minutes just to make
sure
that you get all-over color. Inform your mom or wife that the pan can
(and will
be) washed out. It is important that the heat be low enough. If the
solution
gets too hot, you will seal the surface, and it will no longer take any
color.
(See, told you to rinse it in cold water!) Leave it in the dye until the
part is
slightly darker than you want it. The next step is to seal the surface of
the
metal in clean, boiling water. This will leech a bit of color from it,
thus the
slightly darker color in the previous step.
 End Notes:
It is important to realize that the process described above will yield
only one
color on your part. At this time, I haven't found out how to do any of
the
splash type of anodizing. (That's okay though, it looks really ugly
anyways.) =)
Should anyone happen to figure it out, I suggest you submit it to Warpig
so they
can put it up for others who like it.
Also, this process is for aluminum. I don't know how, or if, it will work
on
other metals. (I doubt it.) Anodizing only works well on rock metal like
bar or
sheet stock, as opposed to castings. If it was forged or machined, it
should
have the density to take color through this process. I figure this
shouldn't be
too big a problem with the guns, but just thought I should let you know
about
it.
 Something to consider when looking for a charger, is how many amperes it
puts
out. Without getting into any mumbo-jumbo, anodizing relies on 10 to 40
amperes
per square foot. For small brackets and such, this is no problem. The
larger
parts in a gun however, may need the higher levels of amperes. The other
note
about part size, has to do with how long you leave it in the solution.
Above it
said 10-15 minutes, but that is for a smaller part. The larger parts may
not
only need higher amperes, but more time as well. I would recommend an
ohmmeter,
but again, I have one already.
 So there you have it. Quick, fairly easy, and not too expensive. If you
don't
have the charger, then your first anodizing session could cost as much as

sending your gun out to be done. But, then you can do it again for much
less. Or
do your buddies stuff. Or talk them into chipping in on a setup for all
of you
to use. We all know ways to help make things cheaper.
 And the stupid statement required to cover myself... If you try this and

something gets messed up, or someone gets hurt, you are on your own. Deal
with
it, you can't blame it on anyone else.






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On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 07:55:48 -0500 "Barry" <n4buq at aol.com> writes:
> Greg,
>
> Thanks.  I know there is at least one place here that does
> anodizing, but
> they have a very hefty minimum charge (something like $50 or more).
> This is
> mainly for cosmetic purposes and if I can't find a very reasonable
> solution,
> I'll probably just leave them bare.  I can get them alodined and I
> may see
> what they'll charge for this very small lot if I can't find
> inexpensive
> anodizing.  I had the other parts of a couple of frames alodined
> there and
> they look great.  I'd rather have them protected, but I already have
> quite a
> bit "invested" in these things so if it comes to it, they'll be left
> bare.
>
> Thanks all,
>
> Barry - N4BUQ
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gregory W. Moore" <gwmoore at moorefelines.com>
> To: "Kenneth Arthur Crips" <CRIPS01 at MSN.COM>
> Cc: "R-390-List" <R-390 at mailman.qth.net>; "Barry" <N4BUQ at aol.com>
> Sent: Monday, October 10, 2005 12:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [R-390] Black Anodizing?
>
>
> > GM Ken, Barry, es the list...
> >
> > Boy, now, you hit the 'ol nail on the head --hi-- being a
> boatanchor
> > fanatic, a Greenkeyer, AND a gunsmith, I couldn't help but try to
> answer
> > the question.....
> >
> > Now Barry, I did a search for anodizing in your area (Huntsville)
> and
> > came up with the following URL:
> > http://www.thomasnet.com/alabama/anodizing-1790179-1.html
> >
> > There seem to be a couple of places in the area, I don't, of
> course know
> > if they do jobbing work or one off stuff..but, it wouldn't hurt to
> call..
> >   73 de Greg "GW" Moore WA3IVX/NNN0BVN
> >
> > Kenneth Arthur Crips wrote:
> >
> > > Here is a listing of places that do this kind of work.
> > >
> > > http://www.aluminumanodizing.com/
> > >
> > > You might check out local Gunsmiths to see who they use for
> this.
> > > They deal with this short of thing all the time.
> > >
> > >                                               Ken
> > >
> > > Kenneth A. Crips, W7ITC, Cheyenne,
> > > Wyoming. with The Chew Crew; Beezie,
> > > Chic', and Cowboy, Irish Terriers who
> > > are Red House ninjas with 10th degree
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