for aluminimum parts.. anywhere i could buy that kind of kit and do it at home.. parts wont be any bigger than those 5 gallon buckets so hoping i could try doing them at home
I feel bad for not remebering the chemical name, but I remember the process.
I used to perform a "Chem-Film" process on aluminum parts that consisted of a cleaning in muratic acid, then dunk the part in water to neutralize acid, then dunk the part in the chem-film chemical (let it soak for 20-30 sec.) then back in the rinse water. The film has a gold-cad type finish that resists corrosion pretty good.
I was to a "home machinist" convention last spring - the guys that do the live steam engines and all that sort of stuff. There was a guy there with a table selling anodizing kits - all the colors that you could possibly want. Seemed pretty reasonable price-wise, just didn't have a use for it myself at the time.
The Cheap Bastard method would be to immerse the parts in sodium hydroxide, add some electricity and wait until the surface finish is what you'd want it to be. Make the part the anode and use a piece of stainless steel as the cathode. Your battery charger would likley provide enough juice.
Really Cheap Bastards would use tree root destroyer as the source of the NaOH, or red devil lye. The colors are achieved by using dies.
It's a really simple process with really simple processes to control the reaction.
how about home Zinc plating? i'm looking for a way to plate nuts, bolts, and other small pieces after sandblasting to prevent rust. i've seen some kits, but think there might be a simpler way. i'm not concerned with appearance since they might get painted, but mainly want corrosion resistance.
Zinc is a little more complicated as the easiest method is a cyanide based solution.
In 1988 I did the fatal accident investigation for five poor men who died in an industrial accident. The accident occurred during a cleanout of the tanks in the process of converting to a non-cyanide process.
There are electroless processes, but they are far more difficult to control. If the solutions are not carefully monitored, the metal can spontaneously plate to the tank!
The Cheap Bastard method would be to immerse the parts in sodium hydroxide, add some electricity and wait until the surface finish is what you'd want it to be. Make the part the anode and use a piece of stainless steel as the cathode. Your battery charger would likley provide enough juice.
Really Cheap Bastards would use tree root destroyer as the source of the NaOH, or red devil lye. The colors are achieved by using dies.
It's a really simple process with really simple processes to control the reaction.
You got me. My experience was with maintaining the concentrations in the baths and the disposal of spent solutions. Back when I ran a lab, one of my clients was a big anodizing plant. They would invariably call me mid-evening on Friday for help with restoring their baths after a dump. We tried to set them up with their own lab, but they always came back needing help.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Pirate 4x4
18.7M posts
366.4K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to custom off-road vehicle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about trail reports, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, fabrication, drivetrain, and more!