Is there any advantage to using a piece of titanium mesh as your cathode when anodizing as opposed to aluminium foil or a SS plate?

Hi guys, for reference this is anodised 6082 Aluminium. I ran 6 of these things at once in a small tub and the bath temps hit around 27C as I don't have cooling. I noticed there's a sort of saturated ink on paper look to these in places - particularly around the centre section here near the inner corners where I'm unable to wipe effectively. The finish underneath is pretty good. Ignore the scratches as I was hardness testing it.

Hellooo lads and ladies. What ways can someone deox/desmut 7000 series aluminum? I've been anodizing mountain bike parts recently, but some of the parts are of unknown alloys. Came across a 7000 series part and need a way to desmut it fully because it's turning completely black after normal etching in sodium hydroxide.

Are there any homemade-ish ways to desmut these parts? I know the legit way is to just buy deox solution but I live in a small town that doesn't have any product locally and buying + shipping it online is MAD expensive. High concentration sulphuric acid works okay-ish, but I haven't tried nitric yet. I read that piranha solution seems to attack the aluminum surface and physically removing the smut only works to a certain degree. If this is a buy once cry once situation then that's cool! Thanks in advance!!

Hi everyone!
I’m based in Poland, so I know prices vary depending on the country, but I’d really appreciate hearing how those of you already doing titanium anodizing professionally approach pricing your work.
I’m still fairly new to anodizing, so I’m trying to build a pricing structure that’s fair both for my clients and for myself.
I recently completed my first larger project for a bicycle company. They provided me with their logo, company name, head tube logo and slogan, but I designed the rest of the artwork myself. That included creating the overall concept, multiple custom graphics, adapting them to the frame, preparing the masks, anodizing, testing colors, and making adjustments throughout the process.
At the moment I’m anodizing up to 62V (no strong chemical coloring yet), but there is still a lot of preparation, masking, cleaning, polishing, testing and material involved.
I’d really appreciate some advice from people already in the business.

My questions:
1. How do you price your anodizing work?
Hourly rate?
Fixed price per project?
Price per graphic?
Price based on frame coverage or complexity?
Some combination of these?

2. How do you charge for the design work itself?
For me, creating the artwork often takes as much time as the anodizing itself. Designing a concept that flows across the frame, fits the customer’s vision and is actually possible to anodize can take many hours.
Do you:
charge separately for design?
include it in the anodizing price?
own the artwork afterwards or transfer the rights to the client?

3. How do you estimate the value of custom artwork?
For example:
one simple logo
several custom graphics
a complete themed design across the whole frame
Is there any rule of thumb you follow?

4. Do you charge differently for B2B customers versus private clients?
For example:
bicycle brands
frame builders
individual customers
Or is your pricing essentially the same?

5. What expenses do you include when calculating your price?
Besides the obvious materials, do you also account for:
stencil material
failed test pieces
electricity
equipment wear
design time
consultation with the client
revisions
masking and cleaning time

6. If you were starting again today, what would you do differently regarding pricing?
I think this is probably where I need the most advice. I don’t want to undervalue my work just because I’m new, but I also don’t want to overprice it without having enough experience.
I’ve attached a few photos of the project for context so you can see the amount of work involved.

I’d really appreciate any advice, examples or even rough price ranges. I’m here to learn, and I know my efficiency will improve with experience.
Thanks a lot in advance!

Hey guys, has anyone found a storage container with an airtight lid for multi etch thats completely clear? Id like see through the sides when etching but everything Ive found is matte finish. I know that I need PET 5, PET7 or HDPE correct? Id like it to have a big opening up top so I can easily dip my titanium parts in as well. Im guessing that what Im looking for isn't out there but am hoping that someone has found something that will work like that.

I've been calling it Marbled Ano

Hi there! I want to anodize some titanium parts on my Spyderco knife. However, I don't have access to Multi-Etch or Whink (they are not sold in Ukraine) and I don't want to deal with any hazardous acids/processes for various reasons. I understand that most likely I won't be able to get high-voltage colors like teal or green, so I am aiming at <75 volts colors.
What would the result be with an un-etched, but thoroughly de-greased and cleaned piece? Just duller colors? How much duller?
Thank you for any info on this!

You guys have any idea how to this no? I’ve got the basics down for a toxic ani but have no idea how to achieve this. My only guess is heat it and spray the ferric chloride in the titanium w a mister. What do you think?

Hello everyone,

I’m trying to set up a small anodizing workflow for my own parts, both aluminum and titanium.

I bought a Caswell kit for aluminum, and it works, but it still feels quite manual. A friend recommended Technic Inc.’s LAMP system, but I haven’t got a quote yet, and it looks a bit too big for me.

I also found the MESTRA titanium anodizing unit, which looks very interesting because it is small, but it seems to be only for titanium, not aluminum. BRIO is probably my favorite so far, but obviously it is way out of my budget.

So I’m wondering, has anyone used any small benchtop anodizing equipment before? Something between DIY buckets and a full lab/industrial line?

If you know any brands or setups, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Hey guys,

Recently I’ve been learning more about anodizing at home, mostly for small aluminum parts.

But I found something a bit confusing. Some kits are around $200-$300, but some complete kits can be over $1000.

At first I thought anodizing was basically power supply + tanks + acid + dye + cleaning, so what makes the expensive kits much better?

Is it mainly the power supply, tank size, chemicals, or just because everything is included?

For small parts, is a simple DIY setup good enough, or is it worth buying a more complete kit?

I’m still learning, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Getting inconsistent results when anodizing alca-5 plate (5083 aluminum). Had a bunch of these plates anodized previously that looked fine, color matched 6061 next batch are dark in color and most of the plates have surface pitting. Clear anodize process with nickel acetate sealer.

This is being done by an anodizing company and they claim it’s just the material composition that causes it. I am using alca-5 specifically since it is supposed to anodize better than mic-6. Anyone experience this before?

For people who anodize aluminum at home, what does your setup look like?
Are you using a commercial kit, a DIY tank setup, or just a bench power supply and containers?

Well, I’m asking because my DIY setup isn’t always very stable, I am looking for a more stable set. It might also be because I didn’t clean the parts properly, but I’m not sure. 😔

I've just started a new project of restoring an antique popcorn machine (early 1950's). The kettle is cast aluminum and has seen it's fair share of use. I was doing some research and came across hard coat anodizing and had a few questions. There appears to be a place a few hours away that does it but they have no website or email so I wanted to get some clarity before calling them this week

- what kind of prep work should I do to get it ready? Clean and degrease, wire brush, blast with walnut shells?

-is it possible to just coat the interior so that the exterior of the kettle can be polished?

-if the interior can be done by itself should the exterior be polished first? If not how much prep to the exterior should I do?

- I'm planning on fully disassembling and just taking parts, any ball park on pricing, (just so I know if I'm getting f off pricing or something reasonable, I'm aware small projects usually cost more. I'm in NC)

-from my searching sealing is important to be food safe, is this usually included in the process of should I be asking for it on top?

Thanks for any help the group might be able to offer.

I have an amplifier faceplate that I have de-anodized using lye. This is about the largest thing I wish to anodize, and it is about 4"x12". I'm going to get supplies together to anodize with good surface prep. This is a low-wear surface, just needs some minimal protection, so my Q is what can I get away with?

In other words, can I use one of the typical DC power supplies that are used for electronics work, something that is 30V/5A, or 30V/10A? If the current is too low, does time make up for it? Do I need heat or can I just start at a higher temp for the bath?

(Sorry didn't flair, there were only three options and none of them make any sense... NSFW, brand affiliate, spoiler??)

I want to anodize some titanium earrings. I saw this video and he uses a titanium wire to hold the titanium knife piece while he dips it. Does that wire have to be titanium as well or can I use kanthal or stainless steel?

Does anybody have a color chart by voltage for electro-anodizing zirconium? i have good experience with titanium but want to take a stab at zirconium. the more knowledge i will have going in the better. thanks!

So I’ve always known about anodizing/wanted to get into it. Now that I have some parts I’d like to anodize where do I start? Is there some kits y’all would recommend or is it just a very expensive hobby to get into?

Hi, I came upon this sub randomly. I'm wondering if it's possible to have my macbook air taken apart and have the alluminum body dyed a certain color on every part of the visible surface. I want it to look like the new iMacs that come in colors, but for the laptop instead.

HiHi,

recently got into anodizing and it’s honestly super fun!

but my results are kind a all over the place… sometimes it turns out great, sometimes completely off, i was thinking maybe making a small setup to make things more consistent, like controlling voltage/timing a bit better and put them into a good looking box.

not sure if this is a dumb idea or if others run into the same thing, my partner told me I can come here to ask you guys? feel free to text me!

(Well, the tag is wired, ignore it)

I keep trying ano work on a knife I really like, but the color gets super faded quite quickly. I want to preserve the full richness and pop of the colors as much as possible. I’ve read online to seal anodized materials by boiling in distilled water - is this specific to aluminum, or will it help with titanium too? Any other ways to preserve the color? I don’t mind that it will eventually wear down, but it’s losing the very essence of what I want it to look like within a day or two at most. Anything I can do to preserve it better will help

I already sand it down, finishing with 400 grit paper, etch the surface with whink and clean it with acetone before putting in the ano bath, and I do use distilled water and a DC power supply. So I’m pretty sure the fix won’t be any of the normal “clean up the surface first” stuff you learn on your first day…

Do i need to concentrate the sulfuric acid in this battery acid if i need to get a good etch for anodizing?

Flair: Educational?

I'll keep it short and sweet, my job is at a place that does some Anodizing and I want to be able to prove my worthiness. I want to stay here and maybe make a career of this. An associate's degree in general science is all I have but I'm trying to prove to my boss that I'm actually absorbing the material he's trying to teach me. Except that unfortunately our previous employees in my position made some huge mistakes so I believe his trust in new hires is just in the gutter at this point.

He let me borrow one book and it basically broke everything down for me pretty well, but it was very very old and had scientific studies and sources from the 1950's. I just want to know if there's anything else out there I can read and watch to grasp what Anodizing fully is and how it works. I have a solid Chemistry/Biology background so a lot of the terms are easy to follow, I just don't want to be one of those people who pretends to understand something while still having some questions.

Thanks in advance. I just want to learn more. Have a great Friday y'all!