Subject: Aluminum plate anodizing help please

From: [email-masked] (mtn-cw)
Date: 24 Apr 1996 18:05:34 GMT

Has anybody had any experience with home-brew plate-aluminum anodizing. 
I've seen some very stunning results which have perked my curiousity.
Where do you get the dyes, or can you make them. What voltages are used in the 
anodizing progess, what temperatures, how long. How do you know when the
dyes are near depletion? I guess what I need is a general FAQ on the
process.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Mitch Thornton   [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (James Kirkpatrick)
Date: 25 Apr 96 11:12:27 MDT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (mtn-cw) writes:
|>Has anybody had any experience with home-brew plate-aluminum anodizing. 
|>I've seen some very stunning results which have perked my curiousity.
|>Where do you get the dyes, or can you make them. What voltages are used in the 
|>anodizing progess, what temperatures, how long. How do you know when the
|>dyes are near depletion? I guess what I need is a general FAQ on the

http://plains.uwyo.edu/~metal

Jim

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From: [email-masked] (Charles Lewton-Brain)
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 1996 20:00:03 -0600

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (mtn-cw)

> Mitch Thornton   [email-masked]

David LaPlantz's book 'Artists Anodizing Aluminum' is excellent and has an
exhaustive listing of suppliers in the back. The address I have is PO Box
220, Bayside, CA, 95524, USA
ISBN 0-942002-03-2

Try also:

http://www.thomasregister.com:8000/home.html
Thomas Register, a great service and company finding site.

Note, although a rectifier is the proper thing I have heard of people
anodizing with a battery charger. The anodizing creates a hexagonal hollow
tubular sturctured oxide layer on the surface of the metal which can be
filled with dyes. The metal is then 'sealed' in nickel salts or just
boiling water which 'closes' the ends of the tubes locking the dye into
the metal surface. Any permanent dye can be used (magic marker etc) but
light fastness is a real issue. The main supplier of dyes Sandoz Corp just
got bought by some large company, apparently sold its workers to the
purchaser which is then going to liquidate their positions in several
months time (a friend is being chopped after 25 years) I don't know what
this will mean to dye availability.

Note you can buy pre-anodized aluminum sheet, do the dying and then seal
it as well asbeing able to buy pre-anodized and pre-dyed aluminum sheet.
(ie for tubes think arrow shafts and knitting needles). EastWest Dyecom
sells this and more. (try Metalsmith magazine ads for their address)

Charles

-- 
Charles Lewton-Brain
Brain Press, Box 1624 Ste M
Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
fax:403-283-9053
Email: [email-masked]