Anodizing Advice Needed

sfknifeguy

sfknifeguy

Joined
Feb 14, 2019
Messages
585
Hello all,

I recently finished up an EXTREMELY rudimentary setup for anodizing titanium. It didn't seem to be too daunting of a process, but I'm realizing there's a lot more to it than I thought. I tried out the process using windex, distilled water, 9 volt batteries, and Whink Rust and Stain Remover. That stuff is not fun to work with and is pretty nasty stuff like I had heard.

So I got a little too brave and anodized my Boos Blade Smoke, knife scales, pocket clip, and backspacer as my first project. I believe I etched the part too long, as it has a bit of a matte texture now, but the action is still great and I didn't ruin any of the functionality of the knife.

I tried a low voltage purple with a low voltage blue the first time.

I tried a slightly higher voltage silver/blue with a gold pocket clip/backspacer, but my voltage went a bit too high and came out to be a dark gold with a magenta hue.

The colors I got were bright at first but take fingerprints so easily and just smudge until the color is just dulled and muted. What can I do differently to achieve a better color, keep the same finish, and for the anodizing to hold up better against smudging and fingerprints? I've got a lot to learn, but I do really enjoy the whole process and the world of customization that it opens up.

Here are photos of the different different tries I had at it.

https://imgur.com/gallery/xWYX2wG
 
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Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to prevent fingerprint smudges on anodized titanium...matte finishes print less but they still darken.

~Chip
 
Hey Chip, that is sad to hear, maybe I just need to give it a really vibrant color that way it darkens to something still acceptable. I am curious though, I recently got a We Knives Deacon in a bright purple anodized titanium, and that thing holds it's color almost perfectly, and I'm wondering how that would be possible.
 
The lower voltage colors "smudge" more than the higher ones (gold and above) in my experience, but they are harder to achieve consistently. You need good surface prep and start with distilled high purity water before adding your electrolyte.

You have to remember, you're not actually coloring the metal. You're building an oxide layer that refracts light, so it will appear different colors depending on the thickness (which is determined by voltage). Just like fingerprints on glass change the way light passes through it, they change the way the light is refracted:)

~Chip
 
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Hey Chip,

That is great to know to start off with. What do you recommend cleaning with? I was using acetone, but I feel as if just a washrag with dishsoap and water would be more than sufficient and would allow me to do some more scrubbing.

Ah, yes, it can be hard to think about that sometime. Maybe I need to try some higher voltage anos and see what I can get.

Also, do you think Whink is the best product to use for it? I've heard a lot of great things about multi-etch, but I know it's kind of expensive, and requires some sort of heating setup for best results. Thanks!
 
NomenclaturalMan said:
Hey Chip,

That is great to know to start off with. What do you recommend cleaning with? I was using acetone, but I feel as if just a washrag with dishsoap and water would be more than sufficient and would allow me to do some more scrubbing.

Ah, yes, it can be hard to think about that sometime. Maybe I need to try some higher voltage anos and see what I can get.

Also, do you think Whink is the best product to use for it? I've heard a lot of great things about multi-etch, but I know it's kind of expensive, and requires some sort of heating setup for best results. Thanks!
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Acetone can leave an oily residue that can mess up the anodizing. Personally, I use dawn dish soap with hot water and a toothbrush then rinse with distilled water.

I've never used Whink, but I have used Multi-etch a lot...that stuff is great. I just heat it for a minute in the microwave (I use a 1 liter Nalgene sample bottle). It will etch fine cold, it's just faster warmed up.

~Chip
 
Chip,

Oh okay that is great to know, as my ano job was a little splotchy. That's good to know as far as cleaning goes. I think I've heard Multi-etch is a lot less acidic which I very much appreciate after getting Whink on a couple of shop rags and it turning them all black and nasty. Where is the best place to pick up Multi-etch?
 
I've been very happy with Reactive Metals, it's where I got my whole setup about 10 years ago:)
 
WValtakis said:
I've been very happy with Reactive Metals, it's where I got my whole setup about 10 years ago:)
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Chip, I've been looking around at Reactive Metals, they seriously have everything you could ever need for anodizing! I'm gonna do my best not to go and spend four or five hundred dollars for a proper setup, haha no promises!
 
NomenclaturalMan said:
Chip, I've been looking around at Reactive Metals, they seriously have everything you could ever need for anodizing! I'm gonna do my best not to go and spend four or five hundred dollars for a proper setup, haha no promises!
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Yup, they've got it all;) The SMT power supply has been a workhorse, no issues whatsoever...even on large pieces at high voltages:).
 
If you're talking 10 years you've been using it now, it sure sounds like a workhorse! Sure would beat using a bunch of 9V batteries! I may need to talk with my wife tonight about an anodizing setup, as I think it could be a fun tinkering hobby as well as maybe a little side-business. Not sure what all you do with it, but I would guess it would be possible.
 
WValtakis said:
That's pretty much how it went with me, making stuff pretty is expensive...so why not do it myself? Same reason I got into engraving...;)

Here's a bunch of my older stuff from back in the day:)
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/custom-titanium-anodizing.770502/
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Your work is gorgeous man, I really appreciate that kind of stuff. I really hope to get some projects going and start anodizing more. You do some really really cool stuff and I bet you've gotten a lot better since then! I'm wondering how many times you can anodize a part before you really ruin the finish overall, have you ever had that happen?
 
If you're not too aggressive when you remove the ano you can get away with at least a couple re-dips on most surface finishes, but if you're going for mirror polished get it right the first time;). Blasted finishes you can almost re-dip endlessly.
 
WValtakis said:
If you're not too aggressive when you remove the ano you can get away with at least a couple re-dips on most surface finishes, but if you're going for mirror polished get it right the first time;). Blasted finishes you can almost re-dip endlessly.
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That is great to know! I may have ruined the original finish on my Boos Blades Smoke, but it still looks pretty nice regardless. That's super helpful though, thanks!

It is showing some streaking lines through it a bit, could that be residue left behind from the acetone like you mentioned before?
 
NomenclaturalMan said:
That is great to know! I may have ruined the original finish on my Boos Blades Smoke, but it still looks pretty nice regardless. That's super helpful though, thanks!

It is showing some streaking lines through it a bit, could that be residue left behind from the acetone like you mentioned before?
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Most likely...
 
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