anodizing problem

Dan Gray

Dan Gray

Joined
Jun 25, 2001
Messages
8,474
OK I got my Unit working but not into a box yet
this is the first time I've done this.

The two liners I put in at separate times came out
about the same which
I'm shooting for BUT from one end to the other it has a range of
color though it's very interesting I don't think it is
suppose to be that way.:(
the lower end as a greenish color, in the middle it turns purple
and the top it's gold. between these colors there are other colors
in the transitions to the next one. what's wrong ? not enough tsp ?
all this was at about 75-80 volts.
if we get some sun light tomorrow I'll see if I can get a picture.

looks like a different voltage at different places that may have
caused it?:confused: any Ideas? Thanks
 
I'm not sure Dan. I don't know how the unit you have is set up. I made one a number of years ago to put a hard coat on the AR15 frames I was building. It put no color though. I was doing that by using an aniline dye that was meant to stain cells.

My best guess from what you say is that you may not have a good contact either with the part or with your source metal. I expect the color difference also represents a problem with the surface thickness of the skin! Wish I could help.
 
Dan you can puposely create that with a high voltage. It could be that you have full power going through. The amount ot TSP you use does have an effect on the color but what might be called lighter or darker.If you saw lost of bubbles (reaction) when you put the liner into the solution then there definitely is too much current. Turn your reostat down low and try again. Hope this helps at least some. Frank
 
Dan,
My results and your are just the opposite. I get gold first, then purple, blue, yellowish, and then into the other lighter colors. Green is the hardest for me to get. I have a Reactive Metals machine.
Dunno:)
 
Graymaker,

I'm assuming this is for Ti. If you want both liners to be the same color put them back to back and anodize both at the same time. I have found that the detent ball will pit if it is exposed so I dab a bit of nail polish on it to prevent pitting. I also had trouble with using a steal clip to hold the liners (It cause trouble with the anodizing) so I made a clip out of Ti.

Normally I set my voltage on the color I want and submerse my liners into the solution and turn the machine on and turn it off before removing them. I also find that the area unde the clip does not seem to color well so I flip the liners 180 and do them again. as long as I have not changed the voltage setting I get the same color.

As for the gradual color change, Is your neg wire just in the solution or does it spiral around the container? Just a stab in the dark but if it is not spiraling around the whole container maybe this is causing a voltage decrease towards the bottom of the container. I have a 1" wide x .002 piece os 302 stainless spiraling from the top to the bottom of my container and have not experianced any color transition like you have mentioned unless I was purposely varing the voltage while submersing my liners.

As a final note I didn't have a large enough shield material in my container and touched my liner to the SS strip. This is not a good thing as the liner arcs and grounding out in water is not very safe.
I got a large piece of mylar and poked many holes in it (so the currant can flow evenly) to ensure I do not kill myself.
 
Thanks Guys
Yeaup TI
My neg side is a piece of ss wrap silver soldered to a SS rod
and the Pos side is a SS rod hooked on the end to hold the part
the wrap is wide and long enough to =+the size of the liners
and at the same depth as the liner
just on one side of the jar,
the liner takes the same coloring
(though I get the varying in color)
and it's just exactly the same on both sides
just as even as the other side away from the neg side

it's just from bottom to the top the coating evidently is
thicker from one to the other. and that leads me to think
it's a voltage difference from one end to the other??

I had the - + reversed at first and it just bubbled a lot when cranked up
but I think by doing that the TI self cleans
( I maybe on to something there.:) we'll see on that one.
 
Are you submerging the point where your titanium touches your stainless hook for your positive of your supply? If so the difference of the color is because the stainless is a much better conductor of electricity than the Ti. Ti builds up a non conductive oxide which makes the color so if you have something too conductive holding it down ito the solution you can force a rainbow around that point... try a strip of Ti with a stainless screw in it... you get a rainbowed halo around that point once it is anodized. It basically just decreases the electrical resisitance at that point...

Try a titanium hook to hold your peices, the only stainless I have in my tank is the cathode (negative) and that is covered in plastic mesh from the craft store that they use to make rugs or something... just so it doesnt short out with my posative... Try the Ti, I think it will solve your problem.

Alan.
 
Thanks Alan
I am getting a little differance round the contact point
but not much

I'm getting green from the bottum to about 1/2 the way up then a little blue, about half way it's a purple to about 3/4 s up then it's gold.
here is the picture it's not a good one but you can see the changes.
ti-pic.JPG

you can see where the hook was in the hole.
 
Yeah thats what it looks like... try a titanium hook instead that should solve most of that problem, the other thing can be that the current on your machine is too low for the volume of TSP solution that you are trying to charge, so lower your volume or raise your amperage and use the Ti hook and i think you will see much more consistant results...


Alan..
 
thanks Alan I'll try that:)

oh yes...
If a Man talks in the forest, and there is no Woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?

just ask my wife :)
 
I was using a 1 gal jar and getting an array of colors
but not uniform at any voltage, so it was recommended that I go to
a smaller jar so I went to under a quart added more TSP
now I don't get hardly any color???
I can put so much voltage in.. that it turns my
ss connector rods red hot and blows a 15 amp breaker
it heats water great, HOT.. any Ideas

I tried pulling the ss rods up so they don't conduct in the solution
so I'm thinking that's not the problem.:confused:
 
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