DC Motor Controll as Anodizer?

thknives

thknives

KnifeMaker
Joined
Jul 9, 1999
Messages
187
Could one use a DC variable motor control for anodizing TI?
The control I have seen has a output of 0 - 90 Volt DC when run from a regular 120 V outlet and 0 - 160 V when hooked up to 220V at around 3-5 AMP.
If one could use those, they are about $160 CAN and be a lot cheaper then any comercial anodizers.
Any thoughts.

Thomas

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Haslinger Handcrafted Custom Knives
http://members.home.net/thknives
thknives@home.com
 
Don't most folks use a battery charger for annodizing???

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!!!
 
thknives, the only thing I would worry about is if the output on those controllers is real DC current, I have tried with many rigged devices to anodize and if the current output is even slightly pulsating you wont get a good anodization. you might want to find someone with an osciliscope or a frequency meter and measure the output frequency, if it is 0 or a flat line on the osciliscope I would say it would work fine. You might want to use it at 220 volt input just to get that extra output for some of the colors you can get a higher voltages. I would also suggest you find yourself an isolation transformer so that you can keep the power supply isolated from your shop wiring, to prevent electrocution.

When I first started coloring titanium I hooked a transformer from a doorbell up to 120 volts AC then ran it through a bridge rectifier and a fiter capacitor. they through a string of voltage multipliers. I could change voltage by changing an aligator clip on the voltage multiplier. It got to about 100 volts but didnt have the control to get to some of the narrower color bands...

You can always just try a peice and find out if it works, just play it safe, high voltage electricity and liquids most of the time just arent our friends...

Alan...



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If a Man talks in the forest, and there is no Woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
 
I think there was an article in a past Blade magazine about how to anodize and they used, a variable dc power source from RadioShack, a little cheaper than the motor contoller.

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Sola Fide
 
I am trying to aviod you from electricuting yourself. A dc motor controller i.e. Blador, Leeson, Minarik, etc supplies a PWM dc output. This is pulse width modulated. A bridge rectifier also supplies PWM dc out. To color Ti a sizeable transformer is required and a variable transformer is used to gain precise control of the colors. using pwm in this situation may work but it is not intended to respond to the amperage required. Knife making is inherently dangerous to begin with and when one begins to play around with things they probably shouldn't it only increases the dangers. Seek facts from qualified indiviuals and you will not only do things correctly but you will learn to do them th right way.
 
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