anodizing aluminium
 

Does anyone have any experience or tips for anodizing aluminium or painting it? The basics and even kits are fairly easy to find but does anyone acutally have any experience or first-hand tips/tricks/advice? Painting and preperation advice also needed. Particularly with large (20cmx20cm+), thin pieces (>1mm).

Everyday. It depends on the strength of the anodizing solution. The stuff we have in dip tanks is much stronger than the bottles of stuff they give us to touch up spots. Basically anodizeing is acid etching the surface for the paint(primer) to grab. Put it on, wait for the metal to discolor then wash it off with clean water and dry. It could be 1 to 20 minutes to discoloration.
Epoxy primer is the hot ticket, available where they sell automotive refinishing supplies. :)

So if I want to paint it it needs an epoxy primer layer first? Any paints that cound be applied directly? Considering what I want to do is it worth pursuing doing anodizing myself or is it going to be too complex/expensive/dangerous? I'll probably only want to do one but more may follow if it's a success. I have enough experience with paint and spraypaint but dipping stuff in charged acid is a new game. You guys run a mail service? ;)

No, epoxy primer is not mandatory, just the best option for longevity/weathering, so it depends on what you're going to do with it.
Anodizing is done with a MILD acid that is neutralized with very little water. The dip tanks require rubber gloves and eye protection but the bottles we use for hand touch up of small/repaired parts, are often used bare handed. Follow manufacturers recomendations. ;)

Sounds like jag is doing a case mod.

If you are, the God of case mods is a guy named Yoshi. Google "Yoshi case mod" for a wealth of info. He used to do a feature on the ScreenSavers.

Here's a "how to" on home anodizing.

Read the anodizing article, nice to add that to my repetoire of ways to get into trouble with a chemistry set (thermite was fun too!). I really liked this part:

This creates hydrogen (just like charging a battery) which is very flammable. This stuff burns at the speed of thought when ignited, so do be careful. (Read as Remember the Hindenburg?)

It reminded me of the official NASA rocket technician's SOP on dealing with invisible flames from hydrogen fires. Now that's scary! The book says to extend a straw broom into the area suspected to be an invisible hydrogen flame. If the broom burns, you're right! No, I am not making this up. Here's a marketing blurb for a gizmo to "see" the flame, also a picture of the old fashioned test.

http://www.techbriefs.com/spinoff/spinoff1997/ps1.html

Hot!

Maybe redundant did you look at

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Anodizing/...g_aluminum.htm

I beleive the paint choice is critical. I remeber aluminum panels on venerable Land Rovers.

Nothing quite as benign as a case mod but in that direction, thanks for the links all, I've enlisted the help of professionals so I should be ok now.

Hmmmm.... not benign... aluminium (that's "al-oo-MIN-eeum" to us yanks)... anodizing...
NOT a case mod.. hmmmmm...

He said: "direction." .. Directional... Pointing! AIMING!

Enlisted Professionals!

*GASP!*

Oh, Lordy! Somebody get Tom Ridge on the phone!
What's that goddamn TIPS number?!?!?
Ok, self, calm down - what would Sean Hannity do????

http://www.state.gov/cms_images/Slide32_600.jpg
:)

Without further information I'm going to assume it's for an anal dildo.

Assuming that Jag is, in fact, a guy, isn't 'anal dildo' redundant?

The English are supposed to be guardians of the King's language. Say it with me:

ah-loom-in-um

ah
loom
in
um

makes me batty.

do you have more than one orifice? maybe he wasn't allowed a pacifier as an infant and this is his reaction.

Ah!....uh....ewww!?!

looks like I've been making friends of late. As for suggestions as to uses, clearly you don't read enough savage love columns, everyone knows you should buy your toys from respectable suppliers.

al-you-min-yum*

*updated after saying it to myself 500 times.