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Electrolytic Coloring of Metals

Dear Sir:

I am final year engineering student at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. I am doing a project on the coloring of metals through electrolysis and I am looking for any information that can help me. The information can be anything regarding the coloring of metals, their properties afterwards etc Your attention is appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur [surname deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
2003

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Sounds to me that you would mainly be interested in anodising of aluminium. You can impart a wide range of colours to the anodised coating by using various dyes. There are only a few "coloured" metals and these are copper and gold, although I suppose you can include silver as this is often used as a generic colour description.

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2003

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Titanium and niobium can be anodized to create a rainbow of colors without the use of dye.

Neil Bell
Albuquerque, New Mexico
2003