The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
  

  -----

Anodizing MX quad racer in a 5 gallon bucket

2004

Hello there

I'm a MX quad racer and I was reading up on this anodizing thing and am very interested in it. What I have in mind is just little pieces on my quad AKA (ATV) such as brake leavers and sprockets and such and was wondering if I took a 5 gallon bucket and put a 1/4 inch aluminum plate in the bottom of it with a aluminum rod coming up to the top of the bucket and filled it with battery acid with a gravity of 1100 and put my very clean piece of aluminum in it while attached to a 12 gage aluminum wire that will be on the positive end of the battery charger ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] while the negative end is on the aluminum rod coming up out of the bucket . Will this work and if so will it work with a battery charger that is 12V and 65 amps on the start setting and if so how do I tell how long to leave it in. Is there a way to tell like watching the bubbles or color of the piece. If you can give me some input that would be appreciated              

Herb Harnish
hobbyist - Little Dover, N.S., Canada

Herb, the evils of doing that have been covered many times before at this site. Some people claim to have great results, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not many people can equal what a professional anodizer can do. There are far more that are total failures.You lack a good (proper) cleaning and desmutting steps. 12 volts is well under what a pro uses. Your battery charger hits the part with full volts and amperage instantaneously which does not result in great anodizing.It works better if voltage can be ramped up. Finally, it will rust iron things in your garage and what are you going to do with the waste. It is regulated! Big fines for violations that are caught. You also have a 99% probability of violating your local zoning laws.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2004

Not sure what alloy the aluminum is but it may not take well to anodizing. Only the aluminum will anodize, alloying elements will not, and may cause problems.

I've seen different wording on different chargers, some refer to the "start" mode as a quick boost they only lasts a few seconds and on others it can actually be used for recharging batteries hours at a time. The amps are plenty high enough but most chargers start mode is not made for using for lengthy periods of time, an internal breaker will pop and shut the machine down. You need a setting that can run for a good hour. I've heard you can't use an "automatic" charger as they will shut off on you before process is complete. Bubbles will indicate that anodizing is taking place and should start immediately. I would anodize for a good hour or so. you can get away with a quick anodize but it will be thinner, wear off quicker and probably not absorb dye if you were thinking of dying.

Hopefully you have looked up the legalities and safety issues and are in compliance. Great ventilation is a must! Personally I would say if the parts are anodizable then a supplier somewhere is already anodizing them and you can just purchase them. Maybe paint or powder coat them. If you go ahead with the project don't neglect cleaning and sealing cycles.

Jason Aube
- Flint, Michigan
2004