[nagjames]

Hi All,

I'm making small RC aluminum parts mostly as hobby however I sold a few on ebay.
The other day I tried to spray paint my parts with some "multi purpose" paint. The finish was nice but as expected the paint came off as I scratched a bit. Anodizing would be the best option but probably no anodizing shop would bother anodizing 10 pieces. I'll ask around anyways I have no idea how much would it cost.
I wonder if there is a paint out there which doesn't come off too easily. Would some special metal paint last longer?

Thanks,
James
http://nagycnc.com

[Geof]

Look for "zinc chromate primer". I have no idea how easy it is to get these days but that was what was used for priming the aluminum bodywork on the original Land Rover. You know, the one that features in old documentaries in Africa before the Brits lost the market to the Toyota LandCruiser and before Ford bought Land Rover and turned it into a Baby Boomer status symbol.

[nagjames]

Thanks Geof for your quick reply. I'll check it out.

James

[rustamd]

Also can be called "Self Etching Primer"

[dertsap]

canadian tire has aluminum paints (Duplicolor)that give the anodized look if your looking for something like that , it s actually pretty decent paint, ive used it on a few projects ,you can find it in the auto area

[545Kurt]

Why not do your own anodizing? It is really quite simple for the DIY at home. Just need a battery charger and a plastic tub with some weak battery acid, a little food colour and some time. Bought most of my supplies and tooling for under $30.00

Kurt

[apache405]

Is there a guide for DIY anodizing? I have a few pieces that I wanted to anodize, but the shop that does it locally wanted like $60 each (since I wanted different colors for each part).

[Derward]

zinc chromate primer was used on aircraft during WWII.[To 545Kurt, will you
give us more info on how this works?[/B]
[/COLOR]
Thanks
Derward

[jeffdandy1]

Hi All,

I'm making small RC aluminum parts mostly as hobby however I sold a few on ebay.
The other day I tried to spray paint my parts with some "multi purpose" paint. The finish was nice but as expected the paint came off as I scratched a bit. Anodizing would be the best option but probably no anodizing shop would bother anodizing 10 pieces. I'll ask around anyways I have no idea how much would it cost.
I wonder if there is a paint out there which doesn't come off too easily. Would some special metal paint last longer?

Thanks,
James
http://nagycnc.com

Hi,

Check this site out ... LOTS of stuff that should be right up your street !!!

http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/

Hope it helps

[chrbau]

Is there a guide for DIY anodizing? I have a few pieces that I wanted to anodize, but the shop that does it locally wanted like $60 each (since I wanted different colors for each part).

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html

[Morzapa]

A good source I personal use is this http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/anodizedye.htm
Good luck

Art

[Krijn.nl]

Yep!! Here's a quick one: http://astro.neutral.org/anodise.shtml
This deals with all the simple things which are "model engine" size.
Hope this helps..............
Paint looks awfull on aluminum small parts......
Micro sandblasting is also an option. Talk to your dentist. He might have a microsandblaster left after the dust setteled in his office........
Or a dental technician can help you out. He might even like to do this for free if he recognises nice miniature workmanship!

Robert.

[vajutza]

Anodizing Aluminum, looks very professional on a finished project, http://www.janekits.com.au has kits here in Australia for Nickel plating which is great for protection from oxidising and wear & tear applications.

[Anodizer]

I use anodizing supplies from Casewell at work. Mostly my anodizing is deep
black, but do some color for myself.
Just remember, and most sites do not tell you this, anodizing produces hydrogen gas, very explosive, and some hydrogen sulfide, will make you cough your head off before doing serious damage. Use very good ventilation.

Fred

[Geof]

.... anodizing produces hydrogen gas, very explosive, and some hydrogen sulfide, will make you cough your head off before doing serious damage. Use very good ventilation.

Fred

Are you sure about the coughing?

Sulfur Dioxide burns your throat and makes you cough but does not do really drastic things very quickly; by that I mean it will do drastic things but you have plenty of warning.

Hydrogen sulfide is the rotten egg smell associated with some volcanoes, hot springs and tidal mud flats. This is a bad one because it is as toxic or maybe more toxic than hydrogen cyanide and the problem is it paralyses the sense of smell. If you smell it in a confined space and then the smell goes away you are in great danger of going away yourself, permanently, unless you get out to fresh air.

[Anodizer]

I was concerned about the gas bubbles coming off of the aluminum. I knew that hydrogen gas was given off as the oxygen in the fluid is used for the anodize layer. I did smell the rotten egg smell so I contacted the Chemistry Department and was told it was hydrogen sulfide, very toxic. Health Safety checked the capacity of the hood where I do the anodizing and told me to limit the size of the pieces to keep from producing more gas than the hood can handle. I share the duct with another lab for their 2 Joule gas laser.
That bad boy has fluorine in it. A magnitude of serious effect, very painful death.
I am trying to move the setup, but professors come first, my health last.

Fred

[nagjames]

Thanks for everybody's input on this.
I'm afraid of anodizing at home since I live in a townhome with two small kids. Plus how would I recycle the chemicals?
Ron Newman's kit looks great but I don't have the facilities to deal with dangerous materials.

Thanks,
James

[mxtras]

If you etch the aluminum to clean it then paint with an epoxy paint it will stick.

Your best bet is to use the chromate, or etching primer. It's primary, active ingredient is phosphoric acid, by the way. Etching then epoxy paint is a very effective alternative to the chromate. The chromate primer - something like DuPont's VariPrime is about $170 per gallon kit (which makes about 1.75 gallons).

Etching can be done with a product called Alumibrite - this is available from a local welding supply. It can be wiped or brushed on and rinsed off.

An another option would be powder coating.

Scott

[ibwood2]

Try your local hardware store. Rustoleum makes a special aluminum primer.
I tried to anodize with a 6 amp, battery charger once without any sucess. I concluded that a larger power supply would be required.

[Quckslvr]

James,

I'm not sure where you are located but here in Indianapolis I can get any quantity of parts anodized. They go by price per color , per color it is $75 and will go up depending on weight, quantity and or size. I would check your local vendor about pricing.

Most of the time quantity doesn't matter due to the fact they will run your parts along with another larger order being processed. So give it a shot and see where you get.

Quckslvr