Does anyone anodize their own parts?

[Guest]

I have a few aluminum things sitting around the house, and I think they'd look better with some color on them.

So, I've been looking around online, it seems that anodizing at home isn't really that hard to do.

Here's a few simple how-to's:
http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/anodize.shtml

http://www.engineeringhobbyist.com/p...ted/anodizing/

So has anyone tried anodizing at home?

[Adler]

hmmm interesting, looks REALLY easy. Just like electrolysis.

[Nessism]

I've done zinc plating on GS hardware/parts using a kit from Cadwell's Plating, but have never tried anodizing.

[wkmpt]

Some more of the reading I'm doing suggests that it does not work as well on cast parts...dang, was gonna go pink carb bodies...

[Hammered]

Depends on what youre trying to ano. I used to do Paintball parts years ago. Milled parts out of 6061 and 7071 parts look great with the right prep. But ano different even in the same batch. Cast past, in my opinion, look like ****e. All the inpurities just wreck the color. IF you still wanna ano those parts. find out the alloy mix. If theyre 360 or 380 cast aluminum, then you can with better results that other alloys. Course you could always just powder coat the same color and its easier than setting up and ano bath. Check Caswell's forums.

[Homie]

Talk to "Greg B". I think he said he use to do some anodizing in the past. Now he sends them out somewhere. Something about not wanting to work with the chemicals involved. Anyway, I recently picked up a TEO that he machined and had anodized and it is nice. See what he has to say about it.

[ValorSolo]

I'm at it again. Revising old threads. lol

I spent a couple hours looking over Caswell's plating kits, the other day.
After all that reading, I left without a clue about which kit would be the best.
I have several parts I'd like to chrome. Some steel and some aluminum.

How well do the copy kits work? They seem to be the most affordable route and safest.
I think maybe the chrome/copper flash kit is what I need. But I may be wrong.